With Daytona now in the rearview mirror, NASCAR moves on to the EchoPark / Atlanta Motor Speedway for race number 2 across all three of NASCAR’s top series. Rebuilt with a new vision a handful of years ago…the former Atlanta 1.5 mile oval now behaves like a smaller Daytona or Talladega.
While drafting and pack racing are now the characteristics of this track, the narrow lanes and smaller size make for a dramatic event, which also includes attrition. The key to the new track? Survive.
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Winner: Kyle Busch
#16 Justin Haley
Leading the Kaulig Racing RAM charge this week was veteran driver Justin Haley. Tasked with being the experienced driver of the Kaulig truck stable, Haley’s prowess lies in superspeedway racing and it showed in Atlanta. Following a poor qualifying effort (25th), Haley drove is RAM to a 10th-place finish.
Haley, who has made only sporadic appearances in a truck since moving on to the NOAP and Cup Series, returned to Craftsman Truck competition full-time this season. The Kaulig driver has an impressive truck resume, with 3 wins and 34 top ten finishes in only 55 career starts previously.
Photo Credit: Jayski and Sean Gardner/Getty Images
#44 Andres Perez de Lara
One of the bigger surprises from late 2025, returned to the seat of the Niece Motorsports Chevrolet for a full 2026 campaign. While Perez faded late to 15th by races end, the Mexico City native spent a good portion of the race in the top five and ten after qualifying 9th.
Perez, who joined the Niece #44 team late in 2025 after leaving Spire Motorsports, showed quick speed with his new team immediately. Fast forward to 2026, the Niece driver is showing signs of being a dark horse in the new chase format (finishes of 13th and 15th).
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Winner: Sheldon Creed
#00 Sheldon Creed
He finally did it! Sheldon Creed finally fulfilled the largest gap in an impressive resume in Atlanta. The decision of Creed’s team, Haas Factory Team to switch to Chevrolet has already paid huge dividends. Creed finally reached victory lane in his #00 entry, earning his first career NOAP win after taking the lead from Austin Hill on the final lap.
For Creed, this first win has been a long time coming, with 15 2nd place finishes before finally breaking through. Creed has been a perennial championship contender the last three seasons, with the old chase / “win and your in” format eliminating him from contention
#25 Nick Sanchez
Also showing some muscle in Atlanta was sophomore driver Sanchez. A late edition to a rejuvenated AM Racing for 2026, Sanchez took over the seat of the #25 Ford. One of only a few Fords in the 2026 NOAP field, Sanchez and AM made their presence felt in a field dominated by Chevrolet. While Sanchez started 28th, he quickly moved through the field and brought the AM Racing entry home 3rd.
Sanchez, who collected his first trophy with Big Machine Racing last season in Atlanta, was let go from the Big Machine team during the off season. Left scrambling for a ride, Sanchez joined AM Racing only weeks before Daytona this season. If the first two races of this season are any indication, Sanchez and AM could bring the fight to a Chevrolet-dominated field.
Photo Credit: Jayski and AM Racing
Autotrader 400 at EchoPark Speedway
Winner: Tyler Reddick
#7 Daniel Suarez
Suarez was released from Trackhouse Racing during the off season, and found a spot with Spire Motorsports and their #7 Chevrolet for 2026. While many would consider the move a downgrade in equipment…the results thus far do not lie. Suarez and Spire have shown surprising speed right immediately, finishing 5th in Atlanta (after starting 12th).
Suarez won at Atlanta in 2024 with Trackhouse Racing in 2024 on the new superspeedway design, but went winless in 2025. Suarez’s last top five finish in 2025 came in the summer Daytona event, where he finished 2nd.
Photo Credit: Jayski and Sean Gardner/Getty Images
#16 A.J. Allmendinger
A silent surprise at Atlanta came from Kaulig Racing and A.J. Allmendinger. With Kaulig’s focus on RAM truck program for 2026, the Kaulig team is still fielding Chevrolets in the Cup Series until Dodge’s return. Losing manufacturer support for 2026 in Cup, Allmendinger’s Atlanta is even more surprising. Qualifying his Camaro 19th, Allmendinger survived all of the late-race chaos, and quietly collected a 12th-place finish.
Allmendinger, who is a Kaulig anchor driver for several seasons already, knows that 2026 could be a struggle with no Chevrolet support. With all cars and engines being now built in-house, it seems the #16 team could be a strong contender to sneak up on the rest of field after Daytona and Atlanta.