Rain washes out NASCAR qualifying at EchoPark Speedway

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Published  February 21, 2026 12:01pm EST
FOX 5 Atlanta

ATLANTA, GA - JUNE 27: Katherine Legge (#32 Jordan Anderson Racing Desnuda Tequilla Chevrolet) during qualifying for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Focused Health 250 race on Friday June 27, 2025 at the Echo Park Speedway in Hampton, Georgia.  (Photo by D …

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The Brief

    • Heavy rain at EchoPark Speedway in Hampton led NASCAR to cancel qualifying for the AutoTrader 400.
    • Daytona 500 winner Tyler Reddick was awarded the pole position based on NASCAR's performance metric.
    • The race begins Sunday at 3 p.m. on FOX 5, featuring 260 laps of high-speed drafting.

Inclement weather at EchoPark Speedway, formerly known as Atlanta Motor Speedway, forced the cancellation of NASCAR Cup Series qualifying Saturday morning.

AutoTrader 400 qualifier rained out

What we know:

As a result, the starting grid for Sunday’s AutoTrader 400 was determined by NASCAR’s performance-based metric formula, placing a familiar face at the front of the field.

Tyler Reddick will lead the field to the green flag in the No. 45 Toyota Camry for 23XI Racing after winning the 2026 Daytona 500 last weekend. Joining him on the front row is three-time champion Joey Logano in the No. 22 Ford. If Reddick secures a victory Sunday, he will become the first driver since 2010 to win the first two races of a NASCAR season.

What is the AutoTrader 400?

Local perspective:

The AutoTrader 400 is the second race of the 36-event 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season. The race consists of 260 laps on the 1.54-mile quad-oval, which utilizes superspeedway-style drafting rules.

Fans can watch the race on FOX 5 beginning at 3 p.m. Sunday, with NASCAR RaceDay airing at 2 p.m.

AutoTrader 400 starting lineup

What we know:

The full starting line up for Sunday's AutoTrader 400 is: 

  1. Tyler Reddick
  2. Joey Logano
  3. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
  4. Chase Elliott
  5. Brad Keselowski
  6. Zane Smith
  7. Chris Buescher
  8. Riley Herbst
  9. Bubba Wallace
  10. Josh Berry
  11. Noah Gragson
  12. Daniel Suárez
  13. William Byron
  14. Kyle Busch
  15. Carson Hocevar
  16. Kyle Larson
  17. Ty Dillon
  18. Cody Ware
  19. AJ Allmendinger
  20. Michael McDowell
  21. Ross Chastain
  22. Ryan Blaney
  23. Erik Jones
  24. John Hunter Nemechek
  25. Ty Gibbs
  26. Ryan Preece
  27. Cole Custer
  28. Shane Van Gisbergen
  29. Denny Hamlin
  30. Austin Cindric
  31. Connor Zilisch
  32. Christopher Bell
  33. Austin Dillon
  34. Chase Briscoe
  35. Todd Gilliland
  36. Alex Bowman
  37. BJ McLeod
  38. JJ Yeley

The Source: Information in this article came from an email sent to FOX 5 by the EchoPark Speedway staff. 

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