Quaker State 400 at Echo Park speedway: live race updates
The Quaker State 400 at Echo Park Speedway is running on July 12 with Ryan Blaney on the pole after Team Penske swept qualifying, while rain and thunderstorms threaten Hampton, Georgia. NASCAR Cup Series live updates track a 260-lap showdown that also settles In-Season Challenge quarterfinal matchups at the track south of Atlanta.
Key Takeaways
- Ryan Blaney leads the field from pole (179.912 mph) with Joey Logano alongside him after a Team Penske front-row sweep.
- Engines fired after Braves legend Chipper Jones gave the command; Chad Finchum is the only driver sent to the rear for unapproved adjustments.
- The National Weather Service puts precipitation near 57% at green flag, with rain chances of 50–70% through the evening.
- Quarterfinal tournament pairings include Blaney vs. William Byron and Denny Hamlin vs. Christopher Bell.
- CBS Sports lists Blaney as the +1000 betting favorite, though Mike McClure's model projects him barely inside the top 10.
Who is on the pole at Echo Park Speedway?
When the green flag drops, Ryan Blaney starts first in the No. 12 Team Penske Ford. ESPN reports he posted a 30.815-second lap at 179.912 mph on Saturday, with teammate Joey Logano second at 179.702 mph.
Blaney called the Penske front row great and noted he works well with fellow Ford drivers in the draft. Kyle Larson, Austin Dillon and Daniel Suarez fill out the next three spots. Chase Elliott, who won last summer's race at his home track, starts seventh.
Will weather delay the Quaker State 400?
The Tennessean reports rain and thunderstorms moving across the Hampton area, with chances hovering between 50% and 70% through midnight. The National Weather Service calls for a 57% chance of precipitation with thunder possible at the scheduled start.
As of the latest live update, radar was holding for an on-time green flag around 7:19 p.m. Eastern (6:19 p.m. Central). Temperatures were expected to drop into the mid-70s. For more offbeat sports coverage, see our Bizarre World section.
What do the In-Season Challenge quarterfinals look like?
The Quaker State 400 is the third race of NASCAR's In-Season Challenge and serves as the quarterfinal round. Matchups include 25-seed Todd Gilliland vs. 32-seed Alex Bowman, 4-seed Chase Elliott vs. 12-seed Chase Briscoe, 3-seed Ryan Blaney vs. 11-seed William Byron, and 2-seed Denny Hamlin vs. 10-seed Christopher Bell.
Points leader Hamlin qualified 28th and spring winner Tyler Reddick started 31st, per ESPN. Blaney said Toyota teams could be aggressive in the draft after Reddick's February win at EchoPark Speedway.
How can you watch and what do the odds say?
The race airs on TNT, with radio on PRN and streaming on the HBO Max app. The Performance Racing Network also streams on NASCAR.com and SiriusXM channel 90. Green flag time is approximately 6:15 p.m. CT on July 12 for 260 laps covering 400.4 miles across three stages.
CBS Sports lists Ryan Blaney as the +1000 favorite ahead of Kyle Larson and Logano at +1100. Mike McClure's simulation model, which CBS Sports cites as having picked 30 winners since 2021, fades Blaney despite his pole and flags Brad Keselowski (+1800) as a strong contender given two career Atlanta wins and six top-three finishes at Echo Park Speedway.