ATLANTA/LIME ROCK
Friday, June 27 — NASCAR Xfinity Series @ Atlanta, 7:30 p.m. ET (CW)
Saturday, June 28 — NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series @ Lime Rock, 1 p.m. ET (FS1)
Saturday, June 28 — NASCAR Cup Series @ Atlanta, 7 p.m. ET (TNT)
All three of NASCAR’s top series are in action this weekend as the regular season continues to wind down. The NASCAR Xfinity and NASCAR Cup Series drivers will be making their second trip to EchoPark Speedway, formerly known as Atlanta Motor Speedway, this season while the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series competes at Lime Rock Park for the first time.
LOGANO LOOKING FOR ATLANTA REPEAT
When Joey Logano won the second race last year at Atlanta Motor Speedway it was a foreshadowing of how the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs would start and finish. Logano used a push from his Team Penske teammate, Ryan Blaney, on an overtime restart to win the postseason opener and secure a spot in the Round of 12. The victory was Logano’s second of the season and third overall after he captured the All-Star Race earlier in the year. The Connecticut native went on to close the playoffs with a win at Phoenix Raceway and secure his third series title.
QUALIFYING DOMINANCE
When it comes to qualifying at EchoPark Speedway in recent years, no manufacturer has been more dominant than Ford, which has captured the NASCAR Cup Series pole five straight times. The Blue Oval hasn’t only won the pole, but it has swept the front row in each of those qualifying sessions. Team Penske has led the way during this three-year stretch as all three drivers – Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney and Austin Cindric – have qualified in the top 10 for each race. The organization has also had at least one driver start on the front row in each of the last five events. Here’s a list of Ford’s qualifying success since 2023.
FORD POLE STREAK AT ECHOPARK
- Ford has won the last five NASCAR Cup Series poles at EchoPark (Joey Logano, Aric Almirola, Michael McDowell twice, and Ryan Blaney).
- Blaney won the pole for the race earlier this year.
- Ford has swept the front row in five straight EchoPark qualifying sessions (Blaney/Cindric (2025-1), McDowell/Blaney (2024-2), McDowell/Logano (2024-1), Almirola/Blaney (2023-2), Logano/Cindric (2023-1).
- Team Penske has had at least one driver start on the front row in each of the last five races (Blaney and Cindric, 2025-1; Blaney, 2024-2; Logano, 2024-1; Blaney, 2023-2; Logano and Cindric, 2023-1)
- Ford swept the top eight spots in the 2023 spring race.
- Ford swept the top six spots in the 2023 summer race.
- Ford swept the top five spots in the 2024 summer race.
- Ford swept the top five spots and nine of the top 10 in the 2025 spring race.
INAUGURAL IN-SEASON CHALLENGE
There will be 10 Ford drivers competing in the inaugural In-Season Challenge, which kicks off this weekend in Atlanta and concludes at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The head-to-head competition will result in the winner receiving $1 million. Ford participants: Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, Austin Cindric, Brad Keselowski, Chris Buescher, Ryan Preece, Josh Berry, Zane Smith, Todd Gilliland and Noah Gragson. There are two first-round matchups that pit Ford drivers against each other: Chris Buescher vs. Todd Gilliland and Zane Smith vs. Austin Cindric. Whichever driver finishes the best in each matchup will advance to the next round.
KESELOWSKI GETS FIRST CUP WIN FOR MUSTANG
In 2019, Brad Keselowski gave Mustang its first NASCAR Cup Series victory as he held off Martin Truex Jr. at the finish line to win the Folds of Honor 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Keselowski, who was battling an illness all weekend and had Austin Cindric standing by in case he needed relief, led the final 33 laps to post his 28th career victory. In all, Ford led 177 of the 325 laps and won for the third straight year at the 1.5-mile track.
MAYER WINS FORD DRIVING 4 A DIFFERENCE
Sam Mayer’s seventh place finish in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Pocono Raceway helped him win the inaugural Ford Driving 4 A Difference presented by the Gene Haas Foundation. The four-race event involved all five of Ford’s series drivers, who were supporting their favorite charities. For finishing first, Mayer earned $20,000 for the Starkey Hearing Foundation while Sheldon Creed won $15,000 for the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation as the runner-up. Harrison Burton (All Within My Hands), Ryan Sieg (Isabella Santos Foundation) and Kyle Sieg (Motor Racing Outreach) each received $5,000 for their charities.
CAM WATERS MAKING TRUCK SERIES RETURN
Ford driver Cam Waters is generally found in his native Australia driving a Ford Mustang in the Repco Supercars Championship, but this weekend he’s trading that in for a Ford F-150 and will compete in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event at Lime Rock Park for ThorSport Racing. Waters made his NASCAR debut a year ago for the team at Martinsville Speedway (finished 30th) and then followed that up with another start at Kansas Speedway (19th) a couple weeks later. He also made one NASCAR Cup Series start in 2024 with that coming at Sonoma Raceway for RFK Racing.
A NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES FIRST
This weekend will mark the inaugural NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut and it comes at a vital time with only four races remaining in the regular season. Layne Riggs comes into the weekend after winning the pole and race at Pocono, which clinches his first playoff berth. The pole marked the first of his career and set the tone for a day that saw him win the first stage and then lead the final 20 laps to post his third career triumph. He joins Front Row Motorsports teammate Chandler Smith as Ford drivers who have secured spots in the postseason.
FORD’S ATLANTA CUP SERIES WINNERS
1961 – Fred Lorenzen
1962 – Fred Lorenzen
1963 – Fred Lorenzen
1964 – Fred Lorenzen and Ned Jarrett
1965 – Marvin Panch (Sweep)
1967 – Cale Yarborough and Dick Hutcherson
1968 – LeeRoy Yarbrough
1969 – LeeRoy Yarbrough
1975 – Buddy Baker
1978 – Bobby Allison
1981 – Neil Bonnett
1985 – Bill Elliott (Sweep)
1987 – Ricky Rudd and Bill Elliott
1990 – Morgan Shepherd
1991 – Mark Martin
1992 – Bill Elliott (Sweep)
1993 – Morgan Shepherd
1994 – Ernie Irvan and Mark Martin
1997 – Dale Jarrett
2002 – Kurt Busch
2005 – Carl Edwards (Sweep)
2008 – Carl Edwards
2017 – Brad Keselowski
2018 – Kevin Harvick
2019 – Brad Keselowski
2020 – Kevin Harvick
2021 – Ryan Blaney (1)
2023 – Joey Logano (1)
2024 – Joey Logano (2)
FORD’S ATLANTA XFINITY SERIES WINNERS
1992 – Jeff Gordon
1997 – Mark Martin
1998 – Mark Martin
2000 – Mark Martin
2004 – Matt Kenseth
2005 – Carl Edwards
2008 – Matt Kenseth
2011 – Carl Edwards
2012 – Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
2018 – Kevin Harvick
The Ford Mustang, celebrating its 61st anniversary in 2025, is the world’s best selling sports car. It is also one of the planet’s most popular race cars. With Mustang-based race cars competing in international sports car competition (GT3 and GT4), NASCAR, NHRA, Formula Drift, in Australian Supercars, at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb and in its own bespoke one-make series – Mustang Cup and Mustang Challenge – the platform has an unprecedented global reach. This weekend, 27 Mustang race cars are scheduled to race across all disciplines. Learn more at FordPerformance.com.
