Quaker State 400
Hampton, Ga. – July 12, 2026
AUSTIN CINDRIC No. 2 MENARDS/QUAKER STATE FORD MUSTANG DARK HORSE
START: 8TH STAGE 1: 5TH STAGE 2: 4TH FINISH: 14TH POINTS: 14TH
RACE RUNDOWN: Austin Cindric and the No. 2 Menards/Quaker State Ford Mustang Dark Horse came home 14th in Sunday night’s Quaker State 400 at EchoPark Speedway. After qualifying eighth, Cindric quickly worked his way toward the front as the Team Penske trio established themselves as the class of the field early. Within the first 20 laps, Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano and Cindric occupied the top three positions, with the No. 2 running third in line. Cindric remained a fixture around the top five throughout the opening stage despite reporting his Ford Mustang was on the tight side. He crossed the line fifth at the end of Stage 1 before making a scheduled four-tire stop under the stage caution. After restarting seventh to begin Stage 2, the race was interrupted on Lap 108 by weather in the area, resulting in a red flag that lasted more than three hours. When competition resumed, Cindric restarted near the front and once again worked his way into contention, finishing fourth in Stage 2 after another strong run. During the stage break, the No. 2 team made adjustments before Cindric restarted from the front row, where he traded the lead with Ty Gibbs over several laps as the battle at the front intensified. As the laps wound down, Cindric was left battling an increasingly loose race car and gradually lost track position while working to keep the car under control. A series of late-race cautions created several restarts, but Cindric avoided the incidents that unfolded throughout the field and ultimately crossed the finish line 14th.
CINDRIC’S THOUGHTS: “We had a really fast Menards/Quaker State Ford Mustang early on and put ourselves in position to contend. Late in the race, we got really loose and just never fully got the balance back where we needed it. It’s disappointing because we were capable of a much better finish, but we’ll take what we learned and move on to the next one.”
RYAN BLANEY No. 12 BODYARMOR FLASH I.V. FORD MUSTANG DARK HORSE
START: 1ST STAGE 1: 1ST STAGE 2: 1ST FINISH: 1ST POINTS: 3RD
RACE RUNDOWN: Ryan Blaney and the No. 12 BODYARMOR Flash I.V. Ford Mustang Dark Horse team led a race-high 171 laps and prevailed in a three-wide battle to the checkered flag in an overtime finish to come away with their second win of the season – and 19th of Blaney’s Cup Series career – Sunday night at EchoPark Speedway. The victory also marks Ford’s 750th Cup Series win while Blaney’s 171 laps led on a drafting track stands as the second-most in Cup Series history. The No. 12 team’s win marks the ninth for Team Penske all-time at EchoPark Speedway and third in the 10 races since the track’s reconfiguration prior to the 2022 season. After winning the pole Saturday, Blaney swept the first two stages – marking the fourth time in his career he has done so – before going on to secure his fourth-consecutive season with multiple victories while also notching his second-career win from the pole (Daytona 2, 2025). Blaney led all 60 laps of a caution-free Stage 1 and was scored the leader when the caution flag flew on lap 108 for lightning, ultimately resulting in a rain delay that lasted just over three hours. Once the red flag was lifted, Blaney continued to be a mainstay at the front of the field to pick up his second stage win of the night. After the 12 team made an extended stop on pit road to pack the BODYARMOR Flash I.V. Ford full with fuel, Blaney was in unfamiliar territory back in traffic but began to make his move back towards the top-10. A caution on lap 194 saw crew chief Jonathan Hassler make the call for fuel only to make it to the end – gaining eight spots on pit road in the process – as Blaney took the ensuing green flag from the inside of row two with 60 laps remaining. After battling back-and-forth for the lead over the final run, the caution flag flew with six to go with Blaney scored second on the leaderboard, setting up a green-white-checkered finish. Blaney took the green flag from the inside of row one alongside the No. 77 and came around to take the white from took car lengths back of the lead before making his move to the high side in turn one. The move resulted in a three-wide battle at the front going into turn three with Blaney in the top lane as he was able to get the run he needed out of turn four to win the drag race to the line and secure his second win of the season.
BLANEY’S THOUGHTS: “It was definitely, honestly, a pretty awesome night. I mean, having a really fast car and sitting on the pole, winning both stages and leading a ton of laps and just in a position to win the race. You never know how these things are going to end, honestly. There are a couple of things I probably could have done better, but we were able to stick around and just how the last couple laps played out we were able to get the lead back and just barely hold on. It’s a pretty cool day when you have weekends like that. You can’t ask for a better weekend – sit on the pole, sweep the stages, win the race. That’s a dream weekend right there. These guys are great. They brought a rocket ship, and it was nice that we were able to close it out.”
JOEY LOGANO No. 22 HUNT BROTHERS PIZZA FORD MUSTANG DARK HORSE
START: 2ND STAGE 1: 4TH STAGE 2: 3RD FINISH: 9TH POINTS: 17TH
RACE RUNDOWN: Joey Logano and the No. 22 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang team reeled off a pair of top-five stage finishes en route to a ninth-place effort Sunday night at EchoPark Speedway. After starting from the inside of row one, Logano was part of a four-car breakaway at the front along with teammates Ryan Blaney and Austin Cindric as the trio worked to control the race in the early going. The entirety of the opening, 60-lap stage was caution-free as Logano maintained top-five pace to pick up a fourth-place finish in Stage 1. Following the 22 team’s first stop of the night, Logano restarted from eighth and was scored ninth when the caution flag flew for lightning on lap 108 which led to a three-plus hour rain delay. Once the red flag was lifted, crew chief Paul Wolfe made the call for fuel only to jump to fourth on the leaderboard heading into the restart with 37 laps remaining in Stage 2. Logano and Blaney led the way out front before the gap from first through fifth began to shrink in the latter moments of the segment as the Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford crossed the line third at the completion of Stage 2. Varying strategies on pit road prior to the restart saw Logano line up 13th to take the green flag following a four tire stop as he battled through traffic to regain track position. Logano was mired outside the top-20 before going on a late charge back towards the top-10 after a restart with 14 laps remaining and was scored 12th when the final caution flag of the night flew with six laps to go, setting up a green-white-checkered finish. Logano went on to pick up three more positions in the final two laps to secure a ninth-place finish.
LOGANO’S THOUGHTS: “That was a battle. We got some good stage points and then a top-10, so we got the points we need, which is very crucial right now, especially when you come to a track like this because you just don’t know what’s going to happen. I wish I had something to go win with, but once we got back there I couldn’t get back to the front. That’s about as good as I could have done there.”
The NASCAR Cup Series returns to the legendary North Wilkesboro Speedway on Sunday, July 19 for the Window World 450. Coverage begins at 7:00 p.m. ET on TNT, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
