HAMPTON, Ga. (July 6, 2026) – NASCAR’s biggest stars race into EchoPark Speedway this weekend hoping to take home the Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart trophy. Eight drivers, however, also enter the night hoping to keep $1 million ambitions alive.
After the opening rounds at Sonoma and Chicagoland, the field competing in NASCAR’s In-Season Tournament has been narrowed down from 32 drivers to just eight entering the Atlanta’s Night Race weekend. These drivers are paired in four head-to-head matchups; whoever finishes best at EchoPark Speedway will advance and be among four drivers in contention for the $1 million prize next weekend — the losers will be eliminated.
Here is a breakdown of the four heads-up matchups to watch this weekend at EchoPark Speedway:
2 seed Denny Hamlin vs. 10 seed Christopher Bell
NASCAR Cup Series points leader Denny Hamlin is matched up against his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Christopher Bell this weekend. Hamlin enters Atlanta’s Night Race with four race victories already in the 2026 campaign. Bell, who has finished runner-up four times this season, is still seeking his first trip to Victory Lane.
Both drivers have one career victory at EchoPark Speedway; however, Hamlin’s win came on the previous configuration of the speedway back in 2012. Since the speedway was reconfigured ahead of the 2022 season, Hamlin has no top-five finishes in nine starts. In that same period, Bell has three top-five results on the 28-degree high banks, including his victory in February 2025.
In the spring race at Atlanta, Hamlin came home 13th while an overtime crash relegated Bell to a 21st-place finish.
3 seed Ryan Blaney vs. 11 seed William Byron
Phoenix winner Ryan Blaney takes on William Byron, one of three drivers to win multiple times on the revamped EchoPark Speedway since 2022. Blaney’s 2026 season so far has been defined by consistency, with 14 top-10s in 19 starts. Byron’s 2026 campaign on the other hand has been up-and-down, with just nine top-10s and no race victories for the No. 24 team so far.
Their records at EchoPark Speedway since 2022 tell a similar story: despite not scoring a victory, Blaney holds the best average finish among drivers to start all nine events, with four top-fives and seven top-10s. Byron’s results have been more boom-or-bust, with three top-10s (including wins in March 2022 and July 2023) contrasted by six finishes of 17th or worse.
Earlier this year in the first race in Atlanta, Blaney rounded out the top-10 with a 10th-place finish while Byron suffered his second consecutive DNF at EchoPark Speedway and was scored 28th.
4 seed Chase Elliott vs. 12 seed Chase Briscoe
It’s a Chase-off in this matchup between Dawsonville, Ga.’s own Chase Elliott and the NASCAR Cup Series’ most recent victor, Chase Briscoe. Both Chases have scored wins this year: Elliott took the checkered flag first at Martinsville and Texas; Briscoe earned his first 2026 win Sunday night at Chicagoland.
Elliott’s home track has been kind to him since it was reconfigured. He boasts an average finish inside the top 10, including two wins, most recently in this race last year. Key to that success — at a track widely regarded as a “wild card” where good days can turn bad in the blink of an eye — Elliott has avoided race-ending incidents and completed every lap in all eight of his starts since 2022. Briscoe’s stats at Atlanta tell the opposite story, with only one finish better than 15th in nine starts and an average finish at EchoPark Speedway that ranks eighth-worst among full-time drivers.
Despite those numbers, the edge in the most recent race in Atlanta belonged to Briscoe, who finished runner-up to Autotrader 400 winner Tyler Reddick while Elliott settled for 11th.
25 seed Todd Gilliland vs. 32 seed Alex Bowman
The In-Season Tournament’s two Cinderellas will go head-to-head for the right to advance and continue racing for the $1 million prize. On the path to this matchup, Todd Gilliland knocked off 2026 Coca-Cola 600 winner Daniel Suárez at Sonoma, then bested Talladega winner Carson Hocevar Sunday night at Chicagoland. Meanwhile, as the last driver to make the cut for the tournament, Alex Bowman toppled then-Cup Series points leader Tyler Reddick in California and Austin Cindric in Illinois.
Examining the EchoPark Speedway résumés shows an advantage for Bowman, who has two top-fives in the last four races held in Atlanta. Gilliland’s best result in nine Atlanta starts is 15th.
Back in the spring, this pair was separated by just two positions in the final results: Bowman finished 23rd while Gilliland suffered a race-ending crash in the final laps and was scored 25th.
High Stakes Under the Lights
NASCAR’s In-Season Tournament brings added drama to what already promises to be one of the most exhilarating races of the season. The green flag drops for the Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart on Sunday night, July 12, at 7 p.m. The weekend’s NASCAR action kicks off on Saturday, July 11, with Sunbelt Rentals Qualifying for both the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and NASCAR Cup Series, followed by the Focused Health 250 at 7 p.m.
Tickets and camping for the July 11-12 Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart weekend are available now at EchoParkSpeedway.com.
About the Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart:
Atlanta’s Night Race returns with the Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart on Sunday night, July 12, 2026. Sparks will fly as NASCAR’s best duel under the lights on EchoPark Speedway’s challenging high banks.
The rising stars of the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series bring the action Saturday night in the Focused Health 250 on July 11. Adding even higher stakes to the weekend is NASCAR’s $1 million In-Season Tournament. Eight of NASCAR’s stars will compete head-to-head in the bracket-style elimination tournament – four will leave EchoPark Speedway with a chance to claim the $1 million prize.
Awaiting Sunday night’s winner in EchoPark Speedway Victory Lane will be a one-of-a-kind 2026 Harley-Davidson Street Glide “250 Years of Freedom Edition,” custom-built by Sturgis Harley-Davidson presented by Sonic Automotive.
More information on the July 11–12 Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart weekend and ticket availability can be found online at EchoParkSpeedway.com.
About EchoPark Speedway:
EchoPark Speedway is a premier entertainment venue located about 30 miles south of Atlanta, Ga.
Since 1960, EchoPark Speedway has been a staple of the NASCAR calendar and currently hosts two weekends of racing in the spring and fall each year. When NASCAR isn’t in town, EchoPark Speedway’s versatile facility hosts an assortment of events that attract visitors from near and far, from Monster Jam to the Georgia State Fair and everything in between.
For more information on EchoPark Speedway and to see upcoming events at the facility, visit EchoParkSpeedway.com.
