LEGACY MOTOR CLUB:
ATLANTA PRE-RACE ADVANCE
EVENT: ATLANTA 400
DATE: Feb. 22, 2026
RACE: NASCAR Cup Series 2 of 36
TRACK: Atlanta Motor Speedway | 1.54-Mile Oval

CLUB MINUTES:

JJ WINS AT ATLANTA: LEGACY MOTOR CLUB owner and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson owns 29 career Cup Series starts on the old configuration of the track during his career from 2001 to 2020. He was successful in finding victory lane five times at Atlanta (October 2004, March 2007, October 2007, March 2015, and February 2016). He led 586 laps in his career and earned 14 top-fives and 17 top-10s.

KENSETH AT ATLANTA: Matt Kenseth, 2003 NASCAR Cup Series Champion and LEGACY MOTOR CLUB competition advisor, also has a solid record at Atlanta on the old configuration. In 30 NASCAR Cup Series starts, he earned 11 top-fives, 17 top-10s and led 363 laps. His best finish of second came in August 2014 when he finished just .574 of a second behind race winner Kasey Kahne.

“THE KING” VICTORIOUS AT ATLANTA: CLUB Ambassador and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Richard Petty is a six-time winner at Atlanta. In 65 total Cup Series starts, Petty has scored 22 top-fives, 33 top-10s, and led 1,827 laps at the 1.5-mile track. His victories at the track came in August 1966, August 1970, August 1971, July 1974, March 1975, and March 1977.

THE KING’S FINAL LAP: On November 15, 1992, Richard Petty famously completed his final NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. It marked the end of his career and the beginning of Jeff Gordon’s who made his Cup Series debut in the same race. The race drew a record 160,000 spectators to celebrate Petty’s historic career in the sport.

JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
NO. 42 DOLLAR TREE TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
SPEED IN DAYTONA: John Hunter Nemechek showed strong speed at the 68th running of the Daytona 500, leading the field for 19 of 200 laps, the second-highest laps led in a single race of his NASCAR Cup Series career. He tied for third-most laps led during the race with Kyle Busch.

JHN AT ATLANTA: John Hunter Nemechek has five NASCAR Cup Series starts at Atlanta, with his highest finish at the track of 10th coming last February. In the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, Nemechek has made five starts where he earned two top-fives and three top-10s with a victory in July 2023 with a .245-second margin of victory over competitor Daniel Hemric. In the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, he has six starts, where he found victory lane in February 2016 and scored two third-place finishes in March 2021 and March 2023.

RETURN TO THE TRUCK SERIES: Thirteen-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race winner John Hunter Nemechek will pilot the No. 62 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro with Halmar-Friesen Racing for a special appearance in the Fr8 Racing 208 on Saturday, February 21.

T-MACK AT ATLANTA: Sunday’s race will be crew chief Travis Mack’s 11th NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta. His best finish of second came in July 2023 when his driver Daniel Suarez finished just behind William Byron under caution. He has an additional three top-10s in the Cup Series at Atlanta with his most recent being a 10th-place finish last February with Nemechek. He has an additional two starts as crew chief at Atlanta in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series with Michael Annett, finishing 12th and 11th respectively in February 2019 and June 2020.

JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK QUOTE:
“I’m really excited about going to Atlanta this weekend. I think we showed that we have a lot of speed in our LEGACY MOTOR CLUB Toyota Camrys at Daytona, so I’m looking forward to building off that in Atlanta. Our speedway program has been really good, so I’m confident we’ll go down there and lead some laps and have a shot to be there at the end.”

TRAVIS MACK QUOTE:
“I think Atlanta will be a good opportunity for the No. 42 Dollar Tree team. We should be able to carry over the speed we showed in Daytona into this weekend, and we had solid runs in both races there last year. I’m looking forward to John Hunter running the Truck race again to get more reps with Hayden (spotter) and hopefully get the win.”

ERIK JONES
NO. 43 ADVENTHEALTH TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
HEARTBREAK IN DAYTONA: Last Sunday in the official kickoff to the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season with the DAYTONA 500 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, Jones showed off his skill on superspeedways in a final four-lap shootout to the checkered flag. From the drop of the green flag after a late-race caution, Jones jumped to the third lane and drove from the mid-20s to the top-five in one lap. He was racing for the lead in his No. 43 AdventHealth Toyota Camry XSE, but contact with another car sent him for a spin after capturing the white flag. Jones was able to keep rolling but ultimately crossed the line in 21st.

JONES AT ATLANTA: Sunday’s race at Atlanta marks Erik Jones’ 15th NASCAR Cup Series race at the 1.54-mile track where he owns two top-fives and four top-10s. His best finish of fourth came in July 2022 after the track’s reconfiguration. In the series’ last visit to the track in June, Jones earned an impressive fifth-place result after starting 26th. He owns three additional starts at Atlanta outside of the NASCAR Cup Series – two in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and one in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. His best O’Reilly Auto Parts Series finish of third came in February 2016 after starting second. In his one and only Truck Series start, he ended up in a seventh-place finish after starting second and leading 37 laps.

ADVENTHEALTH VISIT: On Friday, Jones and AdventHealth will continue their mission to ignite a passion for reading in young kids as they visit Calhoun Early Learning Academy in Calhoun, Georgia for a special #READwithErik. Jones will be reading “Big Farm Tractor” by Mary Packard and “The Puppy Book” by Jan Pfloog to the students, two of his favorite childhood books. Jones, who founded the Erik Jones Foundation in 2021, has teamed up with AdventHealth over the past year to support the literacy pillar of his foundation.

ALEXANDER AT ATLANTA: Crew chief Justin Alexander owns nine NASCAR Cup Series starts at Atlanta in his successful career. On the newly reconfigured 1.54-mile track, he has been on top of the box for three Cup Series races – both 2022 races and September 2024. He earned a best finish of sixth at Atlanta in March 2021 with Austin Dillon after the duo started 13th. Alexander has one start at Atlanta in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series from February 2017 with Dillon where they finished eighth.

ERIK JONES QUOTE:
“I’m looking forward to Atlanta, especially after our run last week at Daytona. We had a shot. Obviously, it’s kind of become a wild card race where it’s not exactly a superspeedway, but also not an intermediate. It’ll be interesting to see how the track is aging and how these cars will run there this time around. We’ve ran well at Atlanta in the past, so I’m excited to get back there and see what we’ve got. This could be another shot for us to win, for sure. We’ll hopefully be there when it matters at the end.”

JUSTIN ALEXANDER QUOTE:
“Atlanta’s kind of its own deal. It races like a superspeedway with the pack and the drafting, but the surface and tire falloff make it more similar to a downforce track. You lean on some of the same concepts as Daytona, but the balance window is tighter and handling matters a lot more, so it ends up being its own package in a lot of ways.”

CLUB APPEARANCES:
John Hunter Nemechek will sign autographs at the trackside merch hauler for fans on Sunday, Feb. 22nd at 12:00 p.m. local time.

TUNE IN:
Fans can tune in to watch the Atlanta 400 on Sunday, Feb. 22 at 3 p.m. EST on FOX, MAX, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).

LEGACY MOTOR CLUB is a premier auto racing organization owned by seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and 2024 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee, Jimmie Johnson and Knighthead Capital Management, LLC. Drawing from a rich tradition of success, LEGACY MC is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of motorsport and setting new standards of excellence. The CLUB competes under the Toyota Racing banner in the NASCAR Cup Series with the No. 43 Toyota Camry XSE piloted by Erik Jones and the No. 42 Toyota Camry XSE driven by John Hunter Nemechek. Johnson also races on a limited basis in the No. 84 Toyota Camry XSE. With NASCAR legend and Hall of Famer Richard Petty, “The King”, serving as CLUB Ambassador, LEGACY MC blends timeless racing traditions with a new forward-thinking vision. As an inclusive community for motorsport enthusiasts, LEGACY MC honors both its storied past and the promising future of its members, always striving for victory and championship glory at the pinnacle of NASCAR competition.

• In 26 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway (AMS), Spire Motorsports has logged three top-five, four top-10 and seven top-15 finishes. Carson Hocevar, driver of the team’s No. 77 Spectrum Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, posted a team-best runner-up finish in last February’s Ambetter Health 400 at the 1.5-mile quad-oval. Spire Motorsports fields the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1s in the Cup Series for Daniel Suarez, Michael McDowell and Hocevar, respectively.
• The NASCAR Cup Series race at AMS will be televised live on FOX, Sunday, Feb. 22 beginning at 3 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The second of 36 points-paying races on the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series calendar will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Daniel Suárez – Driver, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

• Daniel Suárez will pilot Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Freeway Insurance Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta.
• On February 25, 2024, Suárez earned his second career NASCAR Cup Series victory when he took the checkered flag at AMS, by winning the Ambetter Health 400 in one of the closest finishes in series’ history. Suárez prevailed in a dramatic three-wide sprint to the checkered flag, edging out Ryan Blaney and Kyle Busch by a scant 0.003 seconds. The victory was his first since 2022 at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway and secured Suárez’s spot in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
• The two-time NASCAR Cup Series winner has made 14 starts at Atlanta, earning one victory, four top-five, six top-10 and eight top-20 results. He holds an average starting position of 21.6 and an average finishing position of 17.2 at the 1.54-mile quad-oval. In total, he has led 32 laps at AMS.
• Last Sunday, Suárez started from the rear of the field in the Daytona 500 in a back-up car, after his primary car was damaged in Thursday’s qualifying race. He climbed the leaderboard, earning stage points with fifth- and 10th-place finishes in the race’s first and second stages. Suárez ran a fuel-saving strategy during the final stage and earned a respectable 13th-place finish in his No. 7 Freeway Insurance Chevrolet.
• This weekend, One Inc., will step into an associate sponsor role aboard Suarez’s No. 7 machine. One Inc. is modernizing the insurance industry through a unified and frictionless payment network. Focusing only on the insurance industry, One Inc helps carriers transform their operations by reducing costs, increasing security, and optimizing customer experience. The comprehensive end-to-end digital payments platform provides expanded payment options, multi-channel digital communications, and rapid digital claim payment, even for the most complex insurance use cases. As one of the fastest growing digital payments platforms in the insurance industry, One Inc manages billions of dollars per year in premiums and claims payments. For more information, please visit www.oneinc.com.
• Freeway Insurance was established in 1987 and is one of the largest and fastest-growing personal lines insurance brokers in the United States, offering coverage through a “click, call, or come in” approach that connects customers nationwide. The company continually researches, grows, and diversifies its product offerings to stay responsive to the evolving insurance market. Freeway provides a wide range of options—from basic to premium coverage—in auto, truck, commercial vehicle, homeowners, renters, small business, motorcycle, recreational vehicle, fire, and flood insurance. In 2008, Freeway Insurance became part of Confie, the nation’s leading personal lines insurance distribution company. Customers can access Freeway Insurance through neighborhood offices, online at www.freeway.com, or by calling (800) 300-0227.
• Suárez has made two NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series starts at AMS prior to the track reconfiguration in 2022, earning one top-10 and two top-20 finishes. He recorded his career-best series result at Atlanta with a seventh-place finish in March 2016.
• The Monterrey, Mexico native earned a fourth-place finish in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race at AMS in 2015.
• The 34-year-old is a veteran of 324 Cup Series starts and has notched two wins (Sonoma, June 2022 and AMS, Feb. 2024), 25 top fives and 76 top 10s in NASCAR’s premier division. Suarez has led a total of 907 laps and has earned three poles since entering the series full time in 2017.

Daniel Suárez Quotes
How do you view Atlanta? Is it a superspeedway or an intermediate racetrack?
“I don’t think it’s either in my opinion. I think it’s a hybrid track and the reason why I like it so much is because it is very different. It doesn’t race like a 1.5-mile track but it also doesn’t race like a superspeedway, either, because everything happens so quick. The way the track is built, the speed in the corners, the banking is just completely different when you compare it to another 1.5 mile track, for example, Kansas Speedway. So, the way I see it, yes maybe on paper people call Atlanta a superspeedway with that style of racing, but to me it’s a hybrid.”

How mentally taxing is Atlanta compared to other tracks?
“Atlanta is very mentally exhausting. At most 1.5-mile tracks, you usually get some space after five or 10 laps to move around, and at superspeedways, it’s intense but mostly in the first 15 laps. At Atlanta, you never get space—you can’t relax or reset. Even running 25th, it’s still super intense. You have to go full speed and constantly learn and adjust during the race. There’s no time to think about what just happened because everything happens so fast.”

Atop the No. 7 Box – Crew Chief Ryan Sparks

• Ryan Sparks has called 203 NASCAR Cup Series races, earning five top-five and 11 top-10 finishes since making his Cup Series debut atop the pit box in 2020.
• The Winston-Salem, N.C., native’s best finish at AMS came in the 2023 Ambetter Health 400, where he led the No. 7 team to a fourth-place result. Sparks has called nine races at Atlanta, producing one top-five and two top-10 finishes. Overall, Sparks has led the charge in 96 races on drafting-style tracks.
• Sparks joined Spire Motorsports in 2021, where he served as both Crew Chief and Competition Director, leading the organization’s competitive and technical efforts. In the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season, Sparks serves as crew chief for Daniel Suárez.
• Sparks brings more than a decade of experience across all three national series, highlighted by 13 seasons at Richard Childress Racing and contributions to title-winning campaigns in the 2011 CRAFTMAN Truck Series and 2013 O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.

Michael McDowell – Driver, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

• Michael McDowell will pilot Spire Motorsports’ No. 71 B’laster Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at AMS.
• McDowell owns 20 NASCAR Cup Series starts at AMS, highlighted by one top five, two top 10s and 58 laps led. He started 20th and claimed a venue-best fourth-place finish in fall 2022.
• In last year’s spring race at the Hampton, Ga., quad-oval, McDowell ran into power steering issues early in the race and was forced to retreat to the garage where he lost six laps while the team effected repairs. With the help of a handful of timely cautions and savvy work from the driver’s seat, McDowell raced his way back to the lead lap to earn a respectable 13th-place finish.
• In 2024, McDowell and crew chief Travis Peterson swept qualifying in both races at AMS, leading the field to green at both events.
• Across his last five attempts at AMS, the 41-year-old driver holds an average finish of 13th with only one finish outside of the top 20.
• B’laster will return as the primary partner for this weekend’s 400-mile contest. The No. 71 Chevrolet will feature two of its PB penetrant products as part of the livery. Founded in 1957 with PB B’laster Penetrant, B’laster offers a full line of high-performance penetrants, lubricants, solvents, greases, refrigerants and protectants. B’laster products are trusted in garages and race shops nationwide to break loose, clean up, and protect.
• In last week’s season-opener at Daytona International Speedway, the No. 71 Modo Casino Chevrolet finished fourth in Thursday night’s qualifying race, to earn a 10th-place starting spot for the Daytona 500. McDowell led 10 laps and was second in the running order when the white flag was displayed, but was collected in a last-lap melee and left with a disappointing 22nd-place finish.
• With 35 points-paying races left on the 2026 schedule, McDowell is 17th in the driver standings, after earning additional points in Thursday’s qualifying race and stage points on Sunday.

Michael McDowell Quote
What did you learn during Atlanta last year that you can use for this weekend?
“I am looking forward to going to Atlanta with B’laster on our Spire Motorsports Chevy.
We obviously had some troubles there on the No. 71 last year and rallied back to the lead lap, but 77 had a great run there at the end of the race; Carson was one of the fastest cars. So, we have a good notebook and good momentum coming off Daytona with having cars that had lots of speed and handled well, now going to another drafting semi-speedway track to hopefully redeem ourselves from Daytona.”

Atop the No. 71 Box – Crew Chief Travis Peterson

• Travis Peterson, in his fourth season as McDowell’s crew chief, led his driver to both pole positions at AMS in 2024.
• Peterson also served as race engineer on the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet that Chase Elliott drove to a pole in qualifying at Atlanta in 2014.
• Peterson contributed to several victories during his tenure at RFK Racing, Hendrick Motorsports and JR Motorsports, highlighted by clinching the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series title in 2014 and racking up three Cup Series wins with Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and the No. 88 team in 2015.
• Peterson is a mechanical engineering graduate of the Williams States Lee College of Engineering at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. The West Bend, Wis., native earned his degree in 2012.

Carson Hocevar – Driver, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

• Carson Hocevar will race Spire Motorsports’ No. 77 Spectrum Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in Sunday’s 400-mile NASCAR Cup Series race at AMS.
• Hocevar came within 2.5 miles of victory in last weekend’s Daytona 500 before chaos enveloped the field with one lap to go. He led the field to the white flag, but contact initiated by another competitor heading into Turn 1 sent him into the outside retaining wall, ultimately spinning in front of the field. He was eventually scored 18th in the final rundown.
• The 23-year-old diver will pull double duty this weekend at AMS, where he’ll pilot Spire Motorsports’ No. 77 Chevy Silverado prior to his traditional NASCAR Cup Series duties aboard the team’s No. 77 Spectrum Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in Sunday’s 266-lap race.
• Last February, Hocevar started 26th at the 1.54-mile quad-oval, but was quick to climb the leaderboard. He picked up stage points in each of the first two segments and positioned himself to contend for his first Cup Series win in NASCAR Overtime. He made a three-wide move for the lead, but a caution for an incident while the leaders were making their way through Turns 3 and 4 brought the race to an end. Hocevar was ultimately scored with a second-place finish.
• Hocevar put on a statistical showcase last February, averaging a top-10 running position (9.59) while spending 90.6 percent (241-of-266 laps) of the race within the top 15, all while registering the most green flag passes and quality passes and calculating a 105.0 driver rating.
• In four Cup Series starts at Atlanta, the Portage, Mich., native has finished no worse than 19th, tallying one top-five and two top-10 results. He finished 10th in the series’ most recent visit to the 1.54-mile venue last September.
• The five-time CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race winner owns three previous starts at AMS, where he earned a venue-best 16th-place finish in 2021, one year prior to the track’s reconfiguration.
• In 14 Cup Series starts on drafting-style tracks, Hocevar has tallied one top-five, four top-10 and 10 top-20 results, highlighted by his runner-up finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway last February.
• Spectrum is a suite of advanced communications services offered by Charter Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHTR), a leading broadband connectivity company available to 58 million homes and small to large businesses across 41 states. Founded in 1993, Charter has evolved from providing cable TV to streaming, and from high-speed Internet to a converged broadband, WiFi and mobile experience. Over the Spectrum Fiber Broadband Network and supported by our 100 percent U.S.-based employees, the Company offers Seamless Connectivity and Entertainment with Spectrum Internet®, Mobile, TV and Voice products. More information can be found at corporate.charter.com.

Carson Hocevar Quotes
What does it take to win at Atlanta?
“You just have to make moves. All offense, no defense.”

What about the new configuration at Atlanta has clicked for you?
“I’ve been envious and watched a bunch of races at the old bumpy Daytona. Every time I get to run Atlanta it just makes me think about bumpy Daytona where you can draft by yourself. You don’t need anybody. You can just make moves and time things. It’s basically all offense. It just works for me. If this move didn’t work, I’ll get back in line and make the next one. And if that didn’t work, I’ll make the next one. Eventually, one of my six moves is going to work and I’ll gain spots. Ultimately, I’m just smiling the whole time because it reminds me of those nostalgic 2000s era races at Daytona. Atlanta provides the opportunity and it’s something I’ve always wanted to do, so that’s the best thing we got.”

How do you balance the disappointment of the finish of last weekend’s Daytona 500 with the optimism of Atlanta this weekend?
“Well we ran second in the Duel on Thursday, and were right where we needed to be on Sunday. We were leading coming to the white, but obviously, things just didn’t work out. I’m not too disappointed knowing we were where we needed to be and there isn’t really anything I could have done to prevent the outcome. If anything, I am more confident for Atlanta this weekend.”

Atop the No. 77 Box – Crew Chief Luke Lambert

• Crew chief Luke Lambert enters his third season at Spire Motorsports and fourth with Carson Hocevar. The duo has logged one pole award, three top-five and 15 top-10 finishes in 81 races together.
• The 16-year veteran crew chief has called 17 NASCAR Cup Series events at Atlanta, six of which have come since the track’s 2022 reconfiguration, where he’s tallied one top-five and five top-10 finishes. He also played a key role in Jeff Burton’s trio of top fives from 2007-2010 as a race engineer at Richard Childress Racing.
• In three NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series races atop the box at AMS, Lambert, 43, snagged one top-five and two top-10 results, highlighted by a fourth-place finish on the previous configuration with Elliott Sadler in 2012.

About Spire Motorsports …
Spire Motorsports fields full-time entries in the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing.

The team, co-owned by longtime NASCAR industry executive Jeff Dickerson and TWG Motorsports CEO Dan Towriss, earned its inaugural NASCAR Cup Series victory in its first full season of competition when Justin Haley took the checkered flag in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway on July 7, 2019. Less than three years later, William Byron drove Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado to its inaugural NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win on April 7, 2022, at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. The team’s most recent win came on May 30, 2025, when Rajah Caruth took the checkered flag in the Rackley Roofing 200 at Nashville Superspeedway.

In 2026, Spire Motorsports will campaign the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1s in the NASCAR Cup Series and the Nos. 7 and 77 Chevrolet Silverado RSTs in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. The Mooresville, N.C., organization will also field the No. 77 410 sprint car in Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing competition.

ATLANTA

Saturday, February 21 – NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, 1:30 p.m. ET (FS1)
Saturday, February 21 – NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, 5 p.m. ET (CW)
Sunday, February 22 – NASCAR Cup Series, 3 p.m. ET (FOX)

After opening the 2026 season at Daytona International Speedway, Ford Racing teams in all three of NASCAR’s top series will head to EchoPark Speedway (formerly known as Atlanta Motor Speedway) for the first of two visits this year. Chandler Smith will be looking to start the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season with back-to-back wins after his Daytona victory while Nick Sanchez goes for consecutive track wins in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. The weekend culminates with the NASCAR Cup Series on Sunday afternoon.

QUALIFYING DOMINANCE

When it comes to qualifying in recent years, no manufacturer has been more dominant than Ford, which has captured the NASCAR Cup Series pole six 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 two-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 six races. Here’s a list of Ford’s qualifying success since 2023.

FORD LOOKING TO EXTEND ATLANTA POLE STREAK TO SEVEN

• Joey Logano ran Ford Racing’s streak of Cup poles at EchoPark Speedway to six after putting his No. 22 Autotrader Ford Mustang Dark Horse on the pole in June.
• The list of pole winners during that span includes: Joey Logano and Michael McDowell (twice each), Aric Almirola and Ryan Blaney (once each).
• Ford has swept the front row in six straight AMS qualifying sessions – Logano/Berry (2025-2), 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 six races (Logano, 2025-2; Blaney and Cindric, 2025-1; Blaney, 2024-2; Logano, 2024-1; Blaney, 2023-2; Logano and Cindric, 2023-1)
• Ford swept the top 8 spots in the 2023 spring race.
• Ford swept the top 6 spots in the 2023 summer race.
• Ford swept the top 5 spots in the 2024 summer race.
• Ford swept the top 5 spots and 9 of the top 10 in the 2025 spring race.
• Ford swept the top 8 spots in the 2025 summer race.

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 Racing led 177 of the 325 laps and won for the third straight year at the 1.5-mile track.

SANCHEZ RETURNING TO SITE OF FIRST WIN

Nick Sanchez will be looking to make it back-to-back wins in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series at EchoPark Speedway after he took the checkered flag there in June. The win was his first in the series and came after he qualified on the pole. Sanchez, who is in his first year with AM Racing, led three times for 18 laps and passed Jesse Love with six circuits remaining to claim the victory.

SMITH TURNS HEARTBREAK INTO TRIUMPH

Ford F-150 driver Chandler Smith seemingly did everything right in his attempt to make last week’s Daytona 500, but circumstances on the final lap of his Duel qualifying race kept him from making the field. One night later, that disappointment turned into joy as he scored a dramatic season-opening victory in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Smith entered turn three of the final lap in fifth place, but thanks to a push from fellow Ford driver Ty Majeski, Smith rode the inside lane to victory as the four trucks in front of him battled each other. The win marked the third time in the last five years that Ford Racing and Front Row Motorsports have captured the first race of the year at Daytona International Speedway. A win this weekend in Atlanta would make Smith the first driver since Ben Rhodes in 2021 to capture back-to-back races to start the season.

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 NOAPS 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

FORD’S ATLANTA TRUCK SERIES WINNERS

2020 – Grant Enfinger

As the spirit of America, the Ford Mustang is the world’s best selling sports car and 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 Supercars, at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb and in its own bespoke regional one-make series – Mustang Cup and Mustang Challenge – the platform has an unprecedented global reach. This weekend, 24 Mustang race cars are scheduled to race across all disciplines. Learn more about Mustang at www.FordRacing.com .

The Official Bourbon of Richard Childress Racing launches annual limited-edition release for a second year with every barrel hand-picked by Busch

ST. LOUIS (Feb. 17, 2026) – Rebel Bourbon fans have a new reason to get rowdy. The official bourbon of Richard Childress Racing announced the release of Rebel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Single Barrel Selected By Kyle Busch. With guidance from Rebel Bourbon Master Distiller John Rempe, the two-time NASCAR® Cup Series champion and driver of the No. 8 Chevrolet hand-picked every barrel for this limited-edition release, which is bottled at 108 proof (54% ABV) in honor of Rebel’s RCR sponsorship.

Handcrafted according to Rebel’s original time-honored wheated recipe since 1849, Rebel Kyle Busch 108 Single Barrel is aged for a full four years to ensure robust flavor and a velvety smooth finish with a hint of spice. The special edition ships this month and will be available nationwide at a minimum suggested retail price of $39.99 per 750mL bottle.

“Kyle and the RCR team stand out as real rebels, doing things their own way with a defiant attitude to drive to win, and that lifestyle is what Rebel Bourbon is all about,” said Philip Lux, Rebel Bourbon brand manager. “Every bottle of our new Rebel Single Barrel is a one-of-a-kind, made in tribute to that rebel spirit in Kyle and all of us.”

Bottled in the signature Rebel Bourbon bottle featuring Lux Row Distillers embossing, Rebel Kyle Busch 108 Single Barrel features a distinctive gold label with a checkered flag pattern underneath bold RCR branding and the No. 8 graphic along with Busch’s signature. Each label also displays the bottle’s unique barrel details including the number and fill date.

“For the third year now I’m proud to race with the Rebel brand, and having the opportunity to create another run of KB 108 with Rebel’s John Rempe has been a total thrill,” said Busch. “I’m proud to have my name and the No. 8 on every bottle and I think fans are really going to enjoy it.”

Rebel Bourbon plans to host bottle signings with Busch and Rempe in key race markets throughout the 2026 NASCAR season. Busch will be behind the wheel of the No. 8 Rebel Bourbon Chevrolet in select NASCAR Cup Series races including the DuraMAX Grand Prix March 1 in Austin, Texas. To learn more about Rebel-RCR news and events in race markets, follow Rebel on Facebook and Instagram, and RCR on Facebook and Instagram, and visit RebelBourbon.com and rcrracing.com. Use the product locator to find Rebel Bourbon products in specific locations.

About Rebel Bourbon

Distilled in Bardstown, Kentucky, by Lux Row Distillers Master Distiller John Rempe, Rebel Bourbon features a wheated mash bill true to its original recipe dating back to 1849, when it was invented at the Stitzel-Weller distillery. Our defiantly smooth premium wheated bourbon celebrates those who embrace bold originality and a rebellious spirit. Our products have earned top spirits industry honors including Single Barrel American Whiskey of the Year for Rebel 10-Year Single Barrel at the 2025 Bartender Spirits Awards. Rebel 10-Year Single Barrel also won a double platinum medal at the 2025 ASCOT Awards, a double gold medal at the 2025 San Francisco World Spirits Competition and a double gold medal and Consumer’s Choice Award at the 2025 SIP Awards. To learn more, visit RebelBourbon.com and follow @rebelbourbon on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

About Luxco

Founded in St. Louis in 1958 by the Lux family, Luxco is a leading producer, supplier, importer and bottler of beverage alcohol products with a mission to meet the needs and exceed the expectations of consumers, associates and business partners. Luxco operates as MGP Ingredients Inc. (Nasdaq: MGPI) Branded Spirits division since its acquisition in 2021. The company’s extensive and award-winning premium portfolio includes brands from four distilleries: Ross & Squibb Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, where Penelope and Remus bourbon are produced; Bardstown, Kentucky-based Lux Row Distillers, home of Rebel, Ezra Brooks, and Blood Oath bourbons; Lebanon, Kentucky-based Limestone Branch Distillery, maker of Yellowstone Bourbon; and Arandas, Mexico-based Destiladora Gonzalez Lux, producer of 100% agave tequilas including Cortada, El Mayor, Escasa and Exotico. For more information, visit Luxco.com.

About Richard Childress Racing

Richard Childress Racing is a renowned, performance-driven racing, marketing and manufacturing organization. Incorporated in 1969, RCR has celebrated over 50 years of racing and earned more than 200 victories and 17 championships, including six in the NASCAR Cup Series with the legendary Dale Earnhardt. RCR was the first organization to win championships in the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and NASCAR Truck Series and is a three-time winner of the Daytona 500 (1998, 2007, 2018). Its 2026 NASCAR Cup Series lineup includes two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch (No. 8 Chevrolet) and 2017 Coca-Cola 600 winner and 2018 Daytona 500 champion Austin Dillon (No. 3 Chevrolet). RCR fields a full-time NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series program with defending series champion Jesse Love (No. 2 Chevrolet) and 2023 regular season champion Austin Hill (No. 21 Chevrolet).

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Feb. 17, 2026) – B’laster Holdings, home to trusted automotive brands B’laster and GUNK, will return to the NASCAR Cup Series as a primary partner with Spire Motorsports and veteran driver Michael McDowell for two races in 2026.

The No. 71 Chevrolet will showcase the B’laster brand at Atlanta Motor Speedway Feb. 22, followed by the GUNK brand at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway April 26, where McDowell earned his second pole of the 2025 season last October.

B’laster Holdings first partnered with Spire Motorsports in 2025, with McDowell earning a 13th-place finish at the famed 2.66-mile Alabama tri-oval last spring with GUNK serving as the team’s primary partner. The former open-wheel racer topped that effort with his first top-five finish of the year at Mexico City’s Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, where the B’laster livery was showcased aboard his No. 71 machine.

“Racing is the ultimate proving ground, and that mindset is deeply embedded in everything we do at B’laster,” said Matt Bender, Marketing Director at B’laster Holdings. “Partnering with Michael and Spire Motorsports allows us to put our brands in front of passionate fans while reinforcing what B’laster and GUNK stand for – performance, reliability, and getting the job done under the toughest conditions.”

McDowell, a veteran of NASCAR’s premier division with 18 years behind the wheel, has earned two wins, eight poles, 14 top-five and 50 top-10 finishes, highlighted by victories at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (2021) and Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2023), including playoff berths both seasons.

“I’m thankful to represent B’laster Holdings again in 2026,” said McDowell. “We’ve built a strong partnership over the years, and their support means the world. Atlanta and Talladega are tracks we feel good about and real opportunities for us to race our way to Victory Lane.”

Founded in 1957, B’laster products are trusted in race shops and garages nationwide, offering a broad lineup that includes penetrants, lubricants, greases, solvents, protectants, refrigerants and specialty chemicals designed to help professionals and DIYers get the job done right.

McDowell’s B’laster-branded No. 71 Chevrolet will compete at Atlanta Motor Speedway Sunday, Feb. 22 at 3 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, followed by the GUNK-branded car at Talladega Superspeedway for the Jack Link’s 500 on Sunday, April 26 at 3 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Both races will be broadcast live on FOX and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

About B’laster Holdings…
B’laster Holdings is a leading manufacturer of specialty chemical products trusted by professionals and DIYers to get the job done. The company is home to a portfolio of iconic brands known for performance, reliability, and innovation across the automotive, industrial, and home improvement markets. B’laster Holdings takes pride in its customer-first mindset, operational flexibility, and people-focused culture, delivering solutions that work when it matters most. Its family of brands includes B’laster, GUNK, Liquid Wrench, AC Avalanche, Casite, and Titeseal.

About B’laster…
Founded in 1957 with PB B’laster Penetrant, B’laster offers a full line of high-performance penetrants, lubricants, solvents, greases, refrigerants and protectants. B’laster products are trusted in garages and race shops nationwide to break loose, clean up, and protect.

About Spire Motorsports…
Spire Motorsports fields full-time entries in the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing.

The team, co-owned by longtime NASCAR industry executive Jeff Dickerson and TWG Motorsports CEO Dan Towriss, earned its inaugural NASCAR Cup Series victory in its first full season of competition when Justin Haley took the checkered flag in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway on July 7, 2019. Less than three years later, William Byron drove Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado to its inaugural NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win on April 7, 2022, at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. The team’s most recent win came on May 30, 2025, when Rajah Caruth took the checkered flag in the Rackley Roofing 200 at Nashville Superspeedway.

In 2026, Spire Motorsports will campaign the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1s in the NASCAR Cup Series and the Nos. 7 and 77 Chevrolet Silverado RSTs in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. The Mooresville, N.C., organization will also field the No. 77 410 sprint car in Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing competition.