by The NASCAR Cup Series returns to an oval track with Sunday’s race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Last week’s street race in Chicago was won by Supercars driver Shane Van Gisbergen in a Trackhouse Racing car on its debut at the end of a rainy weekend. SVG passed Justin Haley in the closing laps and withstood a couple of late restarts to shock the NASCAR world. But considering it was a street race in the rain, two key parts of the equation that most Cup teams and drivers don’t have much experience in a live setting, SVG’s oversteer is just surprising but not shocking.
The series now shifts to Atlanta, a racetrack that opens opportunities for winners on Sunday night. Chase Elliott, the race’s defending champion, approaches the edge of the wild card playoff picture. But a win will lock him into a playoff spot and take some of the pressure off NASCAR’s star driver. Elliott is currently 55 points behind 16th place Ty Gibbs.
In this space we will update each week with the playoff photo of the winners who secured a playoff berth for the wild card race.
Here’s what you need to know about Sunday’s race:
NASCAR Cup Series on schedule Atlanta
Green Flag Time: 6 p.m. CT on Sunday, July 9
Track: Atlanta Motor Speedway (1,540 mile oval) in Hampton, Georgia
Qualifying: 4:30pm Saturday CT Qualifier (on USA Network)
Length: 260 laps, 400 miles
Stages: 60 laps, 100 laps, 100 laps
TV Coverage: USA network
Radio: PRN (102.5 FM in Nashville)
Stream: NBC Sports app (subscription required); GoPRN.com and SiriusXM for audio (subscription required)
Xfinity series this week: Alsco Uniforms 250 (163 laps, 251 miles) at Atlanta Motor Speedway, 7pm CT Saturday on USA Network
Quaker State 400 entry list
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Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevy
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Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford
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Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
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Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
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Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
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Brad Keselowski, No. 6 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford
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Corey Lajoie, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
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Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
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Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
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Aric Almirola, No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
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Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
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Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford
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Chase Briscoe, No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
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JJ Yeley, No. 15 Rick Ware Racing Ford
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AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
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Chris Buescher, No. 17 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford
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Martin Truex Jr., No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
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Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
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Harrison Burton, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford
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Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford
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Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota
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William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
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Justin Haley, No. 31 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
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Michael McDowell, No. 34 Motorsport Ford in the front row
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Todd Gilliland, No. 38 Motorsport Ford in the front row
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Ryan Preece, No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
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Noah Gragson, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet
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Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet
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Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota
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Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
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Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
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Cole Custer, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford
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Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
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Austin Hill, No. 62 Beard Motorsports Chevrolet
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Ty Dillon, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
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BJ McLeod, No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet
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Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
NASCAR Cup Series points standings and playoff photo
For Atlanta; 8 more regular season races; a win secures a playoff berth
Clinched playoff berth
1: William Byron (3 wins)
2. Kyle Busch (3 wins)
3.Martin Truex Jr. (2 wins; regular season points leader)
4. Kyle Larson (2 wins)
5. Ross Chastain (1 win)
6. Denny Hamlin (1 win)
7. Christopher Bell (1 win)
8. Ryan Blaney (1 win)
9. Joey Logano (1 win)
10. Tyler Reddick (1 win)
11.Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (1 win)
Wild card photo
Currently in on points
12. Kevin Harvick, +151 points ahead of 17th
13.Chris Buescher, +104
14.Brad Keselowski, +91
15.Bubba Wallace, +15
16.Ty Gibbs, +6
Looking in outside
17. Daniel Suarez, -6 points behind 16th
18. Michael McDowell, -10
19. AJ Allmendinger, -24
20. Alex Bowman, -26
21.Justin Haley, -45
22.Austin Cindric, -45
23. Corey Lajoie, -47
24. Chase Elliott, -55
25. Ryan Preece, -66
26.Todd Gilliland, -79
27, Aric Almirola, -81
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: NASCAR Atlanta: Entry List, TV Schedule for Sunday’s Cup Series Race
