NASCAR Starts 2026 Quaker State 400 at 7 p.m. ET on TNT and truTV

Q: Can Kyle Larson finally break his 43-race winless streak at the unpredictable Atlanta track, a place famous for its last-lap chaos?

Yes — Larson has a real shot, but Atlanta’s chaos makes him far from a safe pick. The case for him is straightforward. He starts third, putting him near the front at a track where track position still matters even in the draft. Betting markets have treated him as one of the main threats, generally just behind Ryan Blaney and alongside other top contenders. He is also driving for Hendrick Motorsports, and teammate Chase Elliott snapped a long winless streak at this same track last summer, showing Atlanta can be the kind of place where a drought ends. There are also reasons to be cautious. EchoPark Speedway’s 2022 reconfiguration turned it into a superspeedway-style pack track, and that tends to reduce the advantage of pure speed. Seven of the last eight Cup races here were decided in the final two laps, with four ending on the last lap. That means even a dominant car can be shuffled back or caught in a wreck in seconds. Larson’s recent form has been uneven, and some expert picks have leaned toward Elliott, Denny Hamlin or William Byron instead. He is still seeking his first Cup win at Atlanta, while Blaney starts on pole and Team Penske has been especially strong at the reconfigured track. Tyler Reddick also already won here earlier this season. So the answer is yes: Larson can absolutely end the streak tonight. But at Atlanta, the better read is that he is a legitimate contender in a race likely to be decided by survival, timing and one final-lap move.

3 articles · Updated · Yahoo Sports · Jul 12

The 2026 Quaker State 400 is set for 7 p.m. ET Sunday at EchoPark Speedway in Atlanta, with TNT and truTV carrying the Cup Series race and DIRECTV offering a live stream.
Atlanta hosts NASCAR for the second time this season after last weekend's Chicago stop, returning drivers to the 1.54-mile oval formerly known as Atlanta Motor Speedway.
EchoPark's 2022 renovation added steeper banking and a narrower surface, turning the track into a superspeedway-style venue known for heavy passing and unpredictable finishes.
Tyler Reddick, Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott enter as leading contenders, with Reddick already having won the season's first Atlanta race on Feb. 22.