Sportscasting | Pure Sports
Home / NASCAR / Buckle Up: 3 NASCAR Cup Series Things To Look For At EchoPark Speedway

Buckle Up: 3 NASCAR Cup Series Things To Look For At EchoPark Speedway

Jeff Hawkins Written by Sports EditorJeff Hawkins
Updated –
We publish independently audited content meeting strict editorial standards. Ads on our site are served by Google AdSense and are not controlled or influenced by our editorial team.
Buckle Up: 3 NASCAR Cup Series Things To Look For At EchoPark Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series drivers will buckle up tight at EchoPark Speedway on Saturday night. They could be in for another bumpy ride Saturday night.

When the circuit made its first stop in Hampton, Georgia, last February, 28 machines were involved in accidents as Christopher Bell maneuvered his way through the debris to claim the first of what would become three-straight wins.

Over the past seven events at the reconfigured 1.54-mile asphalt oval track, multiple collisions collecting nearly half of the field continue to trend at Atlanta. Four times since 2021, at least 26 machines were caught up in accidents.

Buckle up.

Here are three other things to look for as the Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart goes live Saturday night:

Can Chase Elliott Turn Consistency Into Win?

With some NASCAR insiders beginning to question if Chase Elliott deserves to retain his seat with Hendrick Motorsports, the 2020 Cup champion registered back-to-back top-five finishes for the first time this season.

Elliott, the lone driver to record top-20 finishes in all 17 events this season, enters Sunday with a circuit-best average finish (10.8). Highlighted by five top-fives, Elliott ranks fifth in the drivers’ standings, but has not visited Victory Lane since April 2024 at Texas Motor Speedway. He could miss the postseason for the second time since 2023.

Elliott remains the highest-ranked pilot without a win this season.

“Good? Sure, but it‘s not where I want to be, no doubt,” Elliott told NASCAR.com. “I think for us there have been some high spots and to be honest, there have been weeks where we have run well where we have had a good finish, and there have been weeks where we have not had a good finish and I can go home and be like, ‘man, we were in the mix, and we had good pace today.’ And those are the weeks where you just want to feel like you are in the ball game as it pertains to pace, doing the right things, and getting up in there and giving yourself a shot.

 

Will 23XI Racing End Recent Skid?

Will Tyler Reddick’s milestone outing help 23XI Racing end its recent skid?

Coming off a P32 at Pocono, Reddick remains poised to make his 200th career Cup start. The No. 45 Toyota pilot enters the weekend ranked No. 7 in the standings, 133 points behind pace-setter William Byron, but he has yet to qualify for the playoffs. He has one top-10 finish in his past five outings.

Teammates Bubba Wallace and rookie Riley Herbst both crashed in nearly identical fashion last Sunday, finishing P36 and P37, respectively. Herbst has finished P24 or worse in six of his past seven starts.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Focusing On Playoffs, Rivalry

Ricky Stenhouse took offense to Carson Hocevar “brake-hopping” his No. 47 Chevrolet during the stadium section of the road-course race at Mexico City.

After the June 15 international event, Stenhouse marched over to Hocevar’s window and threatened his developing rival. When the circuit returned to their home bases, Stenhouse promised to start a fight with Hocevar, who also initiated a collision at Nashville Speedway.

Well, the bout never developed and the two didn’t tangle during last Sunday’s event at Pocono.

For the record, Stenhouse plans to keep the No. 77 Toyota driver on guard.

“He probably will be looking over his shoulder for a long time,” Stenhouse said, as reported by The Associated Press.
Despite the growing rivalry with Hocevar, the 15-year veteran has other concerns.

Through 17 events, Stenhouse has collected just two top-10 finishes. After making the playoffs the past two seasons, his focus remains clear.

All four of his Cup wins have developed during races at drafting tracks. His lone top five this season came at Atlanta in February.

But what if Stenhouse spots Hocevar in a vulnerable situation Saturday night?

Buckle up.

Jeff Hawkins Written by Sports EditorJeff Hawkins
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry, in both print and digital media. He joined the Sportscasting team in 2021 following a decade of freelancing. He spent his early career as a reporter for various newspapers in Illinois, New York, Florida, North Carolina, and Michigan, with a particular emphasis as a beat reporter for the Chicago Blackhawks. Jeff earned his bachelor's degree in journalism from Oakland University. Over the course of his career he earned several sports writing awards, including two national awards from the Associated Press Sports Editors for column writing and news reporting. One of the five prized columns included a commentary on NASCAR's increasing corporate influences, particularly in northern racetracks — commentary which you might find Jeff building on as part of the Motorsports writing team at Sportscasting now.  
All posts by Jeff Hawkins
Other News