Just like that, the 2025 NASCAR season is off and running.
After a thrilling Daytona 500 finish saw William Byron go back-to-back in the "Great American Race," the Cup Series is headed to Atlanta Motor Speedway.
The high-banked oval produces a similar style of racing as Daytona, but with even faster speeds on a shorter tracker. Last year, this race produced the iconic three-wide photo finish where the top three cars were separated by just 0.007 seconds.
Daniel Suarez, driver of the No. 99 Chevrolet, crosses the finish line ahead of Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 8 Chevrolet, and Ryan Blaney, driver of the No. 12 Ford, to win the Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Feb. 25, 2024 in Hampton, Georgia.
So, what's in store for 2025 in the Peach State? What's the TV schedule for the weekend? And who could contend for the win on Sunday? Here’s everything you need to know for Ambetter Health 400:
When is the NASCAR race in Atlanta?
The Ambetter Health 400 is set for Sunday, Feb. 23 at 3 p.m. ET.
Before the race, there will be a two-round qualifying session on Saturday. The 39 drivers will take the track one-by-one (in this order), with the 10 fastest drivers advancing to the second round. Starting positions 11 through 39 will be set based on the first round times, while the top 10 order will be determined with a second lap in the second round.
NASCAR TV schedule this weekend
Mike Joy (play-by-play), Kevin Harvick (analyst) and Clint Bowyer (analyst) will be on the call for FOX, but there's a new broadcast partner making its debut this weekend. Amazon Prime Video will have the stream for qualifying on Saturday throughout the first half of the season.
Here’s the full TV and streaming schedule for Atlanta:
Saturday, Feb. 22 (Amazon Prime Video)
Sunday, Feb. 23 (FOX)
NASCAR in Atlanta entry list
Thirty-nine drivers will race in Atlanta – the 36 full-timers, plus three others.
Corey LaJoie will pilot the No. 01 for Rick Ware Racing after racing his way into the field (and contending) at the Daytona 500 last week. J.J. Yeley (NY Racing Team) and B.J. McLeod (Live Fast Motorsports) will also compete after failing to qualify for Daytona. Since there are fewer than 40 cars entered, all 39 teams will race on Sunday.
Here’s the full entry list for Atlanta:
| Car number | Driver | Team | Sponsor |
| 01 | Corey LaJoie | Rick Ware Racing | AirMedCare Network |
| 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing | Moose Fraternity |
| 2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Menards |
| 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Get Bioethanol |
| 4 | Noah Gragson | Front Row Motorsports | Title Max |
| 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | HendrickCars.com |
| 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | BuildSubmarines.com |
| 7 | Justin Haley | Spire Motorsports | Gainbridge |
| 8 | Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing | Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen |
| 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | NAPA Auto Parts |
| 10 | Ty Dillon | Kaulig Racing | Sea Best |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Yahoo! |
| 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Body Armor |
| 16 | AJ Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Action Industries |
| 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Fastenal |
| 19 | Chase Briscoe | Joe Gibbs Racing | Bass Pro Shops |
| 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | DeWalt |
| 21 | Josh Berry | Wood Brothers Racing | Motorcraft/Quick Lane |
| 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Shell/Pennzoil |
| 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Columbia Sportswear |
| 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Liberty University |
| 34 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Aaron's |
| 35 | Riley Herbst | 23XI Racing | Monster Energy |
| 38 | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports | City of Refugee |
| 41 | Cole Custer | Haas Factory Team | 3D Systems |
| 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | Legacy Motor Club | Dollar Tree |
| 43 | Erik Jones | Legacy Motor Club | Advent Health |
| 44 | JJ Yeley* | NY Racing Team | |
| 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | Xfinity Mobile |
| 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Martin's Famous Potato Rolls |
| 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Ally |
| 51 | Cody Ware | Rick Ware Racing | Arby's |
| 54 | Ty Gibbs | Joe Gibbs Racing | Saia LTL Freight |
| 60 | Ryan Preece | RFK Racing | Kroger |
| 71 | Michael McDowell | Spire Motorsports | Group 1001 |
| 77 | Carson Hocevar | Spire Motorsports | Delaware Life |
| 78 | BJ McLeod* | Live Fast Motorsports | HitchGO |
| 88 | Shane van Gisbergen | Trackhouse Racing | Weather Tech |
| 99 | Daniel Suarez | Trackhouse Racing | Freeway Insurance |
NASCAR picks, predictions, favorites for Atlanta
It's hard to bet against Team Penske going into this weekend.
The trio of Logano, Blaney and Cindric led 125 of 201 laps at Daytona last Sunday, and they've all been strong at Atlanta in recent years. Since the Atlanta repave, they rank first (Logano), third (Cindric) and fifth (Blaney) in total laps led with 11 top-10 finishes in 18 combined starts.
Beyond the Penske Fords, keep an eye on Hendrick Motorsports. The Chevy duo of Byron and Elliott rank second and fourth, respectively, in laps led at Atlanta since 2022 with three combined wins in six races. They were both in the mix at Daytona, with Byron obviously winning, so that success should translate.
Then there's the defending race winner Suarez, who often isn't discussed in this section. But if there's a track where we should include him, it's Atlanta. He has five top-10s in Atlanta six starts since 2022, and his last three finishes are second, first and second. His only finish worse than sixth was when he crashed in the March 2023 race.
Some other longshots that have performance well in Atlanta since 2022 include Chastain (12.0 average finish), Busch (13.0), Haley (13.3) and LaJoie (two top-fives).
NASCAR past winners, race history for Atlanta
Eight of the 39 drivers in the field are past winners in Atlanta, but only four have won since the track was repaved in 2022.
Byron and Logano have two wins each since 2022, joining Elliott (2022) and Suarez (2024) as the newest Atlanta winners. Before the track was repaved with higher banking, Keselowski (2017, 2019), Busch (2008, 2013), Hamlin (2012) and Blaney (2021) scored wins.
Get to know NASCAR driver Ryan Blaney.
