NASCAR at Atlanta race: Where to watch, start time, lineup, preview, pick to win for the Ambetter Health 400

HAMPTON, Ga. — One week ago, William Byron elevated his profile as not only one of NASCAR’s biggest stars, but one of the greats of his generation when he became only the fifth driver in history to win back-to-back Daytona 500s. In the context of the Daytona 500, Byron now enters very select company in the race’s history and a rare chance at a three-peat come 2026. But now, his and the rest of the NASCAR Cup Series field’s objective turns to the rest of 2025 and the quest for the Cup Series championship.

The NASCAR Cup Series begins the bulk of its regular season this weekend with the Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the second race of the season and the second-straight speedway race to open the year. Since a slight reconfiguration in 2022 gave the track higher banking, Atlanta has become a sister track to the superspeedways of Daytona and Talladega marked by pack racing and drafting. However, Atlanta remains its own beast and its own challenge. It is substantially shorter than the superspeedways at 1.5 miles in length, and handling has become a major consideration in who can work their way to the front of the lead pack as the track’s asphalt has quickly begun to age.

All this has combined to further Atlanta’s reputation as one of the top action tracks in NASCAR as it has long had a penchant for exciting racing and close finishes. And in this race a year ago, the latest chapter in that history was written when Daniel Suarez prevailed over Ryan Blaney and Kyle Busch in the closest three-wide photo finish in history.

Where to watch the NASCAR Cup Series at Atlanta

When: Sunday, Feb. 23 at 3 p.m. ET
Where: Atlanta Motor Speedway — Hampton, Georgia
TV: Fox
Stream: fubo (try for free)

Starting lineup

Ryan Blaney won the pole for the Ambetter Health 400 in qualifying on Saturday, posting a lap of 30.908 (179.371 MPH) for his first pole of 2025 and the 11th of his Cup career.

1. #12 – Ryan Blaney
2. #2 – Austin Cindric
3. #21 – Josh Berry
4. #22 – Joey Logano
5. #34 – Todd Gilliland
6. #8 – Kyle Busch
7. #38 – Zane Smith
8. #17 – Chris Buescher
9. #6 – Brad Keselowski
10. #4 – Noah Gragson
11. #60 – Ryan Preece
12. #16 – A.J. Allmendinger
13. #48 – Alex Bowman
14. #23 – Bubba Wallace
15. #3 – Austin Dillon
16. #24 – William Byron
17. #5 – Kyle Larson
18. #45 – Tyler Reddick
19. #9 – Chase Elliott
20. #10 – Ty Dillon
21. #7 – Justin Haley
22. #42 – John Hunter Nemechek
23. #41 – Cole Custer
24. #71 – Michael McDowell
25. #19 – Chase Briscoe
26. #77 – Carson Hocevar
27. #35 – Riley Herbst (R)
28. #43 – Erik Jones
29. #99 – Daniel Suarez
30. #88 – Shane van Gisbergen (R)
31. #51 – Cody Ware
32. #20 – Christopher Bell
33. #1 – Ross Chastain
34. #47 – Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
35. #01 – Corey LaJoie
36. #54 – Ty Gibbs
37. #11 – Denny Hamlin
38. #78 – B.J. McLeod
39. #44 – J.J. Yeley

Storyline to Follow

Much of what came out of the final 20 laps of the Daytona 500, and the series of pileups that led to Byron’s move from ninth to first on the final lap, was veteran drivers frustrated with their competitors over overaggressive driving that ended in wrecked race cars. A particularly notable target of that criticism was Cole Custer, who triggered both the crash that sent Ryan Preece upside down at the end of the backstretch as well as the deciding accident on the final lap that ended both Denny Hamlin and Austin Cindric’s chances at winning.

On his Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin picked apart Custer’s attempt at the winning move down the backstretch, saying it was too early to shoot to his outside and attempt to side draft and that Custer could’ve waited until coming off turn 4 to make such a move. During a media availability on Tuesday, Custer shared that he had spoken to Hamlin in post-race and confessed he probably made his move too early, though he had been influenced by events earlier on the final lap and the idea the race could be over at any moment had the yellow flag flown.

“There were definitely things that made me want to take that run on the backstretch,” Custer said. “I got such a big run from the 19 pushing me, and I was probably a couple carlengths back of Denny at the time. I just tried to take the run … I knew I probably should’ve waited for the frontstretch, but it’s one of those things you just learn for the next time.

“And then also having the 35 spin out on the frontstretch, it was kind of like, ‘oh man, these guys are all wrecking, you’ve got to get to the lead now!’ You just didn’t feel like you had a second to waste. But looking back at it, I definitely would agree. I wish I had waited for the front stretch and given myself a little better shot at it.”

The Daytona 500 continued a recurring trend in recent superspeedway races, where the amount of drag in the current rules package combined with restrictions on horsepower have created an environment where the best way to move forward is to bump draft, which leads to crashes in the final laps more often than not. Considering the comments made by Hamlin and a greater microscope having been placed on the state of speedway racing, expect the balance between taking runs and trying to get to the front in the closing laps and remaining disciplined enough not to get the lead pack in trouble to factor into the way the last laps play out.

NASCAR news of the week

• A major penalty has been levied to the Daytona 500 pole winner, as Chase Briscoe’s No. 19 team was issued an L2-level penalty for illegally modifying their rear spoiler at Daytona. The modifications were reportedly made to the area where the spoiler base mounts to the rear deck lid.

  Briscoe and his team have lost 100 driver and owner points, been issued a $100,000 fine, and crew chief James Small has been suspended for the next four races. In addition, Todd Gilliland and Cody Ware’s teams were both issued 10-point penalties for not having ballast secure in proper containers during pre-qualifying inspection.

• The National Motorsports Appeals Panel has heard and denied Parker Kligerman and Henderson Motorsports’ appeal of their disqualification at Daytona, ruling that it was “more likely than not a rules violation did occur” after Kligerman’s truck that won the Craftsman Truck Series opener failed post-race tech inspection for being too low in the rear on both ends. The team appealed on grounds that they believed their truck had been measured at an improper height, with Kligerman saying Thursday that the truck raced legal “and won legal.”

  As a result, Corey Heim — who crossed the finish line second — will remain credited as the winner of last Friday’s Truck Series opener.

Pick to Win

Joey Logano (+900) — The Daytona 500 showed that once again, Team Penske has the best superspeedway cars and setups of any of NASCAR’s top teams. Penske cars combined to lead 125 of an eventual 201 laps, and of that group, Joey Logano may have had the best car had it not been for a piece of debris that got in his throttle body causing him to have electrical problems that set him well back in the field.

The success of Team Penske at Daytona and Talladega has carried over to Atlanta, particularly in Logano’s case. Logano has won two of the last four Atlanta races, including the fall of 2024 that launched his title run, and he has led 187 laps in that span of races. That includes last February, where he arguably had the fastest car and could’ve easily won had it not been for a mid-race crash.