Nascar Race Today: Autotrader 400 Starting Lineup and Weather Fallout
The nascar race today at the Autotrader 400 in Hampton, Georgia, will go off with a lineup set by the governing body's metric after qualifying fell victim to the weather. The field is led by Daytona 500 winner Tyler Reddick on the pole, with Joey Logano beside him and Chase Elliott lining up fourth.
Nascar Race Today: Starting Lineup Set
Rain canceled Saturday's qualifier and Cup Series qualifying was also nixed because of lightning in the area, leaving the starting grid to be set by the governing body's metric. Mother Nature claimed its first victim on Saturday in terms of the NASCAR schedule at Atlanta Motor Speedway, forcing officials to use the metric to determine Sunday’s positions.
Pole and Top Five Starters
Tyler Reddick, the Daytona 500 winner, will hold the pole for the Autotrader 400 at EchoPark Speedway in Hampton, Georgia. Joey Logano will start in second after finishing third in last week's Daytona 500. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chase Elliott and Brad Keselowski round out the top five starting spots, with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. listed third, Chase Elliott fourth and Brad Keselowski fifth.
Hendrick Motorsports' Starting Positions Listed
That's likely just fine with Chase Elliott and the No. 9 team. After a fourth-place finish in last week's DAYTONA 500, Elliott will line up fourth on Sunday afternoon. Rounding out the Hendrick Motorsports contingent, William Byron will roll off 13th, Kyle Larson 16th and Alex Bowman 36th.
Race Time and Weekend Context
Sunday's race is set for a 3 p. m. start. The Autotrader 400 comes after "The Great American Race" last week, and questions linger over momentum: will Reddick win back-to-back races and give 23XI Racing a strong start to the 2026 NASCAR season, or will someone else race to victory?
Live Moments and Stage Result
Live coverage and leaderboard notes from the event weekend included the update that Bubba Wallace won Stage 2 during the running of the Autotrader 400. That stage victory was one of the notable moments amid the weather disruptions that reshaped the schedule.
The decision to set the grid by metric followed both rain canceling the Saturday qualifier and the presence of lightning in the area that nixed Cup Series qualifying, a sequence that left teams and drivers to adapt to starting positions they did not earn on a single-lap run. The metric left a strong showing for early-season performers: Reddick atop the field, Logano second and the top five completed by Stenhouse Jr., Elliott and Keselowski.
Racing previews and discussion heading into the event referenced themes such as a possible duel among established contenders, including a headline framing a "pair of Cup Series champs to battle for EchoPark Speedway win, " a narrative echoed in pre-race analysis of the field. The Autotrader 400 at EchoPark Speedway in Hampton, Georgia, represents one of the early high-profile tests of the 2026 NASCAR season.
Teams will start under the lineup set by the governing body’s metric after weather forced cancellations, and the grid reflects results and metrics from the opening rounds of the year. Unclear in the provided context is any further adjustment to the broadcast details beyond the stated start time. The nascar race today remains set to resume under the revised lineup with drivers and crews ready to race despite the disrupted qualifying schedule.
Sunday's on-track order: Tyler Reddick on pole; Joey Logano second; Ricky Stenhouse Jr. third; Chase Elliott fourth; Brad Keselowski fifth; William Byron 13th; Kyle Larson 16th; Alex Bowman 36th. The full starting grid was finalized by the governing body's metric after the weather-related cancellations that affected qualifying.
Will Reddick convert the pole into another win and deliver momentum for 23XI Racing in the 2026 NASCAR season, or will the Autotrader 400 produce a different winner? That question will be answered over the course of the race at EchoPark Speedway in Hampton, Georgia.
