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AUTOTRADER 400
Hampton, Georgia - February 22, 2026

AUSTIN CINDRIC No. 2 AUTOTRADER FORD MUSTANG DARK HORSE

START: 30TH  
STAGE 1: 1ST  
STAGE 2: 11TH  
FINISH: 26TH  
POINTS: 26TH

RACE RUNDOWN: Austin Cindric battled from deep in the field to contend for the win Sunday at EchoPark Speedway before a late-race incident left him with a 26th-place finish in the Autotrader 400. After qualifying was washed out Saturday morning, the starting lineup was set per the NASCAR Rulebook, placing Cindric 30th on the grid. Undeterred, the driver of the No. 2 Ford Mustang Dark Horse methodically worked his way forward, showcasing speed and precision. By the end of Stage 1, he had powered to the front of the field to claim the Stage 1 victory and collect valuable stage points. Reporting that he needed the car freed up slightly, Cindric came to pit road for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment, restarting fifth for Stage 2. The middle segment was slowed by three cautions that shuffled the running order and varying pit strategies. As the run progressed, the No. 2 machine tightened up, but Cindric continued to fight inside the top 15. He finished Stage 2 in 11th, narrowly avoiding trouble when an incident erupted around him and he dodged a rapidly approaching No. 5 car. After pitting for four tires and fuel, Cindric restarted 12th with 91 laps remaining. A caution on Lap 199 set up a strategic splash of fuel, allowing him to line up 10th for the ensuing restart. From there, he surged forward, taking the lead on Lap 221 and positioning himself firmly among the frontrunners as the laps wound down. While racing inside the top five in the closing laps, an issue with the No. 24 triggered a multi-car crash that swept up the No. 2 Ford Mustang, abruptly ending what had been a strong performance. Cindric was ultimately credited with a 26th-place finish, not reflective of the speed and effort shown by the No. 2 team throughout the afternoon.

CINDRIC'S THOUGHTS: "We had a really fast No. 2 Autotrader Ford Mustang Dark Horse today. With no qualifying, we had to start near the back, but we fought hard and put ourselves in position there at the end of Stage 1. We made good adjustments and kept ourselves in the fight all day. It's frustrating to have it end like that when you're battling up front, but I'm proud of the effort from the 2 team."

RYAN BLANEY No. 12 MENARDS/DUTCH BOY FORD MUSTANG DARK HORSE

START: 22ND  
STAGE 1: 10TH  
STAGE 2: 8TH  
FINISH: 10TH  
POINTS: 8TH

RACE RUNDOWN: Ryan Blaney and the No. 12 Menards/Dutch Boy Ford Mustang Dark Horse team came away with a 10th-place finish Sunday at Atlanta following a pair of overtime restarts. After qualifying was rained out Saturday, Blaney lined up 22nd to take the green flag for the 400-mile event and quickly worked his way into the top-10 by lap 27 before crossing the line 10th at the end of Stage 1. Following a four-tire stop during the stage break, Blaney was penalized for speeding on pit road, prompting the No. 12 team to shift its strategy early on as the Menards/Dutch Boy Ford lined up 36th for the ensuing restart. Blaney eventually raced his way back into the top-10 with eight laps remaining in the second segment after being mired in traffic for a majority of the run, resulting in an eighth-place finish in Stage 2. Crew chief Jonathan Hassler made the call for right side tires and fuel, allowing Blaney to win the race off pit road and take the green flag from the outside of row one. Blaney battled for the top spot as the intensity at the front of the field began to pick up before a caution on lap 199 allowed teams to pit one last time for fuel to make it to the end. After taking the restart from third with 56 laps remaining, Blaney took sole possession of the lead 15 laps later but contact with the No. 45 in turn one broke up the momentum in the top lane as Blaney quickly regained control. A caution with 23 laps to go set up another pivotal restart with under 20 laps remaining as Blaney lined up behind teammate Austin Cindric at the front of the field but was quickly shuffled to the middle lane and faded outside of the top-10. Another caution with four laps left reset the field for what amounted to a pair a overtime restarts that saw Blaney try to take the momentum in the top lane to the front, but ultimately crossed the line 10th to log the No. 12 team's first top-10 finish of the season.

BLANEY'S THOUGHTS: "We had a little bit of a different strategy there in the second stage. We topped off once and then that gave us the ability to take less gas and two [tires] just to try and get some track position and we had it. We had good control of it for a while and then just lost control of it there and that was the end of it."

JOEY LOGANO No. 22 SHELL-PENNZOIL FORD MUSTANG DARK HORSE

START: 2ND  
STAGE 1: 8TH  
STAGE 2: 17TH  
FINISH: 18TH  
POINTS: 6TH

RACE RUNDOWN: Joey Logano was involved in a pair of late-race incidents Sunday afternoon at Atlanta, resulting in an 18th-place finish for the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse team. After starting from the outside of row one, Logano led the opening lap to set a NASCAR Cup Series record of leading at least one lap in 20-consecutive races at drafting tracks, surpassing Richard Petty's previous mark. Logano battled up front for a majority of the 60-lap opening stage before ultimately settling for an eighth-place finish in Stage 1. The Shell-Pennzoil Ford continued to be a mainstay in the top-10 throughout the second segment as the field battled two and three-wide but following a restart with 29 laps remaining in Stage 2, Logano found himself strung out in the bottom lane without any momentum behind him. As the field made its way to the line on the final lap of the stage, a multi-car incident unraveled off of turn four that forced Logano to check up to avoid damage as he was scored 17th at the time of the caution. Logano worked his way back into the top-10 on the ensuing restart before the caution flag flew on lap 199 - allowing teams to pit for fuel to make it to the end of the 260-lap event - as the 22 crew picked up seven spots on pit road with a stop that required only two seconds of fuel. While Logano was running seventh with 23 laps to go, contact with the No. 77 in turn four sent the Shell-Pennzoil Ford sliding through the infield to bring out the caution and forcing Logano to hit pit road for a new set of tires after suffering a flat right rear. After rejoining the field while scored 28th, Logano attempted to make one last charge up the leaderboard in the closing laps when the No. 24 suffered an issue on the backstretch and set off a multi-car incident in turn three, collecting the No. 22 and losing a lap in the process due to multiple trips to pit road to assess the damage. A caution during the first overtime attempt allowed Logano to get back on the lead lap prior to the final restart of the afternoon before he took the checkered flag 18th.  

LOGANO'S THOUGHTS: "I thought we were really competitive for most of the day and had a car that could control lanes and make the runs that we needed to, especially early on. We lost some track position late in Stage 2 that set us back a bit but I'm proud of the effort from this 22 team to get us back into contention after the final fuel-only stop. I thought we were fortunate to finish after that last wreck and that's a testament to those guys for staying with it."

The NASCAR Cup Series goes road course racing at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) next Sunday, March 1. Live coverage begins at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.