NASCAR Autotrader 400 preview: Favorite, underdog, top storylines

On Sunday, the stars of the NASCAR Cup Series will take on the 1.5-mile EchoPark Speedway in Hampton, Georgia, in the second race of the 2026 Cup Series season. 

Here are the names to know and the biggest stories ahead of the Autotrader 400 (Sunday, 3 p.m. ET, Fox, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Favorite: Chase Elliott (+900, per DraftKings)

Elliott isn't only NASCAR's most popular driver, but Georgia's favorite son as well. The Dawsonville, Ga., native is the son of Cup Series champion Bill Elliott, who reigned as NASCAR's most popular driver before his son did.

Elliott has also been one of the best drivers at EchoPark since the track was reconfigured into a drafting track in 2022. He has four top-10 finishes and two wins at the track in eight starts at the new configuration, including a victory the last time the Cup Series raced at EchoPark in June 2025.

And as if Elliott needs any more motivation than winning in front of his home crowd, he's coming off a heartbreaking loss in the season-opening Daytona 500 on Feb. 15.

Underdog: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (+3500, per DraftKings)

Stenhouse Jr. is a prolific superspeedway racer, having earned all four of his Cup Series wins in the draft at Daytona and Talladega. He's yet to win at EchoPark, but it feels like a victory could be coming soon. 

On the heels of a runner-up finish in the Daytona 500, Stenhouse enters Sunday's race having finished in the top 10 in four of the last six races at EchoPark. The 2023 Daytona 500 champion also led 22 laps in the first race at the reconfigured layout of the track in March 2022.

Top drivers in early points holes

With the new Chase format in place, every race and position matters. After a chaotic Daytona 500, several notable drivers are buried in the points. 

2025 Championship 4 driver Chase Briscoe is 37th in the standings, while Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman is 36th. Two other Joe Gibbs Racing drivers, Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin, are 31st and 33rd, respectively. 

The standings don't carry much weight this early in the season, but if those drivers are involved in another crash on Sunday, it could be time to start worrying just a little bit.

Racing won't look the same as it did at Daytona

EchoPark Speedway is a drafting track that features superspeedway-esque racing, but it's not a copy of Talladega or Daytona.

The racing on Sunday will be more spread out and handling-dependent than the racing in last week's Daytona 500 or what fans will see at Talladega Superspeedway in April. EchoPark's new surface, which was repaved in 2022 during the reconfiguration, has worn out quickly, forcing drivers to stay on their toes and keep up with how their car changes throughout the course of a run.

Does Tyler Reddick's Daytona momentum follow him?

There is no thrill in stock car racing like winning the Daytona 500, but after claiming NASCAR's biggest prize on Feb. 15, Tyler Reddick and the No. 45 23XI Racing team must come back to Earth. 

Reddick is not locked into the postseason, nor is his lead atop the Cup Series points standings insurmountable. He'll be looking for another strong run on Sunday. 

The superspeedway version of EchoPark has been hit-or-miss for Reddick, however. But the latest race at the track was his strongest by far, as he led 18 laps and finished fourth. A similar finish on Sunday would likely see Reddick retain the Cup Series points lead two weeks into the 2026 season.