This weekend’s Quaker State 400 at EchoPark Speedway (formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway) marks NASCAR’s second visit to the track in 2026. Fans often compare Atlanta’s exciting pack racing to Daytona and Talladega. But Ryan Blaney thinks the parallels stop there.
The former Cup champion says Atlanta is the hardest drafting track for a driver’s mind. Drivers never get a break.
Ryan Blaney explains why Atlanta never gives drivers a chance to relax
“After Atlanta, after those races, I’m probably the most mentally worn out than any place,” Blaney said. “Things are happening incredibly fast. There’s always something going on, and there’s never kind of a break. You know, at Daytona, Talladega, you might get things kind of calm down for a little bit. You know, you can kind of think and relax for a second. But in Atlanta, it never does.”
Blaney has raced on every NASCAR superspeedway. He insists the 1.54-mile quad-oval in Georgia is a different beast entirely…