When Atlanta Motor Speedway was transformed into the 1.5-mile younger brother of Daytona and Talladega, NASCAR drivers were skeptical. Since 2022, fans of the sport have embraced the track even if drivers haven’t.

The No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports driver and NASCAR’s reigning Most Popular Driver will be starting the Daytona 500 from the 17th position in row nine. The 2025 Daytona 500 is set for Sunday, February 16 at 1:30 p.m. ET on Fox. The race was originally scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET but was moved up because of weather.

Atlanta Motor Speedway has become a "restricted speed" track which makes it prone to upset winners. Similar to the Daytona 500.

Unlike the Daytona 500, Atlanta and the other NASCAR Cup Series races set qualifying during qualifying time trials.

Check out the NASCAR starting lineup for the Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday afternoon in February 2025.