And just like that, the playoffs are here.
A 26-race regular season for the NASCAR Cup Series was full of highlights, produced some drama, saw several top tier drivers win, and featured a few upsets by dark horses. That has set up a 10-race push to the championship title, where one driver will receive that trophy at Phoenix Raceway.
To commence the playoffs, the unprecedented nature of the postseason kicks into high gear as teams head to Atlanta Motor Speedway. Since its repave in 2021, Atlanta has hosted superspeedway-style racing, creating some electric, jaw-dropping moments, such as a three-wide photo finish in the second race of the 2024 season.
The intensity will be on hand immediately throughout the weekend, and the track has a full lineup of stars ready to help ring the playoffs in.
Grand Marshal: 2000 Cup champion Bobby Labonte will bring the pop to start the race by giving the most famous words in motorsports. Labonte, a 21-time Cup winner, earned nearly a third of his victories at Atlanta, conquering the track six times.
Honorary Starter: Waving the green flag for the Quaker State 400 will be Robert Beasley. Beasley is a digital operations lead for Walmart.
Honorary Pace Car Driver: Alex “Spiff” Sedrick will get a slight taste of the high banks as the honorary pace car driver for the Cup race. Sedrick competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics as a member of the women’s rugby team, which earned a bronze medal. Sedrick was an instrumental part of that accolade, scoring a 103-yard, game-tying try and kicking the winning conversion to seal the win over Australia.
National Anthem: Actress and singer Bella Yantis will perform the national anthem prior to the start of the playoff-opening race. Yantis has acted in Odd Squad and Good Girl Winnie Foster.
Pre-Race Concert: Firing up the crowd prior to the Quaker State 400 will be country music artist Zach Top. Top’s song “Sounds Like the Radio” charted on Billboard Country Airplay’s top 30 list.
Luken Glover joined the Frontstretch team in 2020 as a contributor, furthering a love for racing that traces back to his earliest memories. Glover inherited his passion for racing from his grandfather, who used to help former NASCAR team owner Junie Donlavey in his Richmond, Va. garage. A 2023 graduate from the University of the Cumberlands, Glover is the author of "The Underdog House," contributes to commentary pieces, and does occasional at-track reporting. Additionally, Glover enjoys working in ministry, coaching basketball, playing sports, and karting.