PREVIEW: Several drivers set to make landmark starts at Echo Park and Lime Rock
by Brock Beard / LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief
PHOTO: RFK Racing, @RFKracing
Saturday, July 11, 2026 (Green Flag 1:23 P.M. ET, FS1)
TRUCKS Race 14 of 25
LiUNA 150 at Lime Rock Park
2025 Last-Place Finisher: Alex Labbe
ENTRY LIST
The Truck Series returns to action for the first time since San Diego for another road race battle in Lime Rock, where 33 drivers are entered for 36 spots. This marks only the third short field in 14 races this season and is the fewest of any Truck Series race since August 30, 2025, when 32 trucks arrived in Darlington.
DRIVER CHANGE: #1-TRICON Garage
A year ago, Thomas Annunziata won his first career ARCA race at Lime Rock Park driving for Nitro Motorsports. His defense of that win was to take place in a Kyle Busch tribute scheme, resembling the iconic M&M’s Toyota, but that was shelved after the team couldn’t get the required approvals in time. Annunziata will still run double-duty with tomorrow’s Truck Series race as he takes the place of 30th-place San Diego finisher Jimmie Johnson in TRICON’s #1. Annunziata made his Truck Series debut in this race last year, when he finished 15th for Spire Motorsports in the #07.
DRIVER CHANGE: #5-TRICON Garage
Adam Andretti will not be driving TRICON’s #5 as he had at San Diego, where his 14th-place finish was followed by a bizarre confrontation with Parker Kligerman after the checkered flag. The ride instead goes to Florida native Graham Doyle, an upstart competitor in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Series who now drives for Wayne Taylor Racing. DEX Imaging and Sharp, among the sponsors of his sports car, will adorn his Toyota on Saturday.
MISSING: #20-McAnally-Hilgemann Racing
Not making the trip back east is Brendan Gaughan, who overcame massive damage in practice and a sluggish pace on race day to come home 16th in San Diego.
DRIVER CHANGE: #22-Team Reaume
Team owner Josh Reaume makes his 90th career Truck Series start on Saturday and his first since Michigan, where he came home in 30th. He takes the place of newcomer Austin Varco, whose series debut at his home track in San Diego yielded a 17th-place finish. Dr. Sheffield’s Naturals is the listed sponsor of Reaume’s Ford.
DRIVER CHANGE: #25-Kaulig RAM Racing
Colin Braun will make his 55th career Truck Series start and first since his impressive series return at St. Petersburg, where he finished 9th with this same Kaulig RAM Racing effort in his first NASCAR start since 2011. Braun looks to help the RAM team turn around a frustrating San Diego race where Jamie McMurray was eliminated with crash damage after 22 laps, joining teammate Corey LaJoie in the garage.
DRIVER CHANGE: #42-Niece Motorsports
Despite nearly pulling off the win in San Diego before a late miscue handed the victory to Layne Riggs, Tyler Reif will not be competing this Saturday. Taking his place in the #42 is Ben Maier, who finished 11th in Niece’s #4 Chevrolet at St. Petersburg in what was his third and most recent series start. Maier made his series debut in this race last year, finishing 18th for Young’s Motorsports. Executive Chevrolet is his listed sponsor.
DRIVER CHANGE: #62-Halmar Friesen Racing
It was at this race last year that Wesley Slimp endured a frustrating debut weekend, his #62 truck catching on fire and sending him to a backup that suffered ignition failure, leaving him a disappointing 33rd. Slimp has made four series starts since then, most recently at Watkins Glen, and returns looking for a better outcome – he’s failed to finish both his starts so far in 2026. Slimp takes the place of Kaz Grala, who finished a strong 3rd at Naval Base Coronado.
MISSING: #75-Henderson Motorsports
DRIVER SWAP: #77-Spire Motorsports
While the Henderson team isn’t entered, staying back to prepare for Landon Huffman’s run in the upcoming Truck Series race at North Wilkesboro, Parker Kligerman will make the trip, where he steers Spire’s #77 in place of 25th-place San Diego finisher Justin Marks. Kligerman finished 18th for the Henderson team last time out at Naval Base Coronado.
DRIVER CHANGE: #76-Freedom Racing Enterprises
The San Diego race also saw Nathan Nicholson run strong for Spencer Boyd’s team before a late-race crash left him 28th at the checkered flag. But as with Reif, Nicholson will not be competing this weekend. In his place comes second-year IndyCar star Louis Foster, who will carry sponsorship from Droplight for his NASCAR debut.
CUP INVADERS: None
Saturday, July 11, 2026 (Green Flag 7:17 P.M. ET, CW)
O’REILLY Race 21 of 33
Focused Health 250 at EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta)
2025 Last-Place Finisher: Josh Williams
ENTRY LIST
There are 38 drivers entered for as many starting spots in tomorrow afternoon’s O’Reilly race, so all will qualify.
DRIVER SWAP: #0-SS-Green Light Racing
DRIVER CHANGE: #42-Young’s Motorsports
Nick Leitz makes only his second series start of 2026, his first since the series last raced on this Atlanta track back in February, where he finished 18th. Leitz will take the place of 18th-place Chicagoland finisher Garrett Smithley in the Young’s #42 with returning sponsorship from Precision Measurements, Inc. Smithley will return to Bobby Dotter’s #0 in place of Cup regular Cole Custer, who took 9th last Saturday.
DRIVER SWAP: #1-JR Motorsports
DRIVER CHANGE: #9-JR Motorsports
Another driver swap at JRM opens an opportunity for ARCA competitor Jake Finch, son of longtime team owner James Finch, to make only his second-ever start in NASCAR, his first since a 17th-place showing for Hendrick Motorsports at Dover last year. This time, Finch drives JRM’s #9 in place of Carson Kvapil, who returns to the #1 in place of 10th-place Chicagoland finisher Connor Zilisch. Like Custer, Zilisch will focus on Sunday’s Cup race.
DRIVER CHANGE: #32-Jordan Anderson Racing
DRIVER SWAP: #88-JR Motorsports
Team owner Jordan Anderson will make another of his infrequent superspeedway starts tomorrow night when he pilots his #32, marking his 30th career O’Reilly start and first since his impressive 4th-place showing in this year’s Daytona opener. Anderson’s return moves 24th-place Chicagoland finisher Rajah Caruth back to JRM’s #88 in place of still another Cup regular in Chase Eliott, who finished a close second to winner Brandon Jones.
TEAM UPDATE: #38-RSS Racing
J.J. Yeley remains in the #38 for the RSS effort, a car which is again listed as a Chevrolet like it was last week, when it turned out to be a Ford. UPDATE: The driver has changed again to Logan Bearden, and the car will again be a Ford.
DRIVER CHANGE: #47-Mike Harmon Racing
Last week in Chicagoland, the Harmon team changed car numbers for a third time this year by going to the #47 and partnered with the Team Stange effort. Stange doesn’t appear to have a role in this week’s Harmon entry, which does welcome returning associate sponsor Costa Oil plus additional backing from LIPROTEC an Schluter Systems. There’s also a change in driver as Carson Ware will pilot the car for the first time since Pocono, replacing Chicagoland last-place finisher Dawson Cram.
DRIVER CHANGE: #53-Joey Gase Motorsports with Scott Osteen
TEAM UPDATE: #55-Joey Gase Motorsports with Scott Osteen
For the second time in three races, there is no driver listed to be the driver of the #53 from the Gase effort for Saturday’s race. Last week, the car was run by Tyler Tomassi, who finished 33rd. UPDATE: The driver will be Glen Reen with sponsorship from New Wave Bath. Also, while this car will be a Chevrolet, Gase himself will drive a Ford in the #55 and carry his old late model paint scheme.
DRIVER CHANGE: #91-DGM Racing x JIM
ControlAltProtect returns as sponsor of Mason Maggio, who will pilot the Gosselin #91 tomorrow night, replacing 23rd-place Chicagoland finisher Myatt Snider. This will be Maggio’s 30th series start and tenth of the season, his first since a 28th-place showing in Nashville.
CUP INVADERS: None
Sunday, July 12, 2026 (Green Flag 7:19 P.M. ET, TNT)
CUP Race 20 of 36
Quaker State 400 at EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta)
2025 Last-Place Finisher: Ryan Blaney
ENTRY LIST
There are 38 drivers entered for 40 available starting spots, marking the 18th short field in 20 total Cup races run in 2026.
MISSING: #44-NY Racing Team
J.J. Yeley will not run on Sunday, one week after he led two laps and claimed a 35th-place finish in Chicagoland.
RETURNING: #66-Garage 66
One team that is returning is Garage 66, which was forced to withdraw Josh Bilicki’s entry from Chicagoland due to a lack of sponsorship. This week, Carter’s Royal Dispos-all and Truan Equipment Rental return to sponsor Chad Finchum, who we last saw race at Nashville for a 28th-place finish.
MISSING: #67-23XI Racing
Corey Heim earned another top-ten finish to follow-up his landmark victory in Naval Base Coronado, securing 9th in the #67 entry for 23XI Racing. He is not entered this week.
RETURNING: #78-Live Fast Motorsports
Welcome back fan favorite B.J. McLeod, who will make only his third series start of 2026 and first since the series last ran at Atlanta in the second race of the season back in February. McLeod will again be sponsored by the Pigeon Forge Racing Coaster as part of an ongoing contest giveaway. The Live Fast team has made another four starts since McLeod last took the green flag – two each with Katherine Legge and Daniel Dye.
TODAY IN LASTCAR HISTORY (July 10, 1969): Mack Sellers picked up the 1st last-place finish of his NASCAR Winston Cup Series career when his #82 1967 Chevrolet lost the engine after he completed the opening lap of the Thompson 200 at Connecticut’s famous Thompson Speedway. Sellers made all three of his career Cup starts in the 1969 season, ultimately finishing 23rd and 26th in the late-season races at Augusta and Jefferson.
