NASCAR Cup Series competitor Ricky Stenhouse Jr. met with grassroots racers at EchoPark Speedway Thursday evening, just one month before he’ll be back at the speedway to compete in the Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart.

Stenhouse, a four-time winner in NASCAR’s top series, including the 2023 Daytona 500, shared words of wisdom and encouragement with aspiring racers competing in Thursday Thunder Legends and Bandoleros races before the evening’s slate of racing began.

“Walking through the garage here reminds me a lot of my time racing with my dad, racing as hard as I can and hoping to somehow make a living racing,” recalled Stenhouse. “Watching these kids, knowing that they’re thinking the same thing, it’s cool for me to reflect on that.”

The penultimate round of the 2026 Thursday Thunder season on Thursday night, July 9, will be the first on-track action leading into the Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart weekend. Fans camping at the track or in town for the weekend’s racing action will be able to see these grassroots racers free of charge as part of the weekend’s festivities.

“That’s the perfect thing for the campers to do here on a Thursday night. Come out, watch these kids – I guarantee you’ll see some of them in NASCAR at some point,” said Stenhouse.

Previously a winner at EchoPark Speedway in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, Stenhouse will seek his first win in Cup Series competition on Sunday night, July 12. With Georgia’s summer slate of racing all happening at night, under the lights, Stenhouse believes the action will be even more thrilling for fans and racers alike.

“There’s nothing like racing a night race,” said Stenhouse. “When I won here back in September of 2012, it was a night race and it’s cool racing under the lights here.”

EchoPark Speedway’s July 11-12 NASCAR weekend features two nights of NASCAR racing, first with the Focused Health 250 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race on Saturday night, July 11. Stenhouse and the rest of NASCAR’s stars will compete in the Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart on Sunday night, July 12. Both races begin at 7 p.m.

Tickets and camping accommodations for the July 11-12 Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart NASCAR weekend are available at www.EchoParkSpeedway.com.