After a stunning lap during the final round of qualifying, Monroe, Georgia-native Jake Garcia will lead the field to green in front of his homestate in Saturday’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event at EchoPark Speedway.
Piloting the No. 98 Quanta Services / Curb Records Ford F-150 for ThorSport Racing, Garcia laid down a quick time of 32.050 seconds (172.980mph) to earn the pole for the Fr8 208.
That Georgia crowd gets to see one of their own lead the field to green tomorrow!! pic.twitter.com/wXkK7WJWTE
— NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Trucks (@NASCAR_Trucks) February 20, 2026
“It’s huge to start out front here at Atlanta. I think it’s hard to pass, so if you can control a lane, you can put yourself in a good position to get stage points,” Garcia told FOX Sports. “It’s really special to start on the pole here, it’s a home track for me, and I’m excited to lead the field to the green.”
RELATED: Starting Lineup for NASCAR Truck Series Event at Atlanta
Two-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Ben Rhodes will start on the outside of the front row for Saturday’s event. Rhodes, driving the Campers Inn RV No. 99 Ford F-150, was quickest in the first round of qualifying, but was denied his first pole position in nearly a year by his younger teammate.
Kyle Busch, the winner of the last two Truck Series events at EchoPark Speedway, will start from third on Saturday, in his first of eight scheduled starts in the No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado RST for Spire Motorsports.
Tyler Ankrum will roll from fourth, with NASCAR Cup Series regular Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., rounding out the top five in his second career start for Niece Motorsports.
Rookie of the Year (ROTY) contender Cole Butcher put together an impressive effort in Friday’s single-truck qualifying session, advancing to the second round and qualifying an impressive sixth, just in front of his teammate and Daytona polesitter Ty Majeski, who was seventh.
Adam Andretti, the brother of the late John Andretti, turned his first laps in a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series entry on Friday and qualified an impressive eighth-place for TRICON Garage. Andres Perez De Lara was ninth, while Daytona runner-up Gio Ruggiero rounded out the top-10.
Other notable drivers outside the top-10 in Friday’s qualifying session include Kaden Honeycutt (11th), John Hunter Nemechek (12th), Daniel Hemric (13th), Grant Enfinger (14th), Christian Eckes (15th), Stewart Friesen (16th), Carson Hocevar (18th), Layne Riggs (19th), Corey Heim (20th), Chandler Smith (22nd).
It wasn’t a strong showing for Kaulig Racing and RAM at EchoPark Speedway on Saturday, with the best qualifier of the five-truck team being Justin Haley in 25th. Ty Dillon, in the Free Agent Truck, ran 26th, with Brenden Queen, Mini Tyrrell, and Daniel Dye slated to start 28th through 30th.
The Fr8 208 will take place on Saturday, February 21, at 1:30 PM ET on FS1.
