Editor’s note: Keep tabs on this page for lineup advice following qualifying, including changes you should consider.
Fantasy Update: Toyota largely ruled practice at Nashville Superspeedway in preparation for Sunday’s Cracker Barrel 400, holding four of the top-five spots on single-lap averages. With qualifying getting canceled due to rain, Toyota will have four of the opening six spots at the green flag. The biggest surprise was former Nashville winner Ross Chastain and the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing team, which led the way on 15-, 20- and 25-lap averages, as he slid into my 36 for 36 grid. Aside from that, the normal contenders are filled throughout my lineup.
My lineup: Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell, Ryan Blaney, Kyle Larson.
Garage: Carson Hocevar.
The second half of the NASCAR Cup Series regular season begins Sunday at Nashville Superspeedway (7 p.m. ET, Prime Video, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Recent Nashville races have been unpredictable, with each of the last three years featuring drivers who seemingly popped out of the blue to score their first win of the season. Toyota has been dominant at intermediate venues in 2026, with Nashville fitting somewhere in the middle as a 1.33-mile hybrid intermediate.
Returning to Fastlane this year is my weekly NASCAR 36 for 36 pick, where you can come play along. It’s a season-long points battle introduced in 2024 where strategy is the primary emphasis. With 36 chartered cars and 36 races on the 2026 schedule, players can choose each car once for the duration of the season.
RELATED: NASCAR Fantasy Live hub | Play 36 for 36
MUST START
Driver: Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Selections remaining: 6
Comment: While Larson has just one Nashville win — a dominant outing in which he led 264 laps in the inaugural 2021 event — he is always at the front. The two-time Cup champion has never finished worse than eighth in all five starts. He leads the series with an average finish of 5.2 at Nashville.
Driver: Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford
Selections remaining: 5
Comment: It was Blaney who played the field like a fiddle last year at Nashville, leading a race-high 139 laps en route to victory. The 2023 Cup champion has been feast or famine in “Music City,” with three finishes of sixth or better and a pair of finishes of 36th or worse due to accidents. But it’s very possible that the long-run speed of the No. 12 team pays dividends again this weekend.
Driver: Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Selections remaining: 4
Comment: As you can see, I’m running low on starts with Hamlin, but as he stated after winning the All-Star Race two weeks ago, anytime the series visits an oval, he expects to win. Hamlin has been snakebitten at Nashville, yet to score a win despite leading all drivers with 344 laps led and owning the best average running position at 4.98. He’s also scored stage points in all 10 Nashville stages.
DRIVERS TO AVOID
Driver: Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Selections remaining: 7
Comment: Briscoe should have speed this weekend, as Joe Gibbs Racing has led more than twice as many laps as the next-closest team through five Nashville races. Still, Briscoe has a best finish of 17th at Nashville, and his 26.8 average finish is his worst among all tracks, with three finishes of 31st or worse.
Driver: Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing Ford
Selections remaining: 7
Comment: Keselowski is a two-time Nashville winner in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, but that success has stalled on Sundays. He has a best finish of 11th in five starts at Nashville, which is his only oval without a top 10. An average finish of 22.2 is Keselowski’s worst among all Cup ovals.
SLEEPERS OF THE WEEK
Driver: Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Selections remaining: 7
Comment: Even after tangling with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. last year at Nashville, Hocevar found himself in contention for the win and finished runner-up. Spire’s stock rises weekly, and this is the type of track where Hocevar excels. He has an average finish of 9.0 here, best among all venues.
Driver: Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford
Selections remaining: 10
Comment: Smith led a career-high 31 laps at the Coca-Cola 600 and had legitimate pace to contend up front. He finished second to Joey Logano in a five-overtime thriller here in 2024, and he ranks second among all drivers with an average finish of 7.5.
FEATURED MATCHUPS
Daniel Suárez vs. Zane Smith
Pick: Smith
Comment: Never has Suárez been higher in points through 13 races than he is in his first season with Spire. His 14.4 average finish at Nashville is also respectable. But Smith is leading the way for Front Row Motorsports most weeks and has shown flashes at intermediate venues.
Shane van Gisbergen vs. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Pick: Van Gisbergen
Comment: Both drivers were strong last weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway, scoring stage points in all three stages. It was undoubtedly the best career oval performance from van Gisbergen. Nashville is a place where Trackhouse Racing tends to turn up the wick, with Ross Chastain winning in 2023.
Chase Elliott vs. Joey Logano
Pick: Elliott
Comment: Each driver has a Gibson guitar from winning at Nashville. Logano has a quartet of top 10s and showed potential on intermediates at Charlotte. I’m still favoring Elliott, however, given the week-to-week uncertainty around the No. 22 team.
Ryan Blaney vs. Ty Gibbs
Pick: Blaney
Comment: While Toyota has ruled intermediates in many key categories in 2026, Gibbs has yet to crack the top 10 in the final rundown through three Nashville attempts. Blaney is the defending winner of this event and consistently hovers around the top five here.
MY LINEUP
Starting five: Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, Denny Hamlin, Bubba Wallace, Chase Elliott.
Garage pick: Carson Hocevar.
36 FOR 36
Pick: Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford
Comment: When going out on a limb, you need to think of where underdogs excel. Nashville is arguably Smith’s best track on the circuit, despite only having a pair of starts. Through 13 races, Smith has averaged 18.8 points per race, so if he can top that, it’s a victory.