The start of Sunday’s Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway was delayed due to inclement weather in the area.
The command to start engines was given at 8:25 p.m. ET.
The 14th race of the 2026 Cup Series season was set to begin at 7 p.m. ET (Prime Video, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at the 1.33-mile concrete oval just outside the Music City.
Rain on Saturday also canceled qualifying and the lineup was set via the NASCAR rule book. Teams were able to hit the track for a 45-minute practice later in the day, with Christopher Bell turning the fastest lap.
Denny Hamlin will lead the field to green when the 300-lapper goes green under the lights at Nashville. There was a competition caution at Lap 35.
LEBANON, Tenn. — Richard Childress Racing was forced to deal with the weight of loss 25 years ago when it lost a friend, a legend and a racer in Dale Earnhardt. A quarter century later, the team is unthinkably bearing it again with the loss of Kyle Busch.
Austin Dillon, driver of the No. 3 Chevrolet for the team owned by his grandfather, Richard Childress, has become a leader inside the walls of the team’s shop in Welcome, North Carolina, where his father, Mike Dillon, serves as the team’s chief operating officer.
As a trusted voice at the shop, Austin Dillon revealed Saturday at Nashville Superspeedway that he was keeping team members abreast of the unfolding situation on May 21, the day Busch died after severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis.
“My grandfather and my dad were at the hospital. I was at the shop with everybody and trying to keep them updated, and going through that was tough,” Dillon said. “And then, when I got home, I just told (wife) Whitney, look, I’ve got to write him a letter. Most of you probably have read what I wrote, and that was the biggest reason I feel like I could go forward because it was from the heart, and it’s how I felt about Kyle. And it’s gonna hurt for a long time, but I know the character he was, he’d want us to go kick butt.”
The team had a chance to compete on Sunday at Nashville, and with that chance came a new normal the team will have to find. The No. 8 team that Busch built is now the No. 33, with Austin Hill currently driving the entry in what is at least an interim role as the team has not announced its long-term plans.
But how can a team carry on in the wake of tragedy just days after losing its shining star? For Dillon, the answer lies in unity and faith.
“The longer I do this, I learn what the family aspect of RCR is,” Dillon said. “I’m so proud of our people, our employees, our fans. Some of the nicest things that could be done were done over the last week and a half. The garage, NASCAR took really good care of us in Charlotte, but I mean I’m just really proud to be a part of RCR and proud of our employees for doing what they can. It was obviously one of the toughest weeks of RCR’s history. Being a part of, from my side, for the first time, really being able to understand what everybody’s going through, it was hard, and it’s going to be hard, but the people that we have at RCR are the ones that I would want to go through with this.”
In the wake of Busch’s passing, the team gathered together as some of its leaders addressed the organization. One of those voices was team president Mike Verlander, who previously served as team president of Kyle Busch Motorsports.
“Mike Verlander did an amazing job,” Dillon said. “He spoke to the entire company. It was beautiful. I mean, he did a great job. Proud to have him as our president. I mean, him and Kyle were very close. He has done a great job going through this because he was right through the thick of everything. But the way he spoke to our people, I was super proud to be a part of that and watch it. We had Nick Terry speak from [Motor Racing Outreach] to everyone, and that was very touching. And then I kind of finished it off and told a couple things and stories but brought it back to, hey, let’s go out there and do what we can to make him proud.”
Alejandro Alvarez | NASCAR Digital Media
Part of Dillon’s influence in addressing his fellow team members stemmed from a story shared by his grandfather Childress, and a conversation he had with Earnhardt decades ago.
“I go back to what my grandfather and Dale talked about before on the ‘Great Horse Wreck,’ is what my grandfather calls it, on their hunting trip that they would go on,” Dillon said, “whether one of them passed away or not, that they would be there racing and putting their heart and soul into it. And I think Kyle Busch, his character would have wanted all of us to do what we could to get back to Victory Lane and to work as hard as possible. And I mean, I knew what he cared about, and that was being here on Sunday, racing hard as he could for his guys and for himself and for his family, and to try and create history in this sport. And we have a great opportunity to do that here at RCR to go back out there and make him proud.”
Childress is slated to speak publicly on June 6 at Michigan International Speedway for the first time since Busch’s passing, but Dillon offered some insight on how the events of the last 10 days have impacted the 80-year-old team owner.
“Obviously, it’s been very hard for him,” Dillon said. “But he’s a very resilient person, as everyone knows. And he’s got that cowboy brand that he likes to show everybody, but he’s also got a soft side, and I think it’s been pretty wearing on him. He’s also had a cold, but he’s got over that, so today it was nice. We flew up here, and my daughter jumped in his lap, and I think that was just nice to see them hanging out together. And she’s never done that before, so kids just have this weird way, I think, of knowing. And you could tell they had a good time up there.”
When the green flag flew Sunday night at Nashville, Dillon and Hill were on track once again with hopes to make Busch proud, riding for the brand, Dillon said.
“We all really want to go out there and run well for him and for my grandfather and for all the RCR fans out there,” Dillon said. “There’s a lot of hard work and effort going on right now, working hard with Austin Hill and doing what we can to make everybody proud.”
LEBANON, Tenn. — With each passing week, Shane van Gisbergen continues to make strides at oval race tracks, with confidence and comfort growing.
The results won’t always tell the full story. A slow pit stop dropped van Gisbergen to an 11th-place finish in last week’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, despite having an average running position of 7.81. According to NASCAR Insights, the No. 97 Chevrolet ranked seventh on sheer speed and sixth on defense among the 39-car field in NASCAR’s marathon race.
“It was a decent day,” van Gisbergen said on Saturday at Nashville Superspeedway, reflecting on Charlotte. “I was just frustrated at the moment because our finishing position wasn’t as good as we probably deserved. We ran pretty decent all day, but I just mucked up at the end. We had a bad pit stop, and then with the strategy, maybe we could have done better.
“Everyone was pretty stoked all week, and we just got to keep that momentum going. Even when we fell out of the top-10 last weekend, we were able to get back in it. It was pretty awesome racing up there.”
The primary challenge for van Gisbergen, as he said earlier this month at Dover Motor Speedway, is getting up to speed quickly off the hauler. After a handful of laps, he’s confident in the feel of the No. 97 car, but by then, his tires are worn off at most venues.
With a 33-point showing at Charlotte, van Gisbergen hopped two positions in points, ranking 14th on The Chase grid, with a 28-point cushion over the bubble. He netted 22 points on the cutline last week alone.
“I think it’s always just time and always learning stuff,” van Gisbergen said of his growth. “Even [at Charlotte], just learning stuff throughout the race and learning the flow of the race better. And then the further up front you are, the better people race you, as well, so that’s always nice. It’s a real dogfight in the back, so getting away from that is a nice break. I think it really shows the importance of qualifying, getting up front, making no mistakes, and you can stay out there all day.”
With Trackhouse Racing wrestling with results in 2026, it’s noticeable that van Gisbergen is ahead of teammates Ross Chastain and rookie phenom Connor Zilisch most weeks at ovals. The No. 97 team has five top-15 finishes — including a personal oval best of sixth at EchoPark Speedway — in 11 oval starts to begin 2026.
Chastain, a five-time oval winner, has noticed his stablemate’s development.
“He just didn’t do a lot of it in his past,” Chastain said of van Gisbergen’s oval surge. “He did some dirt-track stuff, but no big concrete, big, steep banked asphalt, high-speed mile and a halves. I think he’s just learned. He’s a racer and puts the tire to the limit — and he’s finding that limit. Stephen (Doran, crew chief) is giving him the cars he needs. He pushes the gas.”
Notably, van Gisbergen is having fun competing at a high level in NASCAR. The seven-time Cup victor is striving to continue his progression and learning from the best every week.
“I love the series and love racing everyone in it,” van Gisbergen said. “Certainly, the good guys in this series and the level they’re at is pretty impressive to see how they’re just always up there every week, so I’m trying to emulate that a bit.”
With qualifying getting canceled on Saturday due to rain, van Gisbergen will start Sunday’s Cracker Barrel 400 in 10th position per the metric, 25 spots better than his next closest Trackhouse teammate. During practice, however, Chastain paced the field on 15-, 20- and 25-lap averages, a promising sign for the Trackhouse bunch.
RIVERHEAD, N.Y. – Anytime a local Riverhead Raceway competitor upsets the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, it’s a moment worth celebrating.
Mark Stewart added his name to that short-but-prestigious list in Saturday’s Miller Lite Salutes Don Howe 200. In his ninth career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour start, Stewart faced the herculean task off fending off four-time champion Justin Bonsignore, winner of 12 previous Riverhead events.
Despite losing the lead to Bonsignore twice, Stewart was not going to be denied Saturday. He fended off one of the best in Riverhead and series history for his first career victory.
Nothing about the journey toward Saturday’s milestone came easy for Stewart, which made the Victory Lane celebration so special.
“It just means everything,” Stewart said. “[We were] able to run with these guys and be as good as them. I even think Justin [Bonsignore] was a little better than I was; we just got better restarts. It means everything for a small team like this. There is nothing better than this. Out here at my home track, winning on the Tour, it’s just incredible.”
Stewart’s only other Modified Tour top five came in 2023, fittingly at his home track of Riverhead.
That 2023 race marked his second Tour start. Stewart that night was a witness to an incredible battle for the win between Bonsignore and fellow Modified Tour champion Ron Silk. Bonsignore earned one of his many Riverhead victories while Stewart stole second from Silk in the final moments.
Those early Modified Tour events at Riverhead taught Stewart a valuable lesson: No one in the series was going to pull any punches. If he wanted to win a Modified Tour race himself one day, Stewart would need to stay committed to his craft and learn from the veterans every chance he got.
Momentum seemed to favor Stewart from the moment work began at Riverhead on Saturday morning. Not only did Stewart prevail in Riverhead’s Super Pro Truck feature, but he also posted the fourth quickest time of 25 Modified Tour competitors, the subsequent re-draw improving his starting position to third.
After an early incident collected the front row of Stephen Kopcik and his uncle Roger Turbush, Stewart suddenly found himself pacing the field. The euphoria was only momentarily for Stewart, as he had Bonsignore in his rearview mirror.
Chaos on the front row at Riverhead brings out the caution flag at the start! 🫣
The numerous cautions throughout the evening ensured Stewart and Bonsignore never left each other’s sight lines. Bonsignore tried everything to find his way around Stewart, from using the high line on a longer green flag run to nearly spinning Stewart.
Even when Bonsignore did take the lead, Stewart had an answer for every punch thrown his way.
The final restart of the night proved to be the deciding factor. With Stewart on the bottom line, a wide entry from Bonsignore in Turn 1 caused him to lose vital ground. Bonsignore did find his way to Stewart’s back bumper again but could not find his way around the local Riverhead hero before the checkered flag.
Mark Stewart celebrates winning Saturday night’s Modified Tour race at Riverhead Raceway. (Photo: Anna Griffin/NASCAR)
As Bonsignore watched Stewart celebrate in Victory Lane, he could not help but reflect on his own journey from the local races Riverhead to becoming a Modified Tour champion. Bonsignore commended Stewart’s performance Saturday but felt he needed more green flag laps to mount more of a challenge.
“It’s tough losing to these locals,” Bonsignore said. “I was the local for a long time. I’ve known [the Stewart family] since Marky was a very, very young kid racing go-karts. This is now the second time I’ve lost to the local guy here. We had a great car on the long run, but we were really struggling on the short runs.
“[Stewart] ran a really perfect race, so congrats to him and his family.”
Kyle Soper was the most recent Riverhead regular to usurp Bonsignore and the other Modified Tour full-timers in 2022. That was a source of inspiration for Stewart and the other Riverhead locals who venture into the series, but pulling off such a task was always going to be arduous.
Countless hours have been exerted by Stewart and his family, including Turbush, to build their small program into something capable of earning a Modified Tour victory. There have been plenty of highs and lows along the way, but Stewart never lost his determination to see that effort get rewarded.
Now Stewart is forever etched into the Modified Tour record books as a winner. Being able to defeat a series legend like Bonsignore at the track that defined him is something Stewart intends to cherish for the rest of his life.
(Photo: Anna Griffin/NASCAR)
“Every time Justin comes here or anywhere, he’s just the best everywhere he goes,” Stewart said. “When he got by me on the outside, I gave him the room. He was better than me. I just had really good restarts tonight; that’s the only reason I got back by him. This thing was so good the whole race.
“This win is for everyone here. It’s not even for me. I just drove the damn car.”
Owen Grennan, another Riverhead regular, finished third in his Modified Tour debut. Grennan was followed in the top five by Tommy Catalano and Patrick Emerling.
The rest of the top 10 consisted of Ron Silk, Austin Beers, Jon McKennedy, Kopcik and Eric Goodale.
There will not be much time for the Modified Tour competitors to regroup from Riverhead, as they will be back in action Saturday for their rescheduled date at Oxford Plains Raceway. The green flag for the All State Materials Group 150 will wave at 6:15 p.m. ET with FloRacing providing live flag-to-flag coverage.
LEBANON, Tenn. — For 120 laps, Jesse Love established himself as one of the drivers to beat Saturday night at Nashville Superspeedway.
But as fate would have it, Love’s night unraveled after a loose wheel forced him to pit road with 67 laps left in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race, sinking the No. 2 Richard Childress Racing team from winning contention to a 16th-place finish in the Sports Illustrated Resorts 250.
Love led 87 laps after starting from the pole position Saturday, dazzling with fierce battles against eventual race winner Justin Allgaier. But Love felt a familiar vibration in the rear of his car, signaling his time out front would be short-lived.
“The same thing I felt in Stage 2 when me and Justin were racing,” Love told NASCAR.com. “I started to feel the vibration, and you know, sometimes here it’s rubber build-up. And so yeah, they told me after the Stage 2 pit stop, that it was a loose wheel. So when I felt it again, I knew that it was a matter of time. For whatever reason, if I didn’t arch my entry, I didn’t feel like it was as bad, so I tried to just start chopping my entries and see if I could get to my pit window, and I think another lap and it would have fell off.”
If there was any bright side to a winning run derailed, Love did nurse the car to a point within the team’s fuel window, allowing his team to avoid an extra pit stop late in the event. But pitting at least 20 laps earlier than the other leaders put the No. 2 Chevrolet at a disadvantage on tires, leading to a finish outside the top 15.
Crew chief Danny Stockman appeared dejected after another loose wheel impacted a good run for the No. 2 team.
“It’s pretty disheartening (when) you have a car capable of winning,” Stockman told NASCAR.com. “We got a little bit loose the second stage, and I tightened it back up and took off and we had a four-second lead again. And then the right-rear (wheel) comes loose, and we have no reason why. That’s the disheartening part. We’ve got to go back to the shop and try to figure out what’s going on. It’s the same procedure that we’ve done for years, and we’ve been having quite a few loose wheels this year. We don’t really understand why and what, so it’s on us. It’s on us.
“We can build fast race cars, but if we’re not executing these races, I mean it’s as simple as beating yourself, and we beat ourselves not knowing why, so we’ve got to figure that out.”
What weighed heavier on the team was the unscheduled pit stop carried longer than it should have. Stockman communicated that he wanted the team to install spacers on the rear wheels during the stop, but only the right-rear spacer was placed at first before Stockman had to reiterate adding the left-rear spacer, slowing down the stop even further.
Love, the defending O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champion, remains winless after 16 races this season, but his No. 2 car has been in the hunt multiple weeks, including one week prior at Charlotte Motor Speedway before inclement weather cut the event short and left Love second.
“We should have won five races this year already,” Stockman said. “We’re in contention. We’re building fast race cars, but we’re not finishing where we deserve, and we’ve just got to go. We’ve got to go back and figure out why.”
Despite the frustration, Love is keeping his head held high and attempting to move on from his recent setbacks quickly.
“I can speak for myself, and I’m just gonna show up on Monday and try to work even harder, just keep putting hay in the barn until one day I can eat it all,” Love said. “God’s got a better plan for me than I do for myself, so all I can control is my attitude and the way I lead my team and the effort I put in and how I hold myself and how I support my team through this as well.”
LEBANON, Tenn. — After multiple brilliant and exhilarating door-to-door battles between veteran and rookie in the closing portion of the race, JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier prevailed to hoist his series-best fourth NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series trophy of the season.
The 2024 series champion had to hold off talented 18-year-old rookie Brent Crews, who called the close-quarters racing in Saturday night’s Sports Illustrated Resorts 250 at Nashville Superspeedway “the most fun I’ve had without winning.”
Allgaier’s win in the No. 7 JRM Chevrolet, ultimately by 1.4 seconds over Crews, was his third at the 1.33-mile Nashville concrete oval and the 32nd overall win of his championship career. It took hard, clean side-by-side racing lap after lap for Allgaier to eventually get by Crews’ No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota for good with 20 laps remaining and hold on for the victory.
The veteran Allgaier celebrated by climbing out of his Chevrolet’s roof hatch, then bowed to the Nashville crowd, an ode to the trademark winning celebration of two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch, who died May 21 after being ill with pneumonia and sepsis.
“First of all, it’s been a rough couple of weeks, and lots of prayers to [Busch’s wife] Samantha and [their children] Brexton and Lennix — it’s been an emotional couple weeks,’’ said Allgaier.
“This team, right here, they are incredible. To win in Nashville, you fans … this place is electric. I love coming to Nashville.
“I told them before the race, that we were going to go to Victory Lane,’’ said a grinning Allgaier, who turns 40 years old next week and is capping his winning race weekend by running a triathlon in downtown Nashville on Sunday.
“What a race,’’ he added with a grin.
The near-miss marked Crews’ second runner-up finish this season. He led twice for a total of 45 laps, the most he has ever led in a single race.
“Man, the positive was, I thought we were going to win that race,’’ Crews said when asked about the takeaway from the race. “I’m happy for our guys.
“Had to start 33rd and worked our way up to the lead and led a lot of laps and got to race one of the best guys in our series of all-time for the win in the last few laps,’’ he said. “Couldn’t ask for much more, other than to beat him.’’
Crews’ teammate William Sawalich finished third to claim his third consecutive top five. Haas Factory Team’s Sam Mayer finished fourth, his fifth straight top 10 at Nashville, with another JGR driver, Brandon Jones, rounding out the top five.
Corey Day, Carson Kvapil, reigning Cup Series champion Kyle Larson, Taylor Gray and Sammy Smith rounded out the top 10. Smith, of note, is competing in the Nashville triathlon with his JRM teammate Allgaier.
Richard Childress Racing’s Jesse Love finished 16th after leading a race-high 87 laps. A late-race pit stop miscue put the reigning series champion a lap down at one point before he rallied back. He lost some ground in the title race and now sits 179 points behind the 2024 series champion Allgaier in the championship standings.
“Definitely really frustrating,’’ a disappointed Love said after the race. “Our Camaro was really fast and I know we had a misstep on pit road, but we’ve got the best pit crew in the garage right now, it’s not even close.
“The only thing I can control is the way I prepare and keep showing up even when it hurts and I know right now, my path isn’t necessarily coming with a lot of wins and that can be frustrating but it’s the past now, so all I can do is keep showing up and preparing. It’s going to turn around. It has to. There’s no other possible way it’s not going to and having faith in that will get me through all this.’’
YouTube personality Cleetus McFarland finished 36th in his second O’Reilly Auto Parts Series start — rallying from a series of late-race pit stop miscues and penalties to take the checkered flag in the No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet.
After a streak of 16 consecutive races, the series has its first off-week next weekend before returning to competition June 13 in the MillerTech Battery 250 at Pocono Raceway at 4 p.m. ET (The CW, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Connor Zilisch is the defending race winner.
NOTE: Post-race technical inspection was completed in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series garage at Nashville with no issues, confirming Allgaier as the race winner. The No. 91 DGM Racing Chevrolet was found with one unsecured lug nut, which will result in a monetary fine.
Statistically, 2026 has been a dominant season for Toyota in the NASCAR Cup Series. Three of the manufacturer’s drivers sit in the top four in the points standings, Denny Hamlin (699), Christopher Bell (369) and Tyler Reddick (320) sit among the top four in laps led this year, and Toyota won seven of the first nine races to start 2026.
While Toyota is still bringing the fastest cars to the track on a weekly basis, it hasn’t equated to a Victory Lane trip in over a month.
Yes, Reddick, a five-time winner this year, was the last to win for Toyota back at Kansas Speedway in April. Chevrolet has taken the checkered flag in the last four races and pulled off a big upset over the Joe Gibbs Racing camp as Daniel Suárez fended off Bell, Denny Hamlin and Ty Gibbs to win a rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600.
On Sunday, the Cup Series hits the largest concrete track on the circuit at Nashville Superspeedway (7 p.m. ET, Prime Video, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Not only is Toyota looking to get back to Victory Lane this year, but it is also seeking its first triumph just outside Music City. Can Toyota do it, or will they continue this minor slump as summer rapidly approaches? Here’s how Racing Insights sees the Cracker Barrel 400 playing out.
DRIVERS TO WATCH
JOEY LOGANO: A win at Nashville after a record five overtimes in 2024 set up the No. 22 Team Penske driver to win his third Cup Series championship. After 13 races, Logano shockingly sits outside the top 16 in points, 29 markers behind Ryan Preece for the final spot in the Chase. Including the victory two years ago, Logano also picked up a top five at Nashville last year as teammate Ryan Blaney stormed to victory. As the second half of the 2026 regular season begins, Logano needs a third consecutive great run at the concrete oval on Sunday to begin his push.
RYAN PREECE: On the surface, the numbers don’t look all that pretty for Preece, with just one Nashville top five at the Cup level. However, Preece does have a pair of guitars after consecutive NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series wins in Tennessee in 2021 and 2022. The Connecticut wheelman is also pretty good on tracks with concrete characteristics, with a 12th-place run at Martinsville Speedway and a top 10 at Bristol Motor Speedway earlier this season.
ZANE SMITH: Coming off a 10th-place result in last weekend’s Coke 600, the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports team is starting to gain back its momentum after the speed they showed to kick off 2026. Leading 31 laps in the crown-jewel event, the ultimate result still doesn’t really show how competitive Smith was in the race. With a runner-up result in 2024 and a top-15 run at Nashville last year, the Southern California native will be in play for another big weekend in the Volunteer State.
Track: Nashville Superspeedway Location: Lebanon, Tenn. Track length: 1.33 miles When: 7 p.m. ET Where to tune in: Prime Video, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Race purse: $11,233,037 Race distance: 300 laps | 399 miles Segments: 90 | 185 | 300 Sunday’s starting lineup| Cup Series pit stall assignments
NASCAR’s summer stretch set to start in Music City
LEBANON, Tenn. — NASCAR’s return to Nashville Superspeedway this year signals the start of the regular season’s second act on the eve of June.
Through 13 races, Tyler Reddick holds a commanding 122-point lead over Denny Hamlin at the midpoint to The Chase, with some teams eager to build upon their early momentum and others ready to put the past behind.
Sitting 15th in points after storming to a top-four finish in last year’s standings, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Chase Briscoe knows his time is running out if he wants to position himself well for a shot at a championship run in the 16-driver postseason gauntlet.
“For myself, it’s definitely one of those things where it’s like, ‘man, you better get it together at this point in the season,’ ” Briscoe said following Saturday’s practice at Nashville. “Especially where we’re at, I feel comfortable that we’re gonna make The Chase, right? But I want to be top five in points at least going into The Chase — and it sounds crazy, but we’re less than 100 points out of that. Like it’s not that far unachievable. I just know that I have no more mulligans; I have nothing more to give as far as that goes. I just know it’s going to take perfection these next 13 weeks if we’re going to do that.”
Ross Chastain, a 2023 winner at Nashville, is another past title contender looking for signs of speed after a sluggish start to the campaign has left him 23rd in the points standings, 65 points behind Ryan Preece for the provisional final spot in The Chase. Those signs started to show themselves after Saturday’s Cup Series practice session, in which Chastain was quickest in 15-, 20- and 25-lap averages. But the driver of the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet left no doubt in his Saturday press conference that he has struggled to find the feel he’s looking for in Chevrolet’s 2026 body.
“It seems like, for me, when the car changes pitch or attitude on the track — like if it just moves — it reacts differently each time or more dramatically,” Chastain explained. “I can’t really feel it changing much more. It’s not like I can feel it pull a wheelie or put the nose down on the ground, but just the balance changes corner to corner and even throughout the corner sometimes. It’s just not as consistent for me driving the No. 1 car, where last year and years past, we could get the car set and then I could have a consistent balance and know what I had corner to corner. I don’t feel like I have that right now.”
What he has now is 13 races to climb back up the standings and take the fight to his competition to make The Chase.
“It’s hard to believe we’re already halfway through the regular season,” Ryan Blaney said.
In the details …
Not all music is sweet in Nashville. Some of NASCAR’s brightest stars have found it difficult to shine in the Volunteer State in five races at Nashville Superspeedway.
Here’s a look at the nine drivers entered in this weekend’s race with three or more Cup starts at Nashville, looking for their first top-10 finish here:
Driver
Nashville Starts
Best Finish
Brad Keselowski
5
11th
Austin Dillon
5
12th
Michael McDowell
5
13th
Alex Bowman
5
14th
Chase Briscoe
5
17th
Todd Gilliland
4
17th
Ty Gibbs
3
14th
Cole Custer
3
19th
Ty Dillon
3
26th
Speed reads
Race-day essentials:
• Nashville hub: Key information, pit stalls, additional results | Read more
• Sunday Setup: How more horsepower, new tire will impact Sunday’s race | Read more • Paint Scheme Preview: New colors set for Nashville | View gallery • Hauler Talk: Explaining how weather impacted Charlotte weekend | Listen now • Power Rankings: Suárez sparks 2026 season with Coke 600 victory | This week’s ranks • NASCAR Classics: Inside the video vault from Nashville | Watch now
LEBANON, Tenn. — Questions remain, opinions vary and data is still being gathered at the midway point of the 2026 regular season. That’s why much of the conversation ahead of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway (7 p.m. ET, Prime Video, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) hovers around the Cup Series’ new short-track aerodynamic package.
For the second time in 2026, the short-track package designed for venues measuring less than 1.5 miles in length will take to a 1.33-mile circuit (Darlington Raceway in March). It also marks the third visit to a concrete surface, on the heels of running at Dover Motor Speedway for the All-Star Race in mid-May and in April at Bristol Motor Speedway. The package consists of a shorter three-inch rear spoiler and fewer stabilizing strakes on the rear diffuser. The bump to 750 horsepower will likely be a contributing factor, too. All those components can lead to cars being a handful.
“The aero package with the horsepower is a complete game-changer,” Adam Stevens, leader of Christopher Bell’s No. 20 team, told NASCAR.com on Saturday. “We’re going to have a lot more tire degradation, lap times are going to slow down more over the run. The track treatment (resin) is probably going to open upthe higher lanes more than what we’ve seen in the past. It should be racier and you should have some comers and goers.
“The priority is going to be hitting the setup right, a little bit more than just pure track position, which is what it tended to previously.”
With more energy into the system and the parts and pieces doing added work every lap, naturally, times will dial back. Drivers will be going faster down the straightaway, but jam on the brakes harder entering the corner, which will reduce the minimum speed.
Miles Stanley, who calls the shots for Josh Berry and the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing team, believes the new aero package and higher horsepower have been a net positive for the industry. Like Darlington and Dover, Stanley expects there to be more lane movement and agrees with Stevens that drivers could volley throughout the field if a team hits on the setup during a given run.
“I wouldn’t say it’s going to change dramatically, but maybe we see a little more passing, maybe we see the second lane open up a little bit earlier in the runs,” Stanley added. “I think it will be better, but we will have to wait and see.”
Another factor is the standard Goodyear tire compound that is being used for the sixth time in 2026 at Nashville. Stanley believes that this setup has made it a challenge to go off strategy with how much the tire falls off during the course of a run. But Stevens doesn’t think the tire is as big a variable now that the series has more internal datapoints on the tire.
“It’s hard to say it’s a shorter lifespan because what are we comparing it to?” Stevens pondered. “Intermediates, we’ve run this tire a lot already, so it wasn’t a change. The bigger change is the aero package more than the tire. A lot of the compounds are duplicates from compounds we’ve raced recently, with some minor construction changes. I don’t think the difference is in the tire at all, the difference is in the horsepower and the aero.”
Denny Hamlin will lead the field to the green flag on Sunday, as qualifying was canceled due to rain. Based on the metric, Bell will start fourth and the hometown driver Berry will roll off from 33rdposition.
