There will be no penalty issued for the crash involving Austin Dillon and Brad Keselowski at Nashville Superspeedway after NASCAR officials quickly determined no fault in the incident.
During the latest episode of the “Hauler Talk” podcast, senior director of racing communications Amanda Ellis said the wreck was reviewed immediately at NASCAR’s remote race control facility in Concord, North Carolina.
“Scott Miller pulled all the data from that incident, and we knew pretty quickly that Austin was out of the throttle (before hitting Keselowski),” Ellis said. “They obviously tangled on the track, and then the incident happened, right? But we were able to tell pretty quickly that it wasn’t a situation where Austin was in the gas or anything related to that.”
In his team’s radio communication and interviews, Keselowski held Dillon responsible for the crash. Prime Video analyst Steve Letarte dissected the incident Monday in a NASCAR.com video and determined Dillon was at 100% throttle at the exit of Turn 4 and dropped to 17% throttle at the time of impact on the front straightaway.
“Those two (drivers) clearly kind of had some differences of opinion throughout the race,” Ellis said. “And so that one is really more of just a racing incident, and that’s really how NASCAR viewed it on Sunday night.”
The crash was one of 11 cautions, including four for drivers with brake issues.
NASCAR vice president of racing communications Mike Forde said the problems likely were the result of setups that weren’t optimized for a 2026 rules package with an increase to 750 horsepower and lower downforce. The higher corner entry speeds necessitated heavier braking.
“Depending on what kind of brake package you use and setup that you chose, which is a team’s choice, that’s what we believe led to a lot of the problems,” Forde said. “I think it’s going to be pretty easily fixable. We saw 30-some cars that didn’t have any problems. We did see the four, but we want to see zero. So I think there will be some learnings from the entire garage, but I think, suffice to say, we looked at it, and if this was back at the 670 (horsepower) package last year, we probably wouldn’t have seen the problems.
“It’s kind of the teams have to work through it, and I don’t think anyone’s calling for any change in that regard.”
Other topics covered by Forde and Ellis during the 56th episode of “Hauler Talk,” which explores competition issues in NASCAR:
— The decision to hold the yellow flag for a Kyle Larson spin near the end of the race at Nashville.
— The process and rules that govern how a polesitter starts a race.
— The verdict in Ryan Preece’s appeal hearing.
— Why flashing lights are used to help drivers determine when the pits are closed.
Click on the embed below to listen or search for “Hauler Talk” wherever you download podcasts to hear it on your phone, tablet or mobile device.
Nate Ryan has written about NASCAR since 1996 while working at the San Bernardino Sun, Richmond Times-Dispatch, USA Today Co. and, for the past 10 years, at NBC Sports Digital. He is a contributor to the “Hauler Talk” show on the NASCAR Podcast Network. He has also covered various other motorsports, including the IndyCar and IMSA series.
Goodyear Racing will use a new right-side tire setup for the NASCAR Cup Series this weekend as teams prepare for Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 (3 p.m. ET, Prime Video, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
With the smooth and high-speed surface of the 2-mile oval in the Irish Hills, Goodyear had the challenge of providing a tire that could handle the stress going into the corners of the track. The left-side tire is the same setup used on multiple ovals this year, including Nashville last weekend.
“This weekend’s Goodyear Racing Eagle tire setup builds on the intermediate track package teams have already raced multiple times this season,” said Justin Fantozzi, Goodyear Director of Racing for the Americas. “Michigan is one of the fastest tracks on the NASCAR schedule, featuring a smooth surface and multiple racing grooves that allow drivers to run different lines. The high speeds place significant stress on the right-side tires, so we have brought a new right-side tire designed to withstand those loads while also increasing strategy options for teams.”
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series teams will run a familiar setup this weekend, using the same setup from Texas Motor Speedway and the same left-side tire run the last two weekends at Nashville and Charlotte.
Meeting the standard for 1-mile tracks or longer, the 15-inch Goodyear tires will also feature inner liners.
Tire allotments for each team competing this weekend:
Cup Series: 8 total sets — 6 new sets for the race, 1 for qualifying, which transfers to the race, and 1 for practice.
Craftsman Truck Series: 5 total sets — 3 new sets for the race, 1 for qualifying, which transfers to the race, and 1 for practice.
NASCAR.com’s Pat DeCola ranks the top 20 Cup Series drivers competing for the 2026 championship after Denny Hamlin’s win at Nashville Superspeedway and before Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway (3 p.m. ET, Prime Video, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Hamlin enters as the defending winner.
Analysis: Another week, another reminder that Reddick remains the sport’s measuring stick in 2026, though his boss is now awfully close to taking that distinction. The 23XI Racing driver led the opening 37 laps at Nashville, spent much of the night near the front and came home sixth despite getting swept into the post-checkered-flag melee that erupted behind the battle for the win. Michigan has also been one of his strongest tracks recently, highlighted by a 2024 victory there, and the target remains squarely on the No. 45 team entering Sunday.
Analysis: Hamlin’s Nashville victory may have been one of the most impressive wins of his career, and that’s saying something. After starting from the pole, Hamlin was penalized literally immediately for jumping the start, dropped to the rear of the field, then methodically drove back through the pack before winning a thriller of a three-wide battle on the final lap — against his teammates. Still sitting second in points but not quite within striking distance, Hamlin heads to Michigan as the defending winner of this race and one of the hottest drivers in the garage. If he goes back-to-back, we may see a new No. 1 for the first time this season.
Analysis: Blaney’s eighth-place finish was solid, but it doesn’t fully reflect how competitive he was at Nashville. The Team Penske driver led 46 laps, claimed Stage 1 points and spent much of the night inside the top five before late-race strategy shuffled the running order. No. 12 remains one of the most dangerous drivers on intermediate and larger tracks (all tracks, really), and Michigan has historically suited him well. The 2021 winner at the 2-mile oval enters the weekend third in points with nine top-10 finishes already this season. A second victory of 2026 is certainly less a question of if and more like when.
Analysis: Elliott gains a spot after another quietly effective performance, rallying from 29th on the grid to finish seventh at Nashville after spending time running inside the top five late before getting caught in the violent crash that unfolded after the checkered flag. Michigan has traditionally been one of his steadier tracks as well, giving the No. 9 team another opportunity to continue building momentum and perhaps collect its first Cup Series victory in the Irish Hills.
Analysis: Gibbs slips a position, though the drop says more about Elliott’s rise than anything lacking from the No. 54 team. Gibbs finished 13th at Nashville after spending portions of the race among the frontrunners and remains fifth in the standings with nine top-10 finishes. Michigan has been one of his better Cup tracks to date, finishing third there each of the past two seasons while never finishing worse than 11th across four races. The speed remains present almost every week; the next step is turning more of those strong runs into trophies.
Analysis: Few drivers left Nashville more frustrated than Bell, and for good reason. Few drivers left looking stronger, either, which bodes well as he continues to mount a second-half charge. Bell finished second for the second consecutive week and appeared poised to claim 2026 win No. 1 before Hamlin stole the victory on the final lap. The No. 20 team has become one of the fastest groups in the series again, as Bell led laps, posted the race’s fastest lap early and recovered from an earlier pit-road setback that dropped him deep in the field. With back-to-back runner-ups and renewed speed on intermediate tracks, Bell feels like a legitimate threat to win any Sunday right now.
Analysis: Larson’s final result — 23rd — was ugly, but his race was anything but. The reigning champ led 56 laps at Nashville, spent much of the event battling Bell, Briscoe and Reddick at the front and looked capable of winning before a late tire issue derailed the evening. That outcome drops Larson one spot, but the underlying performance remains elite. He still ranks among the series leaders in laps led and fastest laps while continuing to unload with race-winning speed nearly every weekend. Michigan has long been his playground and it would be beyond fitting to see his winless streak snap at the track where he once won three straight races at.
Analysis: Hocevar continues climbing. The Talladega winner finished 10th at Nashville despite scraping the wall late and navigating another chaotic race filled with incidents, cautions and strategy swings. Now ninth in points, the Michigan native returns home this weekend riding the strongest stretch of his young Cup career. His racecraft continues improving, his raw speed has never been in question and the No. 77 team keeps putting itself in position, all setting up for a potential breakthrough moment at Michigan that would surprise far fewer people than it would have a month ago.
Analysis: Buescher’s Nashville result ended with another mechanical failure, but it doesn’t erase the speed he’s showing during what has become one of the most challenging stretches of his season so far. Before the issue, Buescher remained in the mix and once again showed top-10 pace. Few drivers arrive at Michigan with a stronger recent résumé. Buescher won there in 2023 and followed it with a P6 in 2024 and a runner-up finish last season. RFK Racing has consistently excelled at the 2-mile track, making this an ideal opportunity for the No. 17 team to immediately rebound.
Analysis: Suárez continues to maximize opportunities, even if he was held out of the top 10 a week after winning the Coca-Cola 600. After winning Stage 2 through clever strategy at Nashville, he ultimately finished 19th but still gained ground relative to several drivers around him in the standings battle. The consistency remains a bit uneven week to week, but the Spire Motorsports driver has repeatedly shown an ability to capitalize when strategy creates openings, and that quality has become one of the defining characteristics of his season. And will likely lead to another trophy or two.
Analysis: Byron’s Nashville race unraveled late after contact and damage left him with a 30th-place finish, continuing a frustrating stretch for the No. 24 team after opening the season as one of the championship favorites — and atop these rankings. A Chase appearance is almost definitely in his future, but title aspirations could fade over the coming months if No. 24 doesn’t get back to his winning ways, and soon. The encouraging news is that the speed hasn’t disappeared; it just hasn’t shown up as heavily in the laps-led column. That could change Sunday, as Michigan provided a race-high 98 laps led and a dominant performance for much of last year’s race before the finish got away, so another strong rebound opportunity awaits, and perhaps a lot more.
Analysis: Van Gisbergen earns another move upward after producing the best oval performance of his Cup career to date, and you get the sense more are coming. SVG finished fifth at Nashville, led 12 laps and spent most of the evening racing inside the top 10 against the series’ established stars, continuing to turn doubters into believers and changing the conversation around the Trackhouse Racing driver. A top-20 finish at Michigan suggests it isn’t likely to implode this weekend either.
Analysis: Briscoe’s third-place finish was one of the drives of the night, even if it stung like hell for him personally. Starting 31st, No. 19 methodically worked through the field, leading laps and nearly stealing the win from his teammate(s) in the closing corners. The result was also his first Nashville finish better than 17th, and another sign that the No. 19 team is trending upward with championship aspirations. Briscoe has quietly assembled six top-10 finishes this season — five of which were top fives — and enters Michigan carrying some of the best momentum he has had all year.
Analysis: Keselowski falls two spots after a difficult Nashville outing that ended with a 34th-place finish; a disappointing result for a driver who entered the race on one of the stronger consistency runs of his season. Fortunately for the 2012 champ, the schedule now shifts to one of his best venues, even if he’s yet to win there. The Michigan native has extensive success at the 2-mile oval and RFK Racing continues to show strength there. If there is a week for a bounce-back performance, this is it.
Analysis: Wallace’s Nashville race ended in frustration after getting swept into a multicar crash that also damaged Byron and his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman. The final result failed to reflect the speed Wallace showed earlier in the event, but extends a slide off his early-season showings. Michigan has historically rewarded Wallace’s strengths, however, and the bleeding could stop here, as the No. 23 team remains capable of producing race-winning runs when execution matches pace.
Analysis: Logano gains a spot after a relatively quiet 14th-place finish at Nashville, which solidified his standing a bit. While the three-time champion has yet to find the consistency expected from a Penske powerhouse — not to mention hitting his own standard — signs of improvement have emerged over the past month. Michigan has been one of Logano’s better tracks throughout his career, including a victory there in 2019. The standings deficit remains significant, but the No. 22 team continues inching closer to Chase contention, but how much further from there looks murky.
Analysis: Cindric’s Nashville night produced a fourth-place finish in Stage 2 … and a 26th-place result at the checkered flag, though the raw finishing position undersells the competitiveness shown by No. 2 throughout the race. The good news is he remains on the good side of The Chase bubble, albeit barely. He could see a third straight finish outside the top 25 this weekend, however, as he’s yet to land a top 10 at Michigan with a 27.0 average finish across four starts.
Analysis: Preece slips two spots after radiator issues sent him behind the wall at Nashville, marking a frustrating setback for a driver who had steadily climbed toward Chase contention over recent weeks but is starting to slip. The margin remains razor-thin, with Preece currently sitting just outside the provisional 16-driver field and cannot afford many more lost opportunities. The encouraging part is that the speed shown by the No. 60 team remains significantly better than where it sat at this point a year ago, and he’s averaged a top 10 the last two times out at Michigan.
Analysis: Smith holds steady after delivering one of the strongest performances of his Cup career, as it’s becoming clear Nashville will be a track he can capitalize at. No. 38 led late, appeared capable of pulling off a major upset and ultimately finished ninth after a caution erased his fuel-strategy advantage. The Front Row Motorsports driver continues building confidence each week, and while the breakthrough victory did not materialize, Nashville offered another reminder that Smith is becoming a legitimate factor rather than simply a promising prospect. After a P7 run at Michigan last year, he’ll once again be worth watching this weekend.
Analysis: McDowell closes out the rankings after another gritty effort at Nashville keeps him afloat. The Spire Motorsports veteran spent significant portions of the race inside the top 10, briefly challenged near the front, and brought home a respectable 15th-place finish as he continues to eye a return to the postseason after tastes in 2021 and 2023. No.71’s steadiness keeps the McDowell and Co. firmly in the conversation entering Michigan — where he’s never finished in the top 10 in 19 attempts.
LEBANON, Tenn. — Nashville Superspeedway delivered drama, action and intensity from start to finish Sunday night.
For viewers, the Music City mayhem capped a thrilling weekend in the Volunteer State. For most drivers other than Denny Hamlin, the chaos left their stomachs in knots.
Sunday’s Cracker Barrel 400 marked the NASCAR Cup Series’ official start to the second half of the regular season and another grueling test on both man and machine in the Tennessee heat with a new racing package, featuring lower downforce and 750 horsepower under the hood.
That added speed and reduced aerodynamic stability appeared to lead to extra wear on the brakes, resulting in numerous failures in brake rotors Sunday, including Trackhouse Racing teammates Connor Zilisch and Ross Chastain as well as then-leader AJ Allmendinger, who surged through strategy to score a Stage 1 victory.
But brakes weren’t the only source of misfortune. Mistimed contact led to multiple incidents, many collecting those around the 16th-place bubble in the Cup Series points standings where the cutoff will be determined for The Chase at the end of August. In total, 24 of Sunday’s 38 cars were involved in an accident, according to Racing Insights. That list includes Chastain, Austin Cindric and Bubba Wallace.
Chastain, runner-up in the 2022 season standings, has fallen to 26th in points after his second consecutive DNF left him 37th at Nashville and sits 67 points behind Cindric for the provisional 16th and final spot in the 10-race postseason run. Cindric was collected in a Lap 193 crash off Turn 4 when Brad Keselowski and Austin Dillon collided, sending Keselowski into a spin and into Cindric’s door. Keselowski, 13th in points, was unable to continue and finished 34th while Cindric trudged on to a 26th-place result. Ryan Preece, Keselowski’s RFK Racing teammate, wasn’t involved in an incident but fell outside The Chase after a radiator issue sent his No. 60 Ford to the garage early, resulting in a 36th-place finish.
Wallace, meanwhile, was involved in an incident not of his doing for the fourth consecutive week, including the exhibition All-Star Race at Dover on May 17. Wallace started the year strong and sat inside the top three in the points standings for five straight weeks. But in a dismal stretch since Darlington Raceway in late March, Wallace has finished 22nd or worse in six of the last nine races, including three straight after finishing 32nd at Nashville, and now sits 15th in points, just 34 points inside The Chase bubble.
“It’s been a long couple weeks,” a dejected Wallace said after being evaluated and released from the infield care center. “Just tired. But I become the [expletive] when I let this carry over in the Mondays and Tuesdays, so I’ve got to somehow put on a face.
“Just a weird race. A lot of cautions. I’m just beyond devastated.”
Ethan Smith | For NASCAR Digital Media
That frustration was not reserved for the rear of the field. Third-place finisher Chase Briscoe was gutted by not winning Sunday’s race against Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell in search of his first win of 2026, particularly because he has his eyes set on a run to the top five in points despite sitting 14th in standings post-Nashville.
“I’ve never been so frustrated to not win a race before,” Briscoe said.
But as he inches up the standings leaderboard, Briscoe found slight solace on a night where he finished where he was running, as opposed to Charlotte one week earlier where he crashed out after a top-five day was rounding into form.
“I mean, I’m frustrated and annoyed right now, just because I felt like I certainly had a car that could have won the race, and then ended up third with it,” Briscoe said. “But to have a fast car, right? There’s been a lot of points this year where we’ve had cars that were capable of running up front and we haven’t been able to have the finish, so yeah, it’s nice to get the finish tonight.”
Briscoe said fifth place in points is the goal for the No. 19 team after a poor start to the season left him outside the top 20 for the first seven weeks of 2026. After Sunday, he trails Kyle Larson by 66 markers for sixth place and is 106 points behind teammate Ty Gibbs for fifth.
“We’re slowly chipping away at it,” Briscoe said. “Just really want to win.”
Hendrick Motorsports, another perennial contender, has been to Victory Lane twice this season with Chase Elliott, who sits fourth in points after a seventh-place finish at Nashville. But its other three drivers — Larson, William Byron and Alex Bowman — are still seeking that first breakthrough of the year after uncharacteristic misfortune or mistakes.
Team president Jeff Andrews has no doubt the No. 24 team will sort its way up the pylon as Byron is 11th in points and Bowman in the No. 48 plays catch-up from a four-race absence for vertigo earlier this season. But this is the time of year where any weaknesses must be addressed.
“Between now and September, you want to start seeing some consistency, and that builds confidence,” Andrews told NASCAR.com. “The 24 has just had some terrible luck here. We’ve just got to get that turned around, and it will. That’s too good of a race team not to get that turned around. And the 5 (Larson), I mean, ran over a brake rotor tonight, running fifth. Not much we can do about that. That’s not in our hands. So we’ve just got to go back and pump each other up and take the positives from the night and carry that on into September, and we will.
“We’ve got Michigan and Pocono coming up, and should be two good tracks for us. Just go race there, take it one week at a time. And as long as the momentum is going forward, and as long as the gains are going in the forward direction, by the time we get to September, I feel like we’ll be right in the middle of it.”
The combination of the 1.33-mile Nashville Superspeedway and a new aero package proved tricky for NASCAR Cup Series drivers Sunday night in Music City.
While Denny Hamlin bounced back from a start violation at the beginning of the Cracker Barrel 400 and survived the chaos around him to win at the Tennessee track, a few of his competitors also found some good fortune in the Volunteer State.
In contrast, others need a lucky break as the second half of the regular season kicks into gear, with the Cup Series heading to Michigan International Speedway on Sunday to compete in the FireKeepers Casino 400 (3 p.m. ET, Prime Video, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
1. Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Started: 4th
Finished: 2nd
What happened: For the second straight week, Bell was the bridesmaid after coming up short of his first Cup Series victory of the 2026 season. Coming to the white flag, the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota pilot was the race leader. Then, he engaged in a three-wide battle with teammates Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe entering Turns 1 and 2. On the exit of Turn 2, Hamlin slid up in front of Bell and held off the No. 20 Toyota for the win.
What’s next: Although Bell might feel disappointment in back-to-back runner-up finishes in the Cup Series, there is good reason for the No. 20 team to believe that momentum is finally on their side. Before a pair of second-place finishes the last couple of weeks at Charlotte and Nashville, Bell was riding a streak of finishing 17th or worse in five straight races. However, looking at Bell’s history at Michigan, it might be a challenging day in the Irish Hills for the Norman, Oklahoma, native. In seven career Cup Series starts, Bell has never finished in the top 10 at Michigan, with a best finish of 13th in three of those starts.
Ethan Smith | For NASCAR Digital Media
2. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet
Started: 15th
Finished: 4th
What happened: Toward the end of the Cracker Barrel 400, crew chief Mike Kelley made the call to bring Stenhouse’s No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet down pit road for a set of fresh Goodyear tires. Then, on the final restart, Stenhouse made good use of the new rubber by sailing into the top five as the checkered flag waved Sunday night.
What’s next: Despite picking up his best finish of the 2026 season at a non-drafting style track in Music City, it might be tougher to replicate that result at Michigan. In his last 12 Michigan starts, the 38-year-old driver has not finished higher than 12th. Stenhouse has only one career top-10 finish in the Irish Hills, and that was nearly a decade ago (June 2017).
Ethan Smith | For NASCAR Digital Media
3. Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford
Started: 11th
Finished: 9th
What happened: Ryan Bergenty, Smith’s crew chief, tried an alternate strategy by attempting to stretch the No. 38 Ford’s fuel until the end. Unfortunately, drivers with fresher tires caught up to Smith before a late-race yellow. Although he was no longer in contention for the win, the caution allowed Smith to come down pit road for a fresh set of Goodyear tires for the final restart that ultimately resulted in a ninth-place finish.
What’s next: After moving into the top 20 in the Cup Series standings, Smith could continue the upward trajectory at Michigan. The No. 38 driver has only two career Michigan starts at the premier level, with both visits resulting in seventh-place finishes. With five top 10s this year and three top 10s in the last five Cup races, Smith might keep the good times rolling.
Ethan Smith | For NASCAR Digital Media
THREE DOWN ⬇️
1. William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Started: 8th
Finished: 30th
What happened: Byron was a victim of a Lap 205 incident when Carson Hocevar and Chris Buescher made contact, sending the No. 17 RFK Racing Ford up the track in Turns 1 and 2 into Bubba Wallace, with Byron having nowhere to go as he ran into the back of the No. 23 Toyota. This damage affected the rest of Byron’s night as he limped his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to a 30th-place finish.
What’s next: In the last five Michigan races, Byron has taken the runner-up position twice. This could be a place for the No. 24 team to start building momentum after finishing 30th or worse in four of the last seven Cup Series races.
Ethan Smith | For NASCAR Digital Media
2. Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford
Started: 28th
Finished: 36th
What happened: Preece entered the night in Music City with the last spot in the provisional Chase standings and left the 1.33-mile Tennessee track one spot out, 17th in the standings and two points below the cutline. The No. 60 RFK Racing driver had a piece from a brake rotor puncture his radiator, forcing a DNF after 90 laps.
What’s next: Michigan comes at the right time for Preece, who has two top 10s at the 2-mile oval and has finished 11th or better in his last two trips to the Irish Hills. RFK traditionally runs well at Michigan, and given the extra motivation to perform in Ford’s backyard, Preece could slide his way back into the top 16 in points.
Ethan Smith | For NASCAR Digital Media
3. Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Started: 35th
Finished: 37th
What happened: For the second consecutive week, Chastain picked up a DNF and continued his downward slide in the Cup Series standings. At Charlotte, Chastain’s race came to an end after contact with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. sent his No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet spinning into the inside wall on the backstretch. One week later at Nashville, a brake rotor failure on Chastain’s car sent him hard into the Turn 1 wall at the 1.33-mile concrete track.
What’s next: If Chastain wants to turn his luck around, it may or may not come at Michigan. In his last four Michigan starts with Trackhouse, Chastain has two top 10s and two finishes of 24th or worse. In the last six Cup Series races, Chastain has finished 26th or worse five times. The Trackhouse driver really needs to be on the right side of the equation in the Irish Hills if he wants to get himself in a better position to contend for a spot in The Chase later in the summer.
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series treks from Nashville Superspeedway to Michigan International Speedway for a race at the 2-mile track on Saturday (1:30 p.m. ET, FS1, NASCAR Racing Network Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
The race is the 12th points-paying event of the 2026 season. Stewart Friesen is the defending winner.
Garrett Mitchell, also known by Cleetus McFarland, will race in his second Truck Series event of the season, piloting the No. 4 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet. Spencer Davis will return to the Truck Series fold for the first time since 2023, with the Georgia native piloting the No. 5 Tricon Garage Toyota. Four NASCAR Cup Series regulars — Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ross Chastain, Christopher Bell and Carson Hocevar — will race in the event.
Thirty-six trucks are entered into this weekend’s event.
The NASCAR Cup Series travels from outside the confines of Music City to the Motor City, with Michigan International Speedway the next track on tap for Sunday (3 p.m. ET, Prime Video, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
J.J. Yeley will drive the No. 44 NY Racing Team Chevrolet this weekend. The event will be the 49-year-old’s second this season and first since EchoPark Speedway in February.
Thirty-seven cars are entered into this weekend’s event.
LEBANON, Tenn. – Recently dubbed the road-course king, Shane van Gisbergen had his crowning achievement thus far on ovals Sunday night at Nashville Superspeedway.
Once again, it was the sophomore driver that led the way for Trackhouse Racing, spending much of the Cracker Barrel 400 inside the top 10. Van Gisbergen even traded the lead back and forth with two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Larson before rallying to fifth at the checkered flag – scoring his first top five on an oval in his 64th NASCAR Cup Series start.
“It’s amazing, you start up front and your car feels so nice and then you go to the back on strategy and it felt like a bucket of [expletive],” van Gisbergen said, celebrating his accomplishment but also noting a critical track-position deficit in the middle of the event. “It was good getting strategy back and we got to the front again. It’s so good racing up front, you get better and better. I enjoyed myself tonight.”
With qualifying canceled by Saturday rain, having a solid outing in the Coca-Cola 600 helped van Gisbergen from the drop of the green flag. The No. 97 Chevrolet took the initial green flag in 10th position and hung around the back half of the top 10 for the opening stint. Crew chief Stephen Doran went off strategy and took two Goodyear tires during a Lap 35 competition caution, getting SVG ahead of the field for the restart.
Van Gisbergen led 12 of the next 16 laps, with Joey Logano getting the jump on the restart, only to get passed by the No. 97 car. Larson charged as the first driver on four fresh tires but tussled in taking the lead from van Gisbergen. He bobbled from the top spot on Lap 53, allowing the No. 5 Chevrolet to take control of the race.
“It was fun and I was surprised how much grip we had on the two tires,” van Gisbergen said of the battle. “It was cool to try to put myself in a good spot and [put] air on him in a bad spot. It was cool to battle. I took back the lead at one point; it was really fun.”
Entering the weekend, van Gisbergen wasn’t confident in Nashville, noting that concrete surfaces hadn’t been his strong suit. But he remained poised throughout the race and continued his progression on ovals.
“Something we saw last week, just progress, getting so much better at knowing where to place the car and restarts,” Doran told NASCAR.com. “Just getting better at all the stuff we talked about makes for fun nights.”
Between NASCAR’s annual marathon at Charlotte Motor Speedway and another endurance race where fellow Trackhouse drivers Ross Chastain and Connor Zilisch both had brake-rotor failure in the opening 81 circuits, van Gisbergen carried on with a slight concern that he might be next.
The No. 97 bunch assured him that their setup was different, allowing him to focus on hanging around the top 10.
“This is what we need to do with all the ovals,” Doran added. “Top 10s are now the benchmark for us to be satisfied with. I think we can do it the next two, and then we’ve got two road courses after that.”
With multiple bubble drivers having issues at Nashville, van Gisbergen’s clean showing banked 32 points and netted two positions in the regular-season championship standings. He sits 12th, 44 points above The Chase cutline with 12 races remaining.
With the No. 97 team’s recent performance, van Gisbergen says he believes they have turned the corner. Dating back to van Gisbergen’s beatdown at Watkins Glen International, he ranks second in the series with a 5.67 average finish across the last three races. Only five-time 2026 winner Tyler Reddick is better at 5.0 during that span.
“We had a bad couple of months and a few weeks ago, it feels like it’s turned around,” van Gisbergen said. “It’s a real momentum-based sport and confidence-based as well. We just need to keep that and lift our teammates up with us. If we’re all running good, it will really help the team.”
Almost 35 years have passed since the roar of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour has been heard in Oxford, Maine. That changes Saturday night when the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour takes center stage for the running of the All States Materials Group 150 at Oxford Plains Speedway (6:15 p.m. ET on FloRacing).
The track, which opened for business in May of 1950, previously hosted NASCAR’s oldest division five times during the series’ inaugural season in 1985. That event was won by Richie Evans, his final Modified Tour triumph prior to his passing a few weeks later.
The series raced at Oxford Plains from 1985-88 and again in 1991, with Jimmy Spencer, Mike McLaughlin and Jeff Fuller collecting wins. The NASCAR Cup Series also hosted events at Oxford Plains Speedway in the 1960s, with Bobby Allison and Richard Petty collecting wins in the three events there.
Tickets to the All States Materials Group 150 will be available trackside. Below is everything you need to know about the sixth event of the 2026 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season.
It’s been nearly 35 years since the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour last raced at Oxford Plains Speedway, but the track continues to thrive today. (Photo Courtesy: Tom Morris)
All States Materials Group 150 at Oxford Plains Speedway
Mother Nature can try, but she’s not going to keep the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour away from Oxford Plains Speedway.
After a poor weather forecast forced NASCAR and track officials to postpone the All States Materials Group 150 last month, the series is set to return to the historic Maine race track this Saturday night at 6:15 p.m. ET on FloRacing.
Stephen Kopcik enters the event as the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour points leader following an up-and-down day last Saturday night at Riverhead Raceway. Kopcik was involved in two different incidents, but persevered to finish ninth. He now holds a 10-point advantage in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour standings ahead of Saturday’s return to Oxford Plains Speedway.
Austin Beers enters Saturday’s race second in the standings as he continues to ride his incredible top-10 streak, which he extended to 35 consecutive races following a seventh-place result at Riverhead. He’s still looking for his first win of the season, which would go a long way in helping him cut into Kopcik’s championship advantage.
A strong field of contenders will look to stop Kopcik and Beers from padding their advantage in the series standings. Among them are Matt Hirschman, who is one of the few drivers in the field with ample experience and at least one previous victory at Oxford Plains Speedway. Another likely contender is Jon McKennedy, who has won at Oxford Plains Speedway in Supermodified competition and already has a win this year with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour at Seekonk Speedway.
Patrick Emerling, who has finished in the top 10 in four of the first five races this year, will try to break into the win column Saturday night aboard the USNE Motorsports No. 1. Tommy Catalano, fresh off his second top five of the year at Riverhead, could also be a threat at Oxford Plains.
Other notable entries include Mike Christopher Jr., Tyler Rypkema, Anthony Nocella, Ronnie Williams and Trevor Catalano, among others.
The full entry list for Saturday’s All States Materials Group 150 is available here.
While Modifieds have raced at Oxford Plains Speedway several times over the years, its been nearly 35 years since the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour has raced at the track. (Photo Courtesy: Tom Morris)
SCHEDULE: Saturday, June 6: Practice from 1:45 – 2:30 p.m. ET … Final practice from 2:40 to 3:10 p.m. ET … American Racer Pole Award qualifying at 4:20 p.m. ET … Start of the All States Materials Group 150 at 6:15 p.m. ET (150 Laps / 56.25 Miles)
QUALIFYING: Two consecutive qualifying laps. Faster lap determines qualifying position. Adjustments or repairs may not be made on the vehicle after the vehicle has taken the green flag at the start/finish line. NASCAR reserves the right to have more than one vehicle engage in qualifying runs at the same time. Starting field for the Oxford Plains 150 is limited to 28 starters including Provisional Positions.
TIRE ALLOTMENT: The maximum tire allotment available for this event is eleven (11) tires per team. All tires used for qualifying and the race must be purchased at the track and scanned by NASCAR Officials, unless otherwise approved in advance by the Series Director. Four (4) tires must be used for qualifying and to begin the race. All qualifying tires must remain in impound until released by NASCAR Officials. The remaining tire allotment may be used for practice and/or change tires during the event. A maximum of three (3) tires of the allotment may be used as change tires. The tire change rule is two (2) tires per stop. This includes “swapping” tires front to back.
