Denny Hamlin Overcomes Adversity to Win in Nashville: Call it victorious whiplash. Race polesitter Denny Hamlin took the lead at the drop of the green flag – was penalized and re-set to last in the 38-car field for jumping that start – then rallied his way forward again in the ensuing 300 laps to be in front for the checkered flag of Sunday night’s NASCAR Cup Series Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway.[Read More]
#11-Denny Hamlin won the Cracker Barrel 400 NASCAR Cup Series race at Nashville Superspeedway. The win is his second win of the year, first at Nashville and 62nd career win.
#20-Christopher Bell finished 2nd followed by #19-Chase Briscoe, #47-Ricky Stenhouse Jr, #97-Shane van Gisbergen, #45-Tyler Reddick, #9-Chase Elliott, #12-Ryan Blaney, #38-Zane Smith, and #77-Carson Hocevar.
Hamlin started from the pole after qualifying was rained out Saturday. He was penalized for jumping the start of the race and sent to the back of the field on lap two. He battled his way back through the field as the race went on. Bell took the lead with 12 lap remaining and held it until the final lap when Hamlin make the pass on the backstretch.
The race started about 75 minutes later than scheduled due to rain at the track just before the start.
Stage 1 was won by #16-A.J. Allmendinger. Stage 2 was won by #7-Daniel Suarez.
The fastest lap bonus a earned by #11-Denny Hamlin.
There were 31 lead changes among 15 drivers and 11 cautions for 77 yellow flag laps.
The average speed of the race was: 106.424mph.
See race details at: Race Results, Driver Points Standings, Owner Points Standings, Cumulative Report, Infraction Report.
Race Fast Facts – Nashville:
Denny Hamlin won the Cracker Barrel 400, his 62nd victory in 735 Cup Series races.
This is his second victory and ninth top-10 finish in 2026.
This is his first victory and fourth top-10 finish in six races at Nashville Superspeedway.
Christopher Bell (second) posted his fifth top-10 finish in six races at Nashville Superspeedway. It is his sixth top-10 finish in 2026.
Chase Briscoe (third) posted his first top-10 finish in six races at Nashville Superspeedway.
Connor Zilisch (38th) was the highest finishing rookie.
Tyler Reddick leads the point standings by 97 points over Denny Hamlin.
Driver Points /Chase Standings after Nashville:
Race 14 of 26 in the regular season:
1) #45-Tyler Reddick, 657, +353
2) #11-Denny Hamlin, 560, +256
3) #12-Ryan Blaney, 483, +179
4) #9-Chase Elliott, 460, +156
5) #54-Ty Gibbs, 449, +145
6) #5-Kyle Larson, 409, +105
7) #20-Christopher Bell, 399, +95
8) #17-Chris Buescher, 393, +89
9) #77-Carson Hocevar, 383, +79
10) #7-Daniel Suarez, 378, +74
11) #24-William Byron, 352, +48
12) #97-Shane Van Gisbergen, 348, +44
13) #6-Brad Keselowski, 347, +43
14) #19-Chase Briscoe, 343, +39
15) #23-Bubba Wallace, 338, +34
16) #2-Austin Cindric, 306, +2
Outside the top 16:
17) #60-Ryan Preece, 304, -2
18) #22-Joey Logano, 297, -9
19) #71-Michael McDowell, 275, -31
19) #38-Zane Smith, 272, -34
See the Driver Points Standings and Owner Points Standings.
Race updates:
Checkered flag for Denny Hamlin. He beats Bell by passing him on the backstretch. Big wreck at the checkered flag involving Reddick.
White flag for Bell. He leads Hamlin by .025 second.
Lap 299 – Two laps to go. Bell Hamlin Briscoe.
Lap 298 – Bell holds off a charge by Hamlin to maintain the lead.
Lap 297 – Green flag with four laps to go. Bell Briscoe Hamlin Elliott Larson SVG Gibbs Jones Smith Reddick the top 10.
Lap 293 – Many drivers stay out as pit road opens. Smith Reddick Blaney McDowell Hocevar Stenhouse TDillon pit.
Lap 290 – Under caution it’s Bell Smith Briscoe Hamlin and Elliott.
Lap 289 – Bell now the leader with 12 to go and the CAUTION is out for Buescher into the outside wall.
Lap 288 – Bell about to make the pass.
Lap 287 – Bell now just .8 second behind and will pass him in the next couple of laps.
Lap 284 – Smith leads. Bell 3.6 seconds back, Briscoe 4 seconds back, and Hamlin 6.8 seconds back.
Lap 282 – Herbst pits from second.
Lap 281 – Twenty to go. Smith over Herbst by 3.8 second. Bell now 5.7 seconds back. Briscoe, in fourth, is 6.8 seconds behind.
Lap 277 – Smith leads, Herbst 5 seconds back, then Bell up to third, 10.6 seconds and coming fast.
Lap 276 – Gilliland done for the night.
Lap 275 – Blaney pits after all. Smith now ahead of Herbst by 6.2 seconds. Bell now 13 seconds back, in fourth.
Lap 272 – Smith’s lead over Blaney is .5 second. Bell is 16 seconds back.
Lap 271 – Thirty laps to go. Jones pits and Smith takes the lead with Blaney Herbst Buescher Suarez Bell Briscoe Hamlin Nemechek and Elliott rounding out the top 10.
Lap 267 – Gibbs pits and Jones is the leader.
Lap 266 – Reddick pits. Gibbs takes the lead.
Lap 265 – Reddick Gibbs and Jones are the top 3. They have not pitted. Behind them are Smith and Blaney, who will try to stretch it to the end. Bell currently runs 12th.
Lap 262 – Reddick now out front as stops continue to cycle through.
Lap 260 – Now Bell pits from the lead. Elliott takes the lead.
Lap 259 – Briscoe now comes to pit road.
Lap 257 – Hamlin comes to pit road to start green flag stops.
Lap 251 – Fifty laps remaining. Bell leads Hamlin by 1 second. The leaders will need to pit once more before the end. Smith Blaney and Herbst are believe to be on a strategy to not stop again.
Lap 246 – Bell takes the lead. Hamlin Briscoe Elliott and Larson follow.
Lap 245 – Bell gets around Briscoe for second.
Lap 241 – Sixty laps remaining. Briscoe is closing on Hamlin, now just .15 second back. Bell just .4 second behind the lead.
Lap 232 – Hamlin leads Briscoe by .6 second. Third place Bell is 1 second back.
Lap 222 – Berry, Wallace, and Bowman done for the night.
Lap 221 – Green flag: Hamlin Briscoe Bell McDowell Elliott Larson Reddick Jones SVG Gibbs the top 10.
Lap 218 – Pit road is open and a few drivers are in. Blaney is off pit road first.
Lap 214 – CAUTION for Nemechek and Gilliland. Nemechek got loose and backed out of the gas, only to be hit by Hocevar. He then got into the nose of Berry. Gilliland got spun when the field stacked up.
Lap 212 – Green flag back out with Hamlin and Briscoe up front.
Lap 208 – Pit road is open Leaders stay out.
Lap 207 – Wallace, Bowman and Byron to the garage. Byron looks to be the only one that will make it back on track tonight.
Lap 204 – CAUTION for an accident involving Wallace Byron and Bowman. Buescher got loose and slid into Wallace to start it.
Lap 203 – Keselowski and Allmendinger done for the night.
Lap 202 – Back to green. Hamlin Briscoe McDowell Bell Elliott Reddick SVG Larson Blaney Buescher the top 10.
Lap 201 – 200 laps complete in 2 hours and 34 minutes.
Lap 199 – Pit road is open. Only a handful of drivers come in. The leaders stay out.
Lap 194 – Keselowski to the garage for repairs.
Lap 193 – CAUTION for Keselowski and Cindric on the frontstretch. ADillon got into the back of Keselowski to start it.
Lap 192 – Green flag for the start of the final stage. Top 10: Hamlin McDowell Bell Briscoe SVG Elliott Reddick Blaney Larson Buescher.
Lap 188 – Pit road is open. Many stay out after pitting during during the last caution. Off pit road: Bowman Stenhouse Byron
Lap 186 – Stage 2 ends under caution: Suarez Bowman Stenhouse Cindric Hamlin McDowell Byron Bell Briscoe Keselowski the top 10.
Lap 183 – CAUTION for Gilliland Custer and Heim involved in an accident. No one with heavy damage. That will finish stage 2.
Lap 182 – Green flag with four laps remaining in stage 2.
Lap 180 – Suarez Bowman Stenhouse Cindric Keselowski and Byron are up front after not pitting.
Lap 178 – With the track clean, pit road is open. A mix of strategies, but most drivers come in. Off pit road: McDowell Briscoe Gilliland Hamlin Bell SVG Elliott Blaney. Everyone ahead of Elliott took two tires.
Lap 173 – CAUTION is out. Allmendinger into the wall in turn 1 after a brake rotor failure.
Lap 166 – Twenty laps left in stage 2. Blaney leads Elliott by 1.7 second. Third place Allmendinger is 5 seconds back.
Lap 157 – Blaney with a 1.1 second lead over Elliott. Suarez, in third, is 2.7 seconds back.
Lap 152 – Green flag. Blaney leads Elliott. 31 drivers on the lead lap.
Lap 151 – Race is halfway complete and official.
Lap 149 – Now Blaney Elliott McDowell Allmendinger Suarez Gilliland Hill and Custer out front. Briscoe will be the free pass. Everyone else a lap down will take the waveraround before the restart.
Lap 147 – Pit road is open and lead lap cars pit.
Lap 146 – CAUTION out for a spin by ADillon on the frontstretch after contact from Buescher. Blaney still the leader. Briscoe, in 9th, is the free pass. Everyone in front of him had not pitted.
Lap 140 – Briscoe pits and Blaney takes the lead.
Lap 129 – Reddick comes to pit road to kick off green flag stops.
Lap 137 – Preece is officially done for the night.
Lap 134 – Briscoe already out to a 2.2 second lead over Larson. Larson says he cooked the right rear tire.
Lap 127 – Briscoe out front as he battles Larson for the lead.
Lap 121 – Larson leads Briscoe Reddick Blaney Jones Heim Bell Hamlin Wallace and Bryon. Finchum has lost a lap again and is the only driver on track a lap down.
Lap 107 – Larson leads Briscoe by .5 second. Reddick is third. Hamlin has moved up to ninth.
Lap 101 – The first 100 laps of the race have been competed in 1 hour and 16 minutes.
Lap 101 – Chastain and Zilisch officially out.
Lap 99 – Green flag for the start of the second stage. Larson Blaney Reddick Wallace Byron Briscoe Heim Jones Logano SVG the top 10.
Lap 94 – Pit road open again. Most drivers stay out. Off pit road: Allmendinger Elliott Herbst.
Lap 92 – Preece to the garage for repairs.
Lap 91 – CAUTION for the end of stage 1. Allmendinger wins it over Larson Blaney Elliott Reddick Wallace Byron Briscoe Herbst Heim.
Lap 90 – Green flag with one lap to go in stage 1. Blaney leads Allmendinger Herbst Larson and Elliott.
Lap 87 – Pit road is open. Leaders stay out. Hocevar and Preece the only cars to come down. Preece having trouble with water pressure. Will be a one lap shootout to the end of the stage.
Lap 84 – Could be a longer caution due to pieces of brake rotor scattered around the track and on pit road.
Lap 82 – Allmendinger the leader as he battles Blaney. CAUTION comes out. Chastain into the wall and McDowell spins. Possible brake rotor problem for Chastain. Blaney the leader at the time of caution. Finchun the free pass again to get back on the lead lap.
Lap 81 – Blaney to the lead.
Lap 80 – Back to green with 11 laps left in stage 1. Allmendinger Herbst Blaney Elliott Larson the top 5. Hamlin up to 24th.
Lap 77 – With the track now clean, pit road is open. Most leaders back in for service. Allmendinger Herbst stay out. Off pit road: Blaney Elliott Larson Suarez Wallace Hocevar and Reddick. Everyone ahead of Reddick got two tires. Bell with a slow stop because of trouble on the left rear.
Lap 73 – CAUTION is out. Zilisch into the wall in turn 1 after a broken brake rotor. Free pass is Finchum. He will still be a lap down.
Lap 71 – Twenty laps left in stage 1: Larson Bell SVG Reddick Byron the top 5. Finchum is the only driver off the lead lap, 2 laps down.
Lap 61 – Hamlin is still back in 28th place after his penalty at the start.
Lap 56 – Now Larson Bell Reddick SVG and Logano. SVG got loose an lost a few spots after losing the lead.
Lap 54 – Larson back around SVG for the lead.
Lap 51 – SVG back out front.
Lap 50 – Larson leads at the line as he battles SVG.
Lap 46 – Larson to second around Reddick. SVG with a .35 second lead.
Lap 44 – Reddick already up to second. SVG still leads.
Lap 42 – Back to green flag with SVG out front.
Lap 38 – Pit road is open. Leaders are in. Off pit road: SVG Logano Keselowski (those 3 with two tires) then Reddick Larson Bell Bowman Briscoe Byron Blaney
Lap 36 – Competition CAUTION is out. Ware will be the free pass.
Lap 29 – Ware and Finchum have both lost a lap.
Lap 21 – Reddick’s lead pretty steady at .8 second over Bell. Larson 2.9 seconds back. Competition caution coming in about 15 laps. All drivers still on the lead lap.
Lap 11 – Reddick leads Bell by .7 second. Third place Larson is 2.6 seconds back.
Lap 8 – Prime goes silent in honor of Kyle Busch.
Lap 3 – Hamlin comes to pit road for his penalty. Reddick now the leader over Suarez Bell Larson and Gibbs.
Lap 2- Hamlin leads the first lap, but NASCAR says he jumped the start and will have to serve a pass through penalty.
• 8:40pm/et – Green flag for the start of the race. Competition caution coming around lap 35.
• 8:32pm/et – NASCAR is finishing the drying of pit road and then will be ready to start.
• 8:25pm/et – Engines have been fired, 75 minutes later than originally scheduled.
• 8:20pm/et – Drivers are loading into the cars.
• 8:15pm/et – NASCAR says there will be a competition caution around lap 35.
• 8:10pm/et – Cars have been uncovered.
• 8:04pm/et – NASCAR will allow teams to start making adjustments to the cars at 8:10pm/et. They are tentatively planning an 8:25pm/et command to fire engines.
• 7:45pm/et – Track drying is fully underway.
• 7:35pm/et – Rain appears to be just about done. Then track drying should go relatively quickly (45-90 minutes).
• 7:25pm/et – The start of the race is still delayed. Track drying is underway.
• 7:17pm/et – Rain just picked back up.
• 7:11pm/et – NASCAR says they currently estimate the command to fire engines at 7:25pm/et.
• 7:06pm/et – NASCAR says to keep the drivers close to the cars. They don’t anticipate it to take long to dry the track. Rain remains light.
• 7:04pm/et – With the National Anthem complete, NASCAR will go into a holding pattern before proceeding.
• 7:02pm/et – Pre-race ceremonies are underway. Light rain continues.
• 6:45pm/et – Light rain has started at the track.
• 6:35pm/et – Teams are covering the cars in preparation for possible rain in the next 20-30 minutes.
• 6:25pm/et – The rain to the northwest continues to move toward the track. It’s not something that will last a long time but it would certainly soak the track if it doesn’t break up.
• 6:00pm/et – Prime is now on the air with pre-race coverage.
• 5:50pm/et – Some rain has popped up northwest and could get the track wet before the start of the race, but nothing yet.
• As of 4:00pm/et the weather is still looking good for tonight. Just a 20% chance of rain at 7:00pm/et and dropping beyond that.
• As of 11:30am/et no cars are reported to the rear for the start of tonight’s race.
• Today’s weather forecast from the National Weather Service is: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Increasing clouds, with a high near 83. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. Looking at the hourly forecast, at 7:00pm/et is just 15%.
Race details:
Broadcast: NASCAR on Prime, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 300 laps / 399 miles
Stages: 90 / 185 / 300
Average time of race: 3:23:10
Pit road speed: 45 mph
Caution car speed: 55 mph
Fuel Window: 80 laps
Timing (all times local & subject to change)
Invocation: 6:02:20 p.m.
National Anthem: 6:03:00 p.m.
Command: 6:10:00 p.m.
Green Flag: 6:20:00 p.m.
Paint Schemes
Cars to the rear: none
Pit Stall Selections: The selections of pit stalls for the Cracker Barrel 400 NASCAR Cup Series race at Nashville Superspeedway have been made.
Pole winner #11-Denny Hamlin chose pit stall 1.
Outside pole sitter #45-Tyler Reddick took the 23rd stall, with an opening in front of it.
See all pit choices on the Nashville Pit Stall page.
#11-Denny Hamlin will start from the Busch pole for the Cracker Barrel 400 NASCAR Cup Series race at Nashville Superspeedway after a heavy rain moved through the area and forced NASCAR to cancel the qualifying session, setting the field up per the rulebook.
#45-Tyler Reddick will start second followed by #7-Daniel Suarez, #20-Christopher Bell, #5-Kyle Larson, #54-Ty Gibbs, #12-Ryan Blaney, #24-William Byron, #22-Joey Logano, and #97-Shane Van Gisbergen.
See the complete Cracker Barrel 400 Starting Lineup.
Qualifying Order
Practice for the Cracker Barrel 400 NASCAR Cup Series race at Nashville Superspeedway is over. The results:
#20-Christopher Bell 160.660
#1-Ross Chastain 160.542
#11-Denny Hamlin 160.526
#54-Ty Gibbs 159.947
#45-Tyler Reddick 159.936
Slowest: #38-Chad Finchum 152.849
Most laps run: 54, #20-Bell
Best 10 consecutive lap avg (of 33 drivers): #54-Gibbs 159.526
Notes: Due to rain, NASCAR canceled qualifying and held a combined 45-minute practice session. Multiple teams reported corded tires throughout.
See the fastest speeds, best 10 consecutive lap average, laps run on the Cracker Barrel 400 Practice speeds page.
Crew Rosters
The entry list for the Cracker Barrel 400 NASCAR Cup Series race at Nashville Superspeedway is posted, 38 teams/drivers [for 40 spots] are listed.
Austin Hill is listed as the driver of the #33 for Richard Childress Racing.
Open teams entered: #66-Chad Finchum, #67-Corey Heim.
See the full entry list on the Cracker Barrel 400 Entry List page.
Goodyear Fast Facts — Nashville: The Goodyear Racing Eagle tire setup for this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Nashville Superspeedway features the same left- and right-side tire combinations used in last weekend’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Statistical Advance: Analyzing the Cracker Barrel 400: A look at some of the top statistical performers at Nashville Superspeedway just outside Nashville, Tennessee, going into the Cracker Barrel 400 on Sunday, May 31
Race rules and information:
