After soaking up the only off weekend of the season, the competitors in the NASCAR Cup Series prepare for one of the schedule’s most unique tracks in Nashville Superspeedway with this Sunday’s Ally 400 at 7 p.m. ET on NBC, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90). The D-shaped, concrete oval that stretches 1.33-miles, is the longest concrete surface track on the 2023 schedule and will have drivers and team dancing to find the perfect set-up in their cars for this weekend.
Construction of Nashville Superspeedway was completed in 2001 and the facility was originally owned by Dover Motorsports. The first NASCAR national series race held at Nashville Superspeedway was a NASCAR Xfinity Series event on April 14, 2001. The first Xfinity race at Nashville was won by Greg Biffle driving a Ford for RFK Racing. The first NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race at Nashville Superspeedway was on August 10, 2001 and was won by Scott Riggs driving a Dodge for truck owner Jim Smith. Nashville Superspeedway was purchased in 2021 and is currently owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports.
Nashville Superspeedway’s two NASCAR Cup Series events have produced two different race winners and two different pole winners. Stewart-Haas Racing’s Aric Almirola won the pole for the inaugural race in 2021 and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin won the pole for last season’s Nashville race. Almirola would go on to finish fourth in 2021 and Hamlin finished sixth last year.
In 2021, Nashville Superspeedway hosted the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at the 1.33-mile track, and the event was won by Hendrick Motorsport’s driver and 2021 series champion Kyle Larson. The California native took the win with a Margin of Victory of 4.335 seconds over Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain in second. The race produced 14 lead changes among seven different drivers. Larson led the most laps of the race, spending 264 of the scheduled 300 laps out front (88%).
Then last season, Larson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott took home the checkered flag at Nashville Superspeedway. The Dawsonville, Georgia native and 2020 series champion, held off 23XI Racing’s Kurt Busch by a scant .551-second to win. The 2022 Nashville Cup race saw 18 lead changes among seven different leaders. Polesitter Denny Hamlin led the most laps of the 2022 Nashville race with 114 circuits out front.
Crank-up the amplifiers and tune the guitars because NASCAR is rumbling into Tennessee’s Music City this weekend, and all the on-track Cup Series action begins with Practice at Nashville Superspeedway from 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday, June 23 on the USA Network. Then Busch Light Pole Qualifying is on Saturday, June 24 at 1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. ET also on the USA Network.
NASCAR Cup Series
Next Race: Ally 400
The Place: Nashville Superspeedway
The Date: Sunday, June 25
The Time: 7 p.m. ET
The Purse: $8,516,134
TV: NBC, 7 p.m. ET
Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 399 miles (300 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 90),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 185), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 300)
Hendrick Motorsports looks for their third straight trip to Victory Lane at Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee must be a special place for the folks that work at Hendrick Motorsports, because all they do is win when come to Nashville Superspeedway. In the first two NASCAR Cup Series races held at Nashville Superspeedway, Rick Hendrick’s organization and Chevrolet has sent to different drivers to Victory Lane (Kyle Larson, 2021 and Chase Elliott, 2022), and this weekend will look for their third consecutive victory at the famous concrete 1.33-mile track.
Kyle Larson kicked off the Hendrick Motorsport’s fun at Nashville by not only winning the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Nashville Superspeedway (2021), but he also celebrated winning the 2021 series championship in downtown Nashville as well.
Then last season, Chase Elliott followed up Larson’s victory with a win of his own at Nashville. Now the 27-year-old returns to the 1.33-mile track this weekend looking to go back-to-back and get his first win of the 2023 season. Defending a race win at a track is something Elliott has done twice among his 18 series career victories – at Watkins Glen International in 2018-2019 and Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course (2019-2020).
Race To The Playoffs: 10 races left in the regular season; Nashville up next
Coming from an off weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series teams are refreshed and focused on the different tasks each has in front of them with just 10 races left in the regular season. For the drivers and teams locked into the Playoffs already, these next 10 races are a great time to prepare for the postseason, pad Playoff points and set themselves up for the best possible position to finish the regular season. For the drivers and teams not locked into the Playoffs, these next 10 races are the final 10 chances they have to earn a spot in the coveted postseason. With 10 drivers in 2023 with wins, only six spot are still up for grabs in the 16-driver Playoff field as the series heads to Nashville Superspeedway this weekend for the Ally 400 (June 25 at 7 p.m. ET on NBC, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. catapulted himself to the top of the NASCAR Cup Series driver standings following his second win of the season at Sonoma two weeks ago. The 42-year-old from New Jersey, is racing with a vengeance this season for having gone winless last year after stringing together a streak of seven consecutive seasons with wins in the series (2016-2021). Truex is one of 10 drivers this season currently holding a spot in the Playoffs by virtue of their regular season wins, he is joined by William Byron, Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, Christopher Bell, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Tyler Reddick and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
The six drivers currently in Playoff transfer spot on points are Ross Chastain (+173 points up on postseason cutoff), Kevin Harvick (+172), Chris Buescher (+102), Brad Keselowski (+96), Bubba Wallace (+26) and Alex Bowman (+3).
Hendrick Motorsport’s Alex Bowman is currently in the most precarious position of the six drivers inside the Playoff cutoff heading into Nashville this weekend, because he is in the 16th and final transfer position on points. If a driver below him in the standings wins over the next 10 races, he could find himself bounced out of the Playoffs. Bowman currently has just a three-point advantage on Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suarez who is in 17th – the first spot outside the Playoffs’ cutoff. Suarez is one of five drivers currently below the Playoffs cutline that made the Playoffs last season, he is joined by Austin Cindric (-39 points from the cutoff), Chase Elliott (-84), Austin Dillon (-108) and Chase Briscoe (-148).
For many drivers, this part of the season can be a turning point in the direction their year will take. Kevin Harvick and Rodney Childers were one of those teams last season.
“The beginning of the year was rough – just a lot of concepts and things that didn’t really pay off or work out,” said Harvick of the 2022 season. “But when we went to Nashville, we had a practice session, we tried some things, and we ran really well in the race. That’s really when our season took a turn in the right direction, and we had a lot more confidence in the things that we were doing. So, as we went week-to-week, we kept getting a little bit better because our concepts and things were really in the direction that we needed to be headed.”
Of the drivers looking for their first NASCAR Cup Series win of the season, five have won previously at Nashville Superspeedway – Chase Elliott won last season’s Nashville Superspeedway Cup race, the four other drivers won in either the NASCAR Xfinity Series or the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series – Ryan Preece (2021, 2022 NCTS), Kevin Harvick (2006, 2010 NXS), Austin Dillon (2011 NCTS) and Brad Keselowski (2008, 2010 NXS).
Cup Playoff Outlook: Drivers Without Wins
| Rank | Drivers | Points | Starts | Wins | Stages | Playoff Pts | Points From Cutoff |
| 11 | Ross Chastain | 501 | 16 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 173 |
| 12 | Kevin Harvick | 500 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 172 |
| 13 | Chris Buescher | 430 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 102 |
| 14 | Brad Keselowski | 424 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 96 |
| 15 | Bubba Wallace | 354 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 |
| 16 | Alex Bowman | 331 | *13 | 0 | 0 | -5 | 3 |
| 17 | Daniel Suarez* | 328 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -3 |
| 18 | Ty Gibbs # | 320 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -11 |
| 19 | Michael McDowell | 317 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -14 |
| 20 | AJ Allmendinger | 298 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -33 |
| 21 | Austin Cindric* | 292 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -39 |
| 22 | Corey LaJoie | 291 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -40 |
| 23 | Justin Haley | 284 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -47 |
| 24 | Todd Gilliland | 279 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -52 |
| 25 | Ryan Preece | 269 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -62 |
| 26 | Aric Almirola | 260 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -71 |
| 27 | Chase Elliott* | 247 | *9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -84 |
| 28 | Austin Dillon* | 223 | 16 | 0 | 0 | -5 | -108 |
| 29 | Harrison Burton | 219 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -112 |
| 30 | Erik Jones | 190 | 16 | 0 | 0 | -5 | -141 |
| 31 | Chase Briscoe* | 183 | 16 | 0 | 0 | -25 | -148 |
| 32 | Ty Dillon | 146 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -185 |
| 33 | Noah Gragson | 143 | *15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -188 |
| Note: Must compete in every race of the season to be eligible for the Playoffs or be granted a waiver by NASCAR (*). | |||||||
Just outside the Playoffs cutoff (-3 points) is Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suarez, who made the postseason last year on his Sonoma win, still know there is time to earn a spot in Playoffs over these next 10 weeks.
“There are a lot of things still to happen,” said Suarez. “We have a lot of wildcard races coming up like the Chicago Street Circuit, road courses, things like that. I think we will be OK. We are getting better and better. Points wise we are about the same as we were last year, but speed wise we are probably a bit better. Our challenge has been execution this year. We have been fast at 90-percent of the tracks.”
In two starts at Nashville, Suarez has finished seventh (2021) and 15th (2022).
Summer Fun: Top performers in last 10 races of the regular season (2020-2022)
The Summer stretch of the NASCAR Cup Series regular season can be a grueling one, but some of the drivers really excel when it gets down to crunch time in the regular season. Below is a look at the top performers over the last three seasons in the last 10 races of each regular season (2020-2022).
2022
Winners: Chase Elliott (three), Kevin Harvick (two), Tyler Reddick (two), Austin Dillon, Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson (each had one).
Top Fives Leader: Chase Elliott (seven)
Top 10s Leader: Chase Elliott (seven)
Average Finishes (Top 3): Chase Elliott (7.2), Martin Truex Jr. (12.2), Austin Cindric (12.8)
Lap Leaders (Top 3): Martin Truex Jr. (284), Joey Logano (280), Chase Elliott (248)
2021
Winners: Kyle Larson (two), Ryan Blaney (two), AJ Allmendinger, Alex Bowman, Aric Almirola, Chase Elliott, Kurt Busch and Kyle Busch (each had one).
Top Fives Leader: Ryan Blaney (six)
Top 10s Leader: Ryan Blaney, Kyle Larson (seven each)
Average Finishes (Top 3): Kyle Larson (8.0), Kurt Busch (9.0), Ryan Blaney (9.6)
Lap Leaders (Top 3): Kyle Larson (404), Chase Elliott (221), Kyle Busch (189)
2020
Winners: Kevin Harvick (three), Denny Hamlin (two), Austin Dillon, Brad Keselowski, Chase Elliott, Cole Custer and William Byron (each had one).
Top Fives Leader: Martin Truex Jr. (nine)
Top 10s Leader: Martin Truex Jr. (nine)
Average Finishes (Top 3): Martin Truex Jr. (5.4), Kevin Harvick (6.2), Denny Hamlin (6.8)
Lap Leaders (Top 3): Kevin Harvick (477), Denny Hamlin (316), Brad Keselowski (273)
Looking at the above stats of the last 10 races of the regular season over the last three years, only one driver has pulled off wins during that timeframe in all three seasons – Chase Elliott. Which bodes well for the Georgia native, as he is currently mired in the points (27th) and looking for his first win of 2023.
NASCAR Cup Series, Etc.
Next Gen is producing some great competition in 2023 – In its sophomore season, the NASCAR Cup Series Next Gen car has performed at a high-level, producing some action-packed racing and with 16 races in the books, the stats keep adding up.
A total of 10 different drivers from six different organizations have won at least one race in the first 16 events of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season; led by Kyle Busch and William Byron with three victories each. This is the 38th consecutive season the NASCAR Cup Series has produced at least 10 different winners during a season (1986-23).
Eight different drivers from five organizations have won at least one pole in the first 16 events of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season; led by Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano and William Byron with two poles each.
The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season has produced an average of 10.3 lap leaders per race through the first 16 races of the year – tied with the 2022 season for the 12th-most in the 52 years of the Modern Era (1972-2023).
The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season has produced and average of 22.4 lead changes per race through the first 16 races of the season – the 10th-most in the Modern Era (1972-2023), and up +6.6% from last season’s 21.0 average lead changes.
The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season has produced an average Margin of Victory of 1.383-seconds; with seven of the 16 races this season finishing with a Margin of Victory of under a second.
The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season has produced 920 Green Flag Passes for the Lead through the first 16 points-paying races of the year – series-most through the first 16 races of a season since 2007 (last 17 seasons). Six different facilities this season have set new race records in Green Flag Passes for the Lead in the NASCAR Cup Series – Daytona (204), Richmond (35), Talladega (308, all-time GFPL single event record), Kansas (65), Darlington (29), and St. Louis (21).
The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season has produced 70,912 Total Green Flag Passes in the first 16 points-paying races of the year – the series-most through the first 16 races of a season since 2007 (last 17 seasons).
In a year-over-year comparison, the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season (70,912) has produced Green Flag Passes increase of 34.2% over the 2022 season’s first 16 races (52,840 Total Green Flag Passes).
Milestone Watch: 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace to make 200th career Cup start – 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace will become the 143rd different driver all-time to make their 200th career NASCAR Cup Series start this weekend in the Ally 400 (June 25 at 7 p.m. ET on NBC, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
In 199 previous NASCAR Cup Series starts, Wallace has put up two wins, 15 top fives and 27 top 10s and one pole. He completed 50, 471 laps and led 299 of them. His career average finish in thew series is 21.1.
If Wallace were to win this weekend at Nashville Superspeedway, he would become the fourth different driver in NASCAR Cup Series history to win on their 200th start; joining NASCAR Hall of Famers Bobby Allison (Hampton, VA in 1970), Terry Labonte (Riverside in 1985) and current driver Kevin Harvick (Watkins Glen in 2006).
In two series starts at Nashville Wallace has posted a 20th-place finish in 2021 and a 12th-place finish last season.
Busy week for Stewart-Haas Racing: Crew Chief shuffle & Berry announced to drive No. 4 in 2024 – Stewart-Haas Racing didn’t take much downtime in the off-week prior to heading to Nashville Superspeedway as they have announced a shuffle in their crew chief assignments and also driver Josh Berry will replace Kevin Harvick in the No. 4 Ford next season.
Richard Boswell, the main steward of SHR’s NASCAR Xfinity Series program since its inception in 2017, is now the crew chief for driver Chase Briscoe and the No. 14 team in the NASCAR Cup Series. John Klausmeier, the former crew chief for the No. 14 team, remains at SHR and has transitioned to the company’s vehicle performance group. Replacing Boswell as crew chief for the No. 98 Xfinity Series team is Davin Restivo. Since 2022, Restivo has been the lead engineer for the No. 10 team and driver Aric Almirola in the Cup Series. Prior to his time with the No. 10 outfit, Restivo was the lead engineer for driver Cole Custer, first in the Xfinity Series (2019) and then moving up with Custer to the Cup Series (2020-2021). Before joining SHR in 2019, Restivo was an engineer at Chip Ganassi Racing.
“We made these changes in the best interests of the entire organization,” said Greg Zipadelli, chief competition officer, SHR. “Different people in new positions brings new perspectives. There’s still a lot of racing left to do this year, which means there’s still a lot of opportunity. We need to seize these opportunities and make the most of them, and fresh perspectives from the top of the pit box to the preparation inside the shop will help us do that.”
Stewart-Haas Racing wasn’t done with just one announcement this week, SHR has also named Josh Berry as the driver of its No. 4 Ford Mustang in the NASCAR Cup Series beginning with the 2024 season. He will replace the retiring Kevin Harvick, whose 23-year Cup Series career will come to an end following the season finale Nov. 5 at Phoenix Raceway.
“I can’t imagine a better opportunity for me – to get in a car that’s been as successful and iconic as the No. 4,” Berry said. “Kevin is a future NASCAR Hall of Famer, and it’s going to be a challenge trying to come after someone so successful. But I know I’m going to have an amazing group of people around me, led by Rodney Childers, to where we can hit the ground running.”
Harvick and his crew chief, Rodney Childers, have combined for 37 points-paying wins since their pairing in 2014, when they came out of the gate in impressive fashion by winning the 2014 Cup Series title.
“We’re incredibly proud to have Josh Berry begin the next chapter of his racing career in our No. 4 Ford Mustang,” said Tony Stewart, co-owner of SHR with Haas Automation founder Gene Haas. “Kevin Harvick has obviously set a very high bar, but Josh brings maturity, experience and, above all, a winning record to Stewart-Haas Racing. He is the right driver, at the right time, for the No. 4 team and our organization.”
Award winning Country Music Band Old Dominion named Grand Marshal at Nashville – Award-winning country music band Old Dominion will serve as grand marshal for the Ally 400 NASCAR Cup Series race on June 25 at Nashville Superspeedway. The Nashville-based group, which received its eighth consecutive Academy of Country Music Awards nomination for Group of the Year earlier this spring and claimed the past five straight such accolades, is set to give NASCAR’s Cup Series drivers the command to start their engines before the 7 p.m. ET race under the lights.
“We’re honored to have Old Dominion serve as grand marshal for Middle Tennessee’s can’t-miss event of the summer,” Nashville Superspeedway general manager, Matt Greci said. “The Ally 400 race week is one of NASCAR’s brightest stages, and it could not be more fitting for one of country music’s finest groups to be a part of this spectacular event.”
With eight No. 1 singles, the chart-topping band has surpassed one billion on-demand streams, earned several Platinum and Gold single certifications and headlined arenas and amphitheaters around the globe.
“NASCAR definitely brings us down Memory Lane, so to be asked to say the most famous words in motorsports at NASCAR’s Ally 400 race at Nashville Superspeedway is an honor and a privilege,” Old Dominion said. “We are excited to make even more NASCAR memories with our friends, family, and the NASCAR fans!”
Middle Tennessee’s Nate Bargatze to serve as Honorary Pace Car Driver at Nashville – Grammy-nominated comedian and podcaster Nate Bargatze will serve as the honorary pace car driver for the NASCAR Cup Series Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway on June 25.
“This summer, we will provide the most thrilling entertainment in Nashville with the Ally 400 race weekend,” Nashville Superspeedway general manager Matt Greci said. “There is no better entertainer out there than Nate Bargatze to take part in our remarkable event to bring fans from Middle Tennessee — and across the country and world — together right here at Nashville Superspeedway.”
An Old Hickory, Tennessee, native, Bargatze followed in the showbiz footsteps of his father, a former clown turned world-class magician, whose influence is seen on his 2015 debut Comedy Central special, “Full Time Magic,” and his debut album, “Yelled at By a Clown,” which reached No. 1 on the iTunes Comedy Charts and was on Billboard’s Top 10 Comedy Charts for weeks.
Bargatze’s half-hour Netflix special, “The Standups,” premiered in 2017, and his first solo one-hour Netflix special, “The Tennessee Kid,” premiered globally with rave reviews in 2019. In 2021, he released his critically acclaimed second Netflix special, “The Greatest Average American,” which received a Grammy nomination for Best Comedy Album. Bargatze also released his latest and third one-hour special, “Nate Bargatze: Hello World,” on Amazon Prime, and it now holds the record as Amazon’s most-streamed original comedy special in its first 28 days of viewership.
Rising Country Music star Parker McCollum to perform pre-race concert at Nashville – Award-winning country music singer/songwriter Parker McCollum will get fans at Nashville Superspeedway revved up for the Ally 400 when he takes the stage as the official pre-race concert performer on Sunday, June 25. McCollum will perform at approximately 5 p.m. from the pre-race concert stage located on pit road.
“It’s really an honor to play the Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway,” said McCollum. “I’ve always been a big fan of NASCAR and am excited to bring my show to the track in June. See y’all there.”
McCollum is expected to sing many of his popular songs including his No. 1 platinum-selling hits “Pretty Heart” and “To Be Loved By You” from his critically-acclaimed debut album Gold Chain Cowboy.
“We are thrilled to showcase Parker McCollum, one of country music’s fastest rising superstars, at Nashville Superspeedway prior to the green flag for the Ally 400,” said Matt Greci, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Nashville Superspeedway. “As the home for NASCAR Cup Series racing here in Music City, we always want to make sure we provide an amazing music performance before America’s best drivers hit the track for the Ally 400.”
