LEBANON – The NASCAR Cup Series moves to Nashville Superspeedway on Sunday for the Ally 400.
Denny Hamlin took pole on Saturday with the fastest lap of both rounds in the second run of the session.
Defending race champion Ross Chastain will start 20th.
Last week, Christopher Bell dominated the wet portion of the race in New Hampshire en route to his third victory of the season.
Follow our live race updates, with the green flag expected after 2:30 p.m. CT on Sunday.
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NASCAR Cup Series race at Nashville: Live updates, highlights, live standings
LIVE RANKING: Complete standings for the NASCAR Cup Series Ally 400 at Nashville
The drivers at their cars
Drivers have been asked to return to their cars by NASCAR, so the red flag is expected to be raised soon.
Track drying efforts are well underway
Track drying efforts continue at Nashville Superspeedway. And the sun is back, which should help. A reminder: There are lights at Nashville Superspeedway and the sun should stay out for the next few hours.
Rain at Nashville Superspeedway will extend delay
The storm cell is moving out of the area, but it has soaked the runway, which will require drying efforts. No wet tires for oval tracks longer than a mile, so no repeat of last week’s final 75 laps at New Hampshire.
Lap 135: Caution and red flag for lightning in the area
NASCAR issues weather warning in area. NASCAR officials are reporting lightning in the area, which will trigger a 30-minute flash and a red flag.
Cars are coming down pit road and will be covered. Rain is also approaching on the race track.
Lap 131: Christopher Bell retains the lead
Christopher Bell leads Tyler Reddick on the restart as storms approach. Kyle Larson is third, with Brad Keselowski and Chase Elliott also in the top five.
Lap 125: Ty Gibbs spins into the grass
Alex Bowman and Ty Gibbs try the same shot and Gibbs turns on the grass. The penalty is cancelled.
Lap 123: Christopher Bell takes the lead
Christopher Bell takes two tires, while Denny Hamlin doesn’t. The result? Hamlin gets behind Joey Logano’s slow restart and sits outside the top 10, while Bell easily eliminates the leaders on the restart.
Lap 116: John Hunter Nemechek spins in Turn 4
John Hunter Nemechek spun in Turn 4 and went through the grass. His right front tire was tearing, completely destroying that part of the car.
Chase Elliott says his car is a little better in this race. He is 9th. Martin Truex Jr. is 7th.
Weather could impact Ally 400
Showers and thunderstorms are approaching the I-40 line and moving toward Nashville Superspeedway. They could arrive in the next 45 minutes or less, according to National Weather Service radar.
Lap 105: Kyle Busch still in trouble
Kyle Busch is 35th and still not running well. He complains that the car is “spinning” on the exit, meaning he’s not able to put the power down in the corner as he wants.
Lap 97: Denny Hamlin leads the field to start Stage 2
Denny Hamlin narrowly beat Christopher Bell to the end of pit lane to take the lead. Joey Logano lost two tires after a longer first run in the first special. Several cars take the wave.
Hamlin easily wipes out Christopher Bell on the restart.
Christopher Bell wins the first stage
Christopher Bell wins Stage 1 over Denny Hamlin in a generally error-free Stage 1.
The top 10:
- Christopher Bell
- Danny Hamlin
- Tyler Reddick
- Kyle Larson
- Brad Keselowski
- Ty Gibbs
- William Byron
- Chris Buescher
- Martin Truex Jr.
- Bubba Wallace
Denny Hamlin says his car is pretty good, especially coming out of the corner.
Lap 70: Christopher Bell continues to hold a tenuous advantage over Denny Hamlin
Michael McDowell has yet to pit, but when he does, Christopher Bell will inherit the lead by less than a second over Denny Hamlin. Tyler Reddick has passed Brad Keselowski for what will be fourth.
McDowell will pit around Lap 75, according to team radio.
Lap 52: Kyle Busch continues to struggle
Kyle Busch slid in his pit box, costing him time on pit road.
After 10 laps, Busch was 30th after Corey Heim passed him for 29th. Busch told his crew that the car was “plowing.”
Lap 42: Green flag pit stops underway; Christopher Bell stays ahead of Denny Hamlin
Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin pitted for the first time on the same lap, and Bell narrowly passed Hamlin on pit road.
Green flag stops are underway. The first stage is 90 laps long, so the drivers will split it into two.
Lap times are about 0.5 to 0.7 seconds better for Bell and Hamlin on new tires than Tyler Reddick, who currently leads.
Lap 32: Martin Truex Jr. not happy with Austin Dillon
Austin Dillon made a good comeback on the track during a battle with Martin Truex Jr. for 15th place, and Truex almost hit him. Truex passed him on the next lap, but he wasn’t happy with the No. 3 Chevrolet.
“What’s that (expletive)?” Truex said on the radio. The No. 19 Joe Gibbs Toyota sets very competitive lap times compared to the top 10.
Lap 25: Brad Keselowski and Kyle Larson battle for third place
Brad Keselowski passes Kyle Larson for third place, about 3 seconds behind the leader.
Denny Hamlin is about 0.7 seconds behind Christopher Bell.
Lap 16: Christopher Bell passes Denny Hamlin for the lead
Denny Hamlin struggled to pass Justin Haley to put the No. 51 one lap down, with Haley throwing a block across the tri-oval and allowing Christopher Bell to pass Hamlin in Turns 1 and 2 on the outside.
“You were better than him every lap until traffic,” Radio 11 told Hamlin.
Round 7: Josh Berry in difficulty from the start
Josh Berry fell back to 8th place early on. He’s starting to achieve similar lap times to his competitors, but it’s not a good start.
Round 1: Green flag!
Denny Hamlin slips past Josh Berry in Turns 1 and 2 to take the lead, with Christopher Bell taking second.
Justin Haley took his penalty.
The order is given!
The fire order has been given and the peloton is racing with pace laps. We are getting closer to the green flag on the sweltering Nashville Superspeedway.
Justin Haley will have a drive-through penalty to start the race
Justin Haley will start from the back and will have to serve a drive-through penalty for unapproved adjustments after passing inspection yesterday.
It’s hot
It’s very, very hot on pit road. It’s going to be a grueling day for drivers, crew members and photographers in the heat and humidity. A 2:50 p.m. CT start time is tough on June 30.
The pre-race introductions are almost over, with Chase Elliott among the loudest cheers.
The weather is looking good at Nashville Superspeedway right now, but the forecast isn’t as good
The mostly sunny skies over Nashville Superspeedway are a good sign at the moment. But it’s summer and sudden storms are still possible.
The National Weather Service’s forecast for the track calls for a 65 percent chance of precipitation at the time the Ally 400 is scheduled to start.
Denny Hamlin on pole position; full lineup for the NASCAR Cup Series in Nashville
Denny Hamlin won the pole in qualifying on Saturday.
The top 10:
- Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota No. 11
- Josh Berry, No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
- Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
- Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
- Brad Keselowski, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford No. 6
- Tyler Reddick, No. 45 Toyota 23XI Racing
- William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
- Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota #54
- Chris Buescher, No. 17 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford
- Austin Cindric, No. 2 of Team Penske Ford
Find the full starting line-up here.
NASCAR Race Radio Coverage: How to Listen to the NASCAR Cup Race in Nashville
The Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway will be broadcast on radio by Performance Racing Network. PRN has affiliates across the country and their feed can also be streamed on GoPRN.com and on NASCAR.com as well as the NASCAR app. The race can also be heard on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.
NASCAR Cup Series Nashville Race TV Schedule, Start Time
- Green flag time: Approximately. 2:50 p.m. CT Sunday, June 30
- TV coverage: NBC (coverage begins at 2:30 p.m. CT Sunday, watch FREE on Fubo)
- Radio: PRN (102.5 FM in Nashville)
- Streaming: FUBO (free trial available); NBC Sports app (subscription required); GoPRN.com and SiriusXM for audio (subscription required).
The Ally 400 will be broadcast nationally on NBC. Streaming options for the race include the NBC Sports app and FUBO, which offers a free trial to potential subscribers.
Recent NASCAR Cup Series winners at Nashville
- 2023: Ross Chastain
- 2022: Chase Elliott
- 2021: Kyle Larson
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