By David Morgan, Associate Editor
A year after debuting to a sold-out crowd, the NASCAR Cup Series returns to Nashville Superspeedway this weekend for the second running of the Ally 400 on Sunday.
Prior to its Cup debut in 2021, the track located on the outskirts of Nashville in Lebanon, Tennessee, was no stranger to hosting NASCAR events with both the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR camping World Truck Series running there from 2001 to 2011 before the track was shuttered.
The Nashville tracks serves as an oddity on the Cup Series schedule, a 1.33-mile D-shaped concrete oval, that is unlike any other track the series visits as its traverses the country throughout the season.
While teams have some baseline from last season, the Next Gen car and how it will run at the track still lies as a big unknown, with just one 50-minute practice session to get the cars dialed in for Sunday’s main event.
With just 10 races remaining before the Playoffs, a number of drivers have yet to capture their first win of the season, including Ryan Blaney, Martin Truex, Jr., Christopher Bell, Kevin Harvick, and others. Throw in the fact that 12 Playoff spots have already been claimed by race winners and it will be a dogfight from now to Daytona to see which drivers will ultimately make the cut.
Will one of the winless drivers punch their ticket to the postseason or will the rich just keep getting richer? We’ll find out on Sunday afternoon.
By the Numbers
What: Ally 400, NASCAR Cup Series race No. 17 of 36
Where: Nashville Superspeedway – Lebanon Tennessee (Opened: 2001)
TV/Radio: NBC, 5:00 pm ET / PRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Channel 90
Track Size: 1.333-mile D-shaped concrete oval
Banking: 14 degrees in Turns, 9 degrees on front straightaway, 6 degrees on back straightaway
Race Length: 300 laps (399.9 miles)
Stage Lengths: 90 laps (Stage 1), 95 laps (Stage 2), 115 laps (Final stage)
2021 Race Winner: Kyle Larson – No. 5 Chevrolet (Started sixth, 264 laps led)
Track Qualifying Record: Aric Almirola – 29.557 seconds, 161.992 mph
Top-10 Highest Driver Ratings at Nashville:
- Kyle Larson – No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet – 149.7
- Aric Almirola – No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford – 116.7
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – No. 47 JTG Daugherty Chevrolet – 114.7
- Kevin Harvick – No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford – 108.1
- Ross Chastain – No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet – 106.0
- William Byron – No. 24 Hendrick…
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