LEBANON – The NASCAR Cup Series will head to Nashville Superspeedway for the Ally 400 on Sunday.
Denny Hamlin took the pole on Saturday with the fastest lap of the two tests in the second round of the session.
Defending race champion Ross Chastain will start 20th.
Last week, Christopher Bell dominated the wet-weather portion of the race in New Hampshire en route to his third win of the season.
Follow our live race updates, with the green flag set for after 2:30 p.m. CT on Sunday.
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LIVE LEADERBOARD: NASCAR Cup Series Ally 400 Nashville standings
Lap 135: Caution and red flag due to lightning in the area
NASCAR issues an alert for bad weather in the area. NASCAR officials report lightning in the area, which will trigger a 30-minute suspension and red flag.
The cars will be arriving at the pits and will be covered.
Lap 131: Christopher Bell continues to hold 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 on the grass
Alex Bowman and Ty Gibbs dive to the same spot and Gibbs dives across the grass. Caution is not allowed.
Lap 123: Christopher Bell launches into the lead
Christopher Bell has two tires, while Denny Hamlin does not. The result? Hamlin slots in behind Joey Logano’s slow restart and is outside the top 10, while Bell easily overtakes the leaders on the restart.
Lap 116: John Hunter Nemechek spins in Turn 4
John Hunter Nemechek spins out of Turn 4 and goes through the grass. His right front tire is shredding, making a mess of that part of the car.
Chase Elliott says his car is a little better in this race. He’s in ninth place. Martin Truex Jr. is in seventh place.
Weather could affect the Ally 400
There is a line of showers and storms approaching the I-40 line and heading towards Nashville Superspeedway. It could arrive in the next 45 minutes or less, according to National Weather Service radar.
Lap 105: Kyle Busch continues to fight
Kyle Busch is in 35th place and still not doing well. He complains that the car “spins” on exit, meaning he can’t put the power down in the corner like he wants.
Lap 97: Denny Hamlin leads the pack to start Stage 2
Denny Hamlin barely edges Christopher Bell to the end of pit road to take the lead. Joey Logano used two tires after a longer initial stint in the first stage. Several cars circle the wave.
Hamlin easily passes Christopher Bell on the restart.
Christopher Bell wins stage 1
Christopher Bell wins Stage 1 over Denny Hamlin in a generally error-free Stage 1.
Top 10:
Denny Hamlin says his car is pretty good, especially out of the corner.
Lap 70: Christopher Bell continues to maintain a tenuous lead over Denny Hamlin
Michael McDowell has yet to pit, but when he does, Christopher Bell will inherit the lead by less than a second from Denny Hamlin. Tyler Reddick has passed Brad Keselowski and will move into fourth place.
McDowell will pit around Lap 75, according to team radio.
Lap 52: Kyle Busch continues to have problems
Kyle Busch slid through his pit stall, causing him to lose time on pit road.
After 10 laps, Busch sits in 30th place after being passed by Corey Heim for 29th. Busch tells his crew that the car is “killing it.”
Lap 42: Green flag pit stops begin; Christopher Bell remains ahead of Denny Hamlin
Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin pit for the first time on the same lap, with Bell barely passing Hamlin on pit road.
Green flag stops are underway. The first stage is 90 laps long, so these drivers will split the stage in half.
Lap times are about 0.5 to 0.7 seconds better for Bell and Hamlin on new tires versus Tyler Reddick, who takes over the lead for now.
Lap 32: Martin Truex Jr. is not happy with Austin Dillon
Austin Dillon crawls around the track during a battle with Martin Truex Jr. for 15th, and Truex nearly collides with him. Truex manages to get by him on the next lap, but he’s not happy with the No. 3 Chevrolet.
“What the hell?” Truex said over the radio. Joe Gibbs’ No. 19 Toyota is putting in 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 off the lead.
Denny Hamlin is about 0.7 seconds behind Christopher Bell.
Lap 16: Christopher Bell passes Denny Hamlin for the lead
Denny Hamlin was having trouble passing Justin Haley to put the No. 51 a lap down, with Haley throwing a lock through 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 to traffic,” Hamlin tells Radio 11.
Lap 7: Josh Berry has trouble at the beginning
Josh Berry has dropped back to eighth early on. He is starting to set similar lap times to his teammates, but it has not been a good start.
Lap 1: Green flag!
Denny Hamlin slides past Josh Berry into Turns 1 and 2 to take the lead, with Christopher Bell taking second.
Justin Haley took his passing penalty.
The order is given!
The order has been given to fire on the trucks and the field is performing the pace laps. Approaching the green flag at the sweltering Nashville Superspeedway.
Justin Haley will have a passing penalty to start the race
Justin Haley will start from the back and will have to serve a passing 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 difficult day for drivers, crew members and photographers due to the heat and humidity. 2:50 pm CT start time is tough on June 30th.
The pre-race introductions are almost over, with Chase Elliott among those cheering the loudest.
The weather is looking good at Nashville Superspeedway right now, but the forecast is not so good
The mostly sunny skies over Nashville Superspeedway are a good sign for now. But it’s summer and pop-up storms are always possible.
The National Weather Service forecast for the track calls for a 65% chance of precipitation around the time the Ally 400 is scheduled to begin.
Denny Hamlin on the pole; Full NASCAR Cup Series starting lineup in Nashville
Denny Hamlin won the pole during Saturday’s qualifying session.
Top 10:
Find the full starting lineup 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 via the Performance Racing Network. PRN has affiliates across the country and can also be viewed on GoPRN.com and NASCAR.com, as well as on 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: At approximately 2:50 pm Central Time on Sunday, June 30
- Television coverage: KeynoteUSA (coverage begins at 2:30 p.m. CT on Sunday; watch FREE on Fubo)
- Radio: PRN (102.5 FM in Nashville)
- Transmission: FUBO (free trial available); KeynoteUSA Sports app (subscription required); GoPRN.com and SiriusXM for audio (subscription required).
The Ally 400 will be broadcast nationally on KeynoteUSA. Streaming options for the race include the KeynoteUSA Sports app and FUBO, which is offering a free trial to potential subscribers.
Recent NASCAR Cup Series Winners in Nashville
- 2023: Ross Chastain
- 2022: Elliott Chase
- 2021: Kyle Larson
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