Denny Hamlin, a three-time winner this season, is on the pole for Sunday’s Ally 400 NASCAR Cup Series race in Nashville.
Hamlin notched career pole No. 42 by blistering the track in 29.859 seconds (160.354 mph) in his No. 11 Toyota Camry XSE. His Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 Toyota will sit on the pole for the second time at Nashville.
Josh Berry will start second. With a new format to set the starting grid, it puts the pole winner in position one and divides the remaining drivers through the first five rows by speed and qualifying group, so Stewart-Haas Racing’s Berry − who was third quickest − will start his No. 4 Ford on the outside of the front row Sunday.
Christopher Bell won last week’s USA TODAY 301 in New Hampshire and will start third in Nashville. “It’s good to head into Nashville having three top-10 finishes but it’s been a place where I haven’t been super comfortable,” Bell said. −Field Level Media
What time does the NASCAR Cup race at Nashville start?
The Ally 400 starts at 3:30 p.m. ET (2:30 p.m. local) at Nashville Superspeedway in Nashville, Tennessee.
How to watch NASCAR today
NBC is broadcasting the Ally 400.
Will there be a live stream of the NASCAR Cup race at Nashville?
The Ally 400 can be live streamed on the NBCSports website and the NBC Sports app. The race is also available to stream on Fubo.
NASCAR Ally 400 weather: Forecast for Nashville Superspeedway
Expect extremely hot and sticky conditions for Sunday’s Ally 400 race at Nashville Superspeedway.
The AccuWeather forecast calls for a mostly cloudy and humid afternoon with a couple showers and possibly a thunderstorm. The high temperature will be around 90 with 67% humidity, making it feel like 99. The chance of rain is 65%.
How many laps is the NASCAR Cup race at Nashville?
The Ally 400 is 300 laps around the 1.333-mile oval for a total of 399.9 miles. The race will feature three segments (laps per stage) − Stage 1: 90 laps; Stage 2: 95 laps; Stage 3: 115 laps.
Who won the most recent NASCAR Cup race at Nashville?
Ross Chastain started on the pole and led 99 of 300 laps, including the final 34, before holding off Martin Truex Jr. by 0.789 seconds on June 25, 2023. It was the first of 2023 two victories for Chastain, who is seeking his first win this season.
What is the lineup for the Ally 400 at Nashville?
(Car number in parentheses)
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(11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota
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(4) Josh Berry, Ford
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(20) Christopher Bell, Toyota
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(5) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet
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(6) Brad Keselowski, Ford
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(45) Tyler Reddick, Toyota
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(24) William Byron, Chevrolet
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(54) Ty Gibbs, Toyota
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(17) Chris Buescher, Ford
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(2) Austin Cindric, Ford
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(3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet
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(48) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet
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(9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet
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(34) Michael McDowell, Ford
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(77) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet
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(10) Noah Gragson, Ford
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(19) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota
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(12) Ryan Blaney, Ford
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(14) Chase Briscoe, Ford
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(1) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet
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(7) Corey LaJoie, Chevrolet
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(41) Ryan Preece, Ford
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(47) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet
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(23) Bubba Wallace, Toyota
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(21) Harrison Burton, Ford
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(22) Joey Logano, Ford
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(8) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet
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(16) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet
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(50) Corey Heim, Toyota
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(15) Riley Herbst, Ford
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(99) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet
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(38) Todd Gilliland, Ford
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(51) Justin Haley, Ford
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(43) Erik Jones, Toyota
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(42) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota
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(71) Zane Smith, Chevrolet
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(31) Daniel Hemric, Chevrolet
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(66) Chad Finchum, Ford
Denny Hamlin hoping to stop skid in Nashville
On pole, Denny Hamlin is hoping the good starting position will translate into a solid finishing position. The three-race winner this season has finished 24th or worse in the last three races and is ready to get back on track before the summer break in competition in three weeks. Hamlin has a pair of top-10 finishes in the three-race Nashville Superspeedway history, including a best showing of third place last year.
Hamlin’s No. 11 JGR Toyota turned a fast lap of 160.354 mph (29.859 seconds) around the 1.33-mile oval – only .095-seconds faster than Christopher Bell – to claim his second Nashville pole position in the four races the track has hosted.
“Felt pretty good about it all day,” the 43-year-old Hamlin said, “seems like we definitely have fixed some of the things we weren’t very good with last year. I definitely feel pretty good about it and we’ll certainly work on it overnight to make it a little bit better and I feel pretty confident that tomorrow we’ll be in contention.” — Field Level Media
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NASCAR race at Nashville: Live updates, how to watch
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