After a rare weekend off the Cup Series drivers return to Nashville Superspeedway for the second time for a little late afternoon racing with the Ally 400. But first they must take to the track on a hot Saturday afternoon to qualify for Sunday’s race.
After qualifying for the Xfinity race, BJ McLeod is the first driver on the track to make a qualifying run and posts a time of 31.985 seconds. JJ Yeley, Tyler Reddick, and AJ Allmendinger are also doing double duty this weekend and are qualifying both cars on a hot Saturday afternoon.
In group A; Denny Hamlin, Daniel Suarez, Christopher Bell, Martin Truex Jr, and Ross Chastain will move on to the second round of qualifying.
Kyle Busch backs his car into the wall after getting loose on his qualifying lap. There is some damage to the left rear of his car.
Out of group B; Joey Logano. Kyle Larson, Kevin Harvick, Ryan Blaney, and Chase Elliott will move on to round two to compete for the pole.
Just as the top 10 drivers were getting ready to make their second round of qualifying Mother Nature stepped in and cooled things off with a rain shower. As a result of the rain, NASCAR has cancelled the second round of qualifying and has set the field according to the times set during the first round of qualifying.
Denny Hamlin earns his 35th career pole with Joey Logano alongside on the front row.
The starting lineup for the Ally 400: Denny Hamlin Joey Logano Kyle Larson Chase Elliott Daniel Suarez Ryan Blaney Ross Chastain Kevin Harvick Christopher Bell Martin Truex Jr Aric Almirola Alex Bowman William Byron AJ Allmendinger Chris Buescher Tyler Reddick Cole Custer Michael McDowell Kurt Busch Austin Dillon Justin Haley Corey LaJoie Erik Jones Austin Cindric Ricky Stenhouse Jr Harrison Burton Brad Keselowski Chase Briscoe Ty Dillon Bubba Wallace Cody Ware JJ Yeley Todd Gilliland Josh Bilicki BJ McLeod Kyle Busch
Stage one of the race is 90 laps, stage two is 95 laps, and stage three is 115 laps in length for a total of 300 laps around the 1.33 mile concrete track.
Due to inclement weather in the area, NASCAR has moved up the start time of the race and the engines have fired at 5:01pm EDT.
Denny Hamlin brings the field down for the green flag start of the race from the inside lane with Joey Logano alongside. Hamlin jumps out in front for the lead with Kyle Larson taking second.
Lap two, Denny Hamlin leads the race with Kyle Larson in second; Joey Logano, Daniel Suarez, and Ross Chastain round out the top five.
Lap four, Kyle Busch has already moved up to 28th place
Lap five, Denny Hamlin has pulled out to a lead of nearly a second on Kyle Larson; Joey Logano, Daniel Suarez, and Ross Chastain round out the top five. Kyle Busch has moved up 10 spots since the race start.
Lap eight, Denny Hamlin has pulled out the a second and a half lead on Kyle Larson; Joey Logano, Daniel Suarez, and Ross Chastain round out the top five.
Lap nine, Daniel Suarez passes Joey Logano for third.
Lap eleven, Denny Hamlin has increased his lead to two seconds over Kyle Larson, Daniel Suarez, Joey Logano, and Ross Chastain round out the top five. Ross Chastain is challenging Logano for fourth place.
Lap 13, the top five are Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, Daniel Suarez, Ross Chastain, and Joey Logano.
Lap 20, Denny Hamlin has a lead of over two and a half seconds on Kyle Larson; Daniel Suarez, Ross Chastain, and Christopher Bell round out the top five.
A hot afternoon in Nashville, temperatures inside the car are over 100 degrees. The track temperature is 124 degrees with the air temperature at 94.
Lap 22, Kyle Busch has entered the top 20 in 17th place.
Lap 24, Daniel Suarez passes Kyle Larson for second.
Lap 25, Denny Hamlin continues to lead the race by over three seconds on Daniel Suarez; Kyle Larson, Ross Chastain, and Christopher Bell round out the top five. Kyle Busch has been moving through the field and is up to 16th place.
The drivers can run 65 to 70 laps on a single load of fuel and will have to make a pit stop during each of the stages.
There are 32 cars on the lead lap with all 36 drivers still on the track.
In 29 laps, Kyle Busch has advanced 21 spots; he is now in 15th place.
Lap 30, Denny Hamlin has a three and a half second lead on Daniel Suarez; Kyle Larson, Ross Chastain, and Christopher Bell round out the top five.
Lap 37, Ross Chastain passes Kyle Larson for third. Denny Hamlin continues to increase his lead and is now four and a half seconds in front of Daniel Suarez.
There are 27 cars on the lead lap.
Lap 40, Denny Hamlin has a lead of over four and a half seconds on Daniel Suarez; Ross Chastain, Christopher Bell, and Kyle Larson round out the top five.
The 77 car of Josh Bilicki is slowed on the track with power issues and brings out the first caution flag of the race.
Lap 42, NASCAR reports a lightening strike seven miles from the track. A lightening strike withing eight miles of any sporting event requires a minimum 30 minute wait. NASCAR brings the cars down pit road with a red flag condition at 5:35pm EDT.
During the break, William Byron reports that he had a “weird” tire issue just before the caution and red flags came out.
A second lightening strike was recorded at 4:52pm local time (5:52pm EDT) which resets the clock for another 30 minutes.
A third lightening strike was recorded at 4:57pm local time (5:57pm EDT) and has reset the 30 minute clock once again. The earliest the drivers can return to the track is 6:27pm EDT. The storm cell that has caused the lightening strikes is moving out of the area.
AT 6:29pm EDT, the drivers are moving toward their cars in preparation of getting the race started again.
The drivers are back in their cars and getting buckled in!
At 6:36pm EDT the engines have refired to rousing cheers of the packed house.
After a red flag condition of over an hour, NASCAR has pulled the red flag and displayed the yellow caution flag as the drivers get moving once again.
Drivers come down pit road for service. Ross Chastain had to make a second trip down pit road with a loose wheel. Alex Bowman has a long trip on pit road with the hood up.
Denny Hamlin brings the field down for the green flag restart with Hamlin getting out in front.
William Byron is slowed on the track and brings his car down pit road telling his crew that he can’t drive the car that way.
The second caution flag comes out on lap 50 when Alex Bowman spins out after some contact with Corey La Joie and crashes his car into the wall. The right front of his car is shredding with a flat tire.
William Byron has taken his car to the garage. Byron noted that he was having steering issues prior to the red flag.
Denny Hamlin brings the field down for the green flag restart from the inside lane on lap 57 and jumps out for the lead. The top five are Denny Hamlin, Daniel Suarez, Kevin Harvick, Ryan Blaney, and Kyle Larson. Using the high line, Martin Truex Jr comes up on the outside to come from sixth to take third and is in a battle with Daniel Suarez for second.
Martin Truex Jr gets around Daniel Suarez for second.
Lap 59, after starting in last place, Kyle Busch is just outside the top 10 in 12th place.
Alex Bowman is out of the race with William Byron in the garage with the crew trying to make repairs and get him ack on the track.
Chase Briscoe and Ty Dillon bring out the caution flap on lap 60 when the get into a wreck. Both drivers drive away from the crash with minimal damage.
Joey Logano is the only driver on the lead lap to come down pit road.
Denny Hamlin brings the field down once more time from the inside lane on lap 65 but it is Martin Truex Jr who jumps out in front for the lead with Hamlin in second.
The top five are Martin Truex Jr, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, Kevin Harvick, and Christopher Bell.
Kyle Busch reports an issue with the cool shirt mechanism. The shirt is cool but the rest of his body is really hot.
Lap 71, Martin Truex Jr ahs a half second lead on Denny Hamlin with Ryan Blaney in third two seconds back; Kevin Harvick and Christopher Bell round out the top five. Kyle Busch and Bubba Wallace have entered the top 10 with Wallace in ninth and Busch in tenth.
After having to restart the race from the back of the field, Ross Chastain has moved up to 16th place.
Lap 75, Martin Truex Jr has increased his lead to a second on Denny Hamlin; Ryan Blaney, Kevin Harvick, and Christopher Bell round out the top five. After getting up to second place, Daniel Suarez has fallen out of the top 10 after the red flag restart.
Lap 79, Chris Buescher brings his car down pit road for an unscheduled pit stop and works his way to the garage.
Lap 82, Martin Truex Jr continues to lead the race, but Denny Hamlin has closed the gap to just two tenths of a second; Ryan Blaney, Kevin Harvick, and Christopher Bell round out the top five. Bubba Wallace is in eighth and Kyle Busch is in ninth.
There are 26 cars on the lead lap with Alex Bowman out of the race and William Byron and Chris Buescher off the track.
Martin Truex Jr wins stage one for his fourth stage win of the season.
The top 10 at the end of stage one: Martin Truex Jr Denny Hamlin Ryan Blaney Christopher Bell Kevin Harvick Kyle Larson Bubba Wallace Chase Elliott Kyle Busch Kurt Busch
Drivers come down pit road for service with Joey Logano winning the race off of pit road after taking only two tires.
Aric Almirola was caught speeding on pit road.
Joey Logano brings the field down for the green flag start of stage two from the inside lane with Martin Truex Jr on the outside on lap 97. With the help of a push from Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano gets out in front but Martin Truex Jr comes up on the outside to retake the lead.
Lap 98, the top five are Martin Truex Jr, Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, Christopher Bell, and Kyle Busch. Bubba Wallace is in seventh. Bubba is nominated for Sportsman of the Year at the BET Awards being handed out later tonight.
William Byron has returned to the track 38 laps down.
Lap 101, Martin Truex Jr has a narrow lead on Ryan Blaney; Joey Logano, Kyle Busch, and Christopher Bell round out the top five.
Austin Cindric makes an unscheduled trip down pit road.
Lap 103, Kyle Busch and Christopher Bell pass Joey Logano, putting Logano in fifth.
Lap 106, Ryan Blaney is closing the gap on leader Martin Truex Jr.
Lap 113, Martin Truex Jr leads the race with Ryan Blaney in second; Kyle Busch, Christopher Bell, and Kevin Harvick round out the top five with Bubba Wallace in sixth.
Drivers are reporting a few rain drops in the area.
The caution flag comes out on lap 118 for rain. The drivers are within their pit window for fuel to make it to the end of the stage.
Drivers come down pit road for fuel and service with Martin Truex Jr winning the race off of pit road. Kyle Busch reports to his crew that the car is all over the place and has no idea what to tell them to fix.
Chase Elliott and Bubba Wallace had slow stops and had to make a second trip down pit road with loose wheels. Bubba Wallace is now a lap down. Daniel Suarez also had a loose wheel and had to make a second trip down pit road. Kyle Larson was caught speeding on pit road.
Martin Truex Jr brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 125 from the outside lane and goes side by side with Ryan Blaney for the lead.
Lap 126, Martin Truex Jr and Ryan Blaney continues to battle back and forth for the lead; Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, and Kevin Harvick round out the top five.
Denny Hamlin comes up on the inside to take the lead from third.
Lap 128, Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr battle for the lead.
Chris Buescher has returned to the track 30 laps down.
Lap 130, the battle for the lead continues between Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr with Kyle Busch in third; Kevin Harvick and Ryan Blaney round out the top five.
Lap 131, Denny Hamlin finally gets out in front for the lead.
Lap 133, now that he has retaken the lead, Denny Hmlin begins to pull away from the field; he has a half second lead on Martin Truex Jr; Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five.
Lap 136, there are 28 cars on the lead lap with Bubba Wallace the first car one lap down.
The caution flag comes out on lap 137 for another lightening strike. NASCAR displays the red flag at 7:52pm EDT for a mandatory 30 minute delay. Bubba Wallace is the ”lucky dog”. And the rain begins to fall.
After a weather delay for over two hours, the track has been dried and the drivers are ready to take to the track once again.
The engines have fired and the cars are moving once again at 10:02pm EDT. The drivers are making laps but track officials still have parts of pit road to get dry.
The track is green, the sun has gone down, and the lights are on. What will the changes do to the cars that were originally set up under the heat of the day? The air temperature is 20 cooler than it was at race start.
Once pit road has opened, some of the drivers come down for service but the leaders stay out on the track. BJ McLeod and Christopher Bell make contact on pit road when Bell was coming out and McLeod was going in.
Daniel Suarez was charged with his crew coming over the wall too soon and had to move to the back of the field.
Denny Hamlin brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 150 from the outside lane with Denny Hamlin getting out in front…and the race has reached halfway.
Martin Truex Jr comes up on the inside to battle with Denny Hamlin for the lead; Kyle Busch, Ryan Blaney, and Michael McDowell round out the top five.
Lap 155, Denny Hamlin takes the lead with Martin Truex Jr in second; Kyle Busch, Ryan Blaney, and Kurt Busch round out the top five.
Lap 157, Denny Hamlin has pulled out to a lead of nearly half a second on Martin Truex Jr; Kyle Busch, Ryan Blaney, and Kurt Busch round out the top five.
Lap 160, Denny Hamlin continues to lead the race with Martin Truex Jr a half second back; Kyle Busch, Ryan Blaney, and Kurt Busch round out the top five.
Lap 162, Denny Hamlin has led 99 laps, the most he has led all season long.
Lap 165, Martin Truex Jr has closed the gap on leader Denny Hamlin with the two team mates battling for the lead. Kurt Busch passes Ryan Blaney for fourth and is looking to challenge little brother Kyle.
Lap 169, Joe Gibbs Racing team mates Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr continue to battle for the lead.
Lap 171, Bubba Wallace has entered the top 20.
Martin Truex Jr gets out in front of Denny Hamlin for the lead but Hamlin isn’t giving up on the battle; Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, and Ross Chastain round out the top five.
Of the 174 laps run so far, 170 of them have been led by either Denny Hamlin or Martin Truex Jr.
Ten to go in stage two with Martin Truex Jr a third of a second in front of Denny Hamlin; Kyle Busch is over two seconds back in third with Kurt Busch and Ross Chastain rounding out the top five.
Lap 178, Kyle Larson passes Ryan Blaney for seventh – Larson’s highest spot in the race so far.
With six laps remaining in stage two, Chase Elliott passes Ross Chastain for fifth.
Martin Truex Jr and Denny Hamlin are just two tenths of a second apart but they are over two and a half seconds in front of third place driver Kyle Busch.
There are 27 cars on the lead lap.
Kyle Larson passes Ross Chastain for sixth.
Denny Hamlin has caught up to leader Martin Truex Jr to repeat the battle that ended stage one and gave Truex the stage point.
Martin Truex Jr makes it a stage sweep for his fifth stage win of the season. This is the 14th time in his career that Truex has swept the stages.
The top 10 at the end of stage two: Martin Truex Jr Denny Hamlin Kyle Busch Chase Elliott Kurt Busch Kyle Larson Ross Chastain Kevin Harvick Ryan Blaney Michael McDowell
Drivers come down pit road for service with Martin Truex Jr winning the race off of pit road; Kyle Busch comes out second with Denny Hamlin losing six spots on pit road.
Martin Truex Jr brings the field down for the green flag start of stage three on lap 193 from the outside lane with Kyle Busch on the inside. Truex and Busch are side by side as the drivers get three wide back in the field.
Lap 194, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr continue to race side by side with Kyle Busch finally getting out in front for the lead.
Lap 195, the top five are Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr, Chase Elliott, Ross Chastain, and Kevin Harvick.
Lap 197, Kyle Busch has pulled out to a lead of nearly half a second on Martin Truex Jr; Chase Elliott, Ross Chastain, and Kevin Harvick round out the top five.
Lap 200, 100 to go, Kyle Busch has pulled out to a lead of nearly a second on Martin Truex Jr; Chase Elliott, Ross Chastain, and Kevin Harvick round out the top five with 28 cars on the lead lap. Alex Bowman remains the only car out of the race.
Lap 203, Kyle Busch now has a lead of over a second on Martin Truex Jr.
Ryan Blaney gets loose and nearly saves the car; keeping it off the wall but does some agricultural racing; bringing out the caution flag. Blaney just misses hitting Austin Cindric.
Some of the drivers come down pit road for service; if the race goes the scheduled 300 laps, the drivers will have to make one more stop for fuel. Leaders stay out.
There was a big fire on pit road after fuel from Erik Jones’ spilled onto the pit box.
Erik Jones has to make a second trip down pit road for a tire change after the fire.
Kyle Busch brings the field down for the green flag restart from the outside lane on lap 208 with Martin Truex Jr on the inside. Kyle Busch gets out in front as drivers get three wide through the field.
Kyle Busch pulls away as Kevin Harvick, Ross Chastain, and Martin Truex Jr are Lap 111, in a three wide battle for second.
Kyle Busch has a lead of two seconds while drivers battle for position behind him. Chase Elliott has come up to join Ross Chastain, Kevin Harvick, and Martin Truex Jr to battle for second. Harvick finally wins the battle with Ross Chastain in third, Martin Truex Jr in fourth, and Chase Elliott in fifth.
Lap 215, Kyle Busch has a lead of nearly two and a half seconds on Kevin Harvick; Martin Truex Jr, Ross Chastain, and Chase Elliott round out the top five. Elliott passes Chastain for fourth.
Lap 217, Christopher Bell has entered the top 10 in eighth place putting all four of the JGR cars in the top 10.
Lap 222, Kyle Busch continues to lead the race with a lead of over three seconds on Kevin Harvick; Martin Truex Jr, Chase Elliott, and Ross Chastain round out the top five.
Lap 225, after being a lap down with a loose tire, Bubba Wallace is just outside the top 10 in eleventh.
Lap 230, Kyle Busch has a three and a half second lead on Martin Truex Jr; Kevin Harvick, Chase Elliott, and Ross Chastain round out the top five.
After getting passed by Martin Truex Jr, Kevin Harvick has lost two spots and is in fourth place. Denny Hamlin passes Ross Chastain for fifth.
Lap 231, Kyle Busch continues to slowly increase his gap and is now over three and a half seconds in front of Martin Truex Jr.
Lap 233, the pit window to make it to the end of the race on one more pit stop for fuel is now open.
Lap 234, Martin Truex Jr has closed the gap on leader Kyle Busch to under three seconds.
Lap 235, Bubba Wallace passes Aric Almirola and enters the top 10 with team mate Kurt Busch right behind him.
Lap 237, Kyle Busch is just two seconds in front of Martin Truex Jr; Chase Elliott, Kevin Harvick, and Denny Hamlin round out the top five. He gets loose on the track but saves the car and holds on to the lead.
Chase Elliott passes Martin Truex Jr for second with Kyle Busch leading the race but the gap is closing.
Lap 244, Kyle Busch has the lead but Chase Elliott and Martin Truex Jr are on his bumper and looking to take the lead.
Lap 246, Chase Elliott passes Kyle Busch for the lead; Martin Truex Jr, Denny Hamlin, and Ross Chastain round out the top five.
Martin Truex Jr passes Kyle Busch for second.
Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr are the first drivers to make their green flag pits top on lap 248 to begin the cycle.
Denny Hamlin becomes the leader when Chase Elliott makes his green flag pit stop.
Fifty to go, Denny Hamlin has a big lead on Christopher Bell as green flag pit stops continue.
Lap 254, leader Denny Hamlin comes down pit road for his pit stop and gives the lead over to Kurt Busch.
Chris Buescher spins out on lap 255; he loses the tire and brings out the caution flag. Buescher saves the car and keeps it off the wall.
Drivers who have not made a pit stop come down pit road for fuel and fresh tires.
Kyle Busch is the leader of the race.
Kyle Busch brings the field down for the green flag restart with 40 laps remaining in the race from the outside lane with Chase Elliott on the inside. Busch and Elliott go side by side with drivers getting three wide in the field battling for position.
Lap 262, Chase Elliott takes the lead; Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin battle for second with Martin Truex Jr in fourth and Ross Chastain rounding out the top five.
Denny Hamlin gets second from Kyle Busch.
Lap 265, Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin battle for second with Hamlin nearly sending Busch into the grass. Kyle Busch takes second.
With 31 laps remaining in the race, Chase Elliott has a third of a second lead on Kyle Busch; Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr, and Ross Chastain round out the top five.
Thirty to go, Chase Elliott leads the race with a third of a second lead on Kyle Busch with 26 cars on the lead lap.
With 27 laps to go, Chase Elliott holds on to the lead with Kyle Busch continuing to dog him from behind; Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr, and Ross Chastain round out the top five.
Just 22 laps to go, Chase Elliott continues to lead the race with Kyle Busch four tenths of a second back; Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr, and Ross Chastain round out the top five.
Chase Elliott has pulled away from Kyle Busch and is now just under a second out in front; Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr, and Ross Chastain round out the top five.
Fifteen to go, Chase Elliott has a lead of nearly a second on Kyle Busch; Denny Hamlin is in third over a second and a half back with Martin Truex Jr and Ross Chastain rounding out the top five.
Ten to go! Chase Elliott has pulled out to a lead of over a second on Kyle Busch.
Josh Bilicki brings out the caution flag with a heavily smoking car with just nine laps remaining in the race.
Chase Elliott stays out on the track but several of the lead lap drivers come down pit road with Kyle Busch leading the way. Ross Chastain wins the race off of pit road.
Just five laps remaining in the race, Chase Elliott brings the field down for the shootout finish of the race as midnight approaches. He has the oldest tires on the track. Chase Elliott chooses the outside with Kurt Busch on the inside. Chase Elliott gets out in front of Kurt Busch for the lead as drivers go three wide.
Brad Keselowski makes contact with Cole Custer but the track stays green. Keselowski has to come down pit road with a tire rub.
Chase Elliott takes the white flag.
Chase Elliott wins the race for his second win of the season. The crowd cheers as the sport’s most popular driver takes the checkered flag.
The unofficial results of the Ally 400: Chase Elliott Kurt Busch Ryan Blaney Kyle Larson Ros Chastain Denny Hamlin Austin Cindric Christopher Bell Joey Logano Kevin Harvick Erik Jones Bubba Wallace Michael McDowell Austin Dillon Daniel Suarez Ricky Stenhouse Jr Aric Almirola Tyler Reddick AJ Allmendinger Corey LaJoie Kyle Busch Martin Truex Jr Justin Haley Todd Gilliland Harrison Burton Cole Custer Cody Ware JJ Yeley Brad Keselowski Chris Buescher Ty Dillon BJ McLeod Josh Bilicki Chase Briscoe William Byron Alex Bowman
