The Cup Series caps off a triple header weekend on the 1.33 mile concrete track at Nashville Superspeedway with the Cracker Barrel 400.  Thirty-nine teams brought cars to Nashville for a near full field of drivers.

This week also marks the beginning of the second half of the NASCAR Cup season.  The point standings and playoff grid begins to take shape.

The drivers have been divided into two groups for a 25 minute practice session before making a qualifying run.

Again this week, Carson Hocevar is running at the top of the field.  Hocevar was running near the front of the field at Charlotte before the engine blew.

NASCAR has called AJ Allmendinger’s car back to the inspection area to make another trip through the process after an official believed they saw a crew member making an adjustment under the car.

Bumpy spots on the track are causing the drivers to “re-think” how they run their laps.

AJ Allmendinger’s car has failed the first underbody inspection and after NASCAR had the crew make an adjustment, the car is going through the process once again.

Carson Hocevar topped the leaderboard with the fastest lap in Group 1 practice with Bubba Wallace in second.  Ryan Blaney tops the leaderboard in multiple lap times.

Kyle Busch gets turned around and makes a run through the grass and brings out the caution flag.  Busch reports a very loose condition in his car.

NASCAR is holding AJ Allmendinger 10 minutes for an adjustment violation.

Josh Berry hit a bump spinning out and making a run through the grass.

Last week at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the green areas were turf; this week it’s real grass.

After two cars spun out and made a run through the grass to bring out the red flag, NASCAR has added four minutes to Group 2’s practice time.

This weekend marks Cup Series start 300 for Trackhouse Racing.

With a new baby due most any time, Denny Hamlin is on baby watch and has Ryan Truex on standby in case the baby comes during race time.

Seven Group 2 drivers have run faster times than Carson Hocevar.

NASCAR has brought the 19 of Chase Briscoe and the 47 of Ricky Stenhouse Jr down pit road and parked them with nearly three minutes remaining in practice. 

The first car on the track to make a qualifying run is Corey Heim who posted a time of 29.896 seconds.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr is making Cup Series start number 450 this weekend.

With a time of 29.125 seconds, Chase Briscoe goes back to back to sit on the pole.  Denny Hamlin will start alongside Briscoe on the front row.

The starting lineup for the Cracker Barrell 400:

Chase Briscoe
Denny Hamlin
William Byron
Tyler Reddick
Ross Chastain
Brad Keselowski
Christopher Bell
Michael McDowell
Joey Logano
Chris Buescher
Chase Elliott
Bubba Wallace
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Erik Jones
Ryan Blaney
Austin Cindric
AJ Allmendinger
Justin Haley
Ryan Preece
Josh Berry
Austin Dillon
Ty Gibbs
Shane van Gisbergen
Alex Bowman
Kyle Busch
Carson Hocevar
Zane Smith
Kyle Larson
Cole Custer
Noah Gragson
Ty Dillon
Daniel Suarez
Corey Heim
Cody Ware
Todd Gilliland
John Hunter Nemechekthe 16
Riley Herbst
JJ Yeley
Chad Finchum

After qualifying NASCAR penalized the Kaulig Racing number 16 car driven by AJ Allmendinger for an unapproved adjustment to the splitter.  The 16 car was pulled from practice to go through a portion of the inspection process a second time after officials believed a crew member made adjustments to the car.

In addition to the 10 minute penalty that was assessed Allmendinger during practice, the car will have to start the race from the back of the field, will have to serve a passthrough penalty once the green flag drops, and loses their pit stall selection.  Car chief Jaron Antley has also been ejected from the racing paddock for the remainder of the weekend.

Already starting from the back of the field, Chad Finchum’s number 66 car failed the inspection process twice and has lost engineer Austin Webb for the weekend and his pit stall selection.

Stage one is 90 laps, stage two is 95 laps and stage three is 115 laps for a total 300 laps around the 1.33 mile track.  The drivers can run 70 to 75 laps on a single load of fuel.

Halfway through the regular season; there has been eight different race winners.

Chase Briscoe brings the field down for the green flag start of the race with Denny Hamlin alongside.  Briscoe edges out in front for the lead with Denny Hamlin in second.

AJ Allmendinger comes down pit road for his stop and go penalty.

Lap two, the top five are Chase Briscoe, Denny Hamlin, William Byron, Tyler Reddick, and Christopher Bell.

Kyle Larson gets loose and is slowed on the track but gets the car moving again.

Lap six, Chase Briscoe has a half second lead on Denny Hamlin; William Byron, Tyler Reddick, and Christopher Bell round out the top five.  There are 37 cars on the lead lap.

Lap 10, Chase Briscoe holds on to a half second lead over Denny Hamlin with William Byron, Tyler Reddick, and Christopher Bell rounding out the top five.  So far there has not been a great deal of movement among the drivers.

Lap 22, Chase Briscoe continues to lead the race but Denny Hamlin has caught the leader and is looking for a way to take the lead; third place driver William Byron is nearly two seconds back.

Lap 28, Chase Briscoe holds on to the lead; Denny Hamlin, William Byron, Tyler Reddick, and Christopher Bell rounds out the top five.

Lap 34, Denny Hamlin has caught leader Chase Briscoe and is beginning to challenge for the lead.

Lap 40, Denny Hamlin finally passes Chase Briscoe for the lead amidst slower traffic.There are 33 cars on the lead lap.

Lap 40, Kyle Larson comes down pit road for service.

Chase Briscoe comes down pit road for service as green flag pit stops begin a little short of halfway through the stage.

Bubba Wallace was caught speeding on pit road and will have to serve a passthrough penalty.

Tyler Reddick leads the race.

Lap 48, leader Tyler Reddick makes his green flag pit stop; Ryan Blaney is the new leader.

As pit stops cycle through, there are just 18 cars on the lead lap.

Lap 54, Ryan Blaney has yet to make his pit stop, leads the field.

Lap 59, with some drivers still needing to make a pit stop; the top five are Ryan Blaney, Austin Cindric, Justin Haley, Ty Dillon, and Chase Briscoe.

Lap 66, Chase Briscoe reports that the brake pedal is to the floorboard.

Justin Haley makes his pit stop and was caught speeding on pit road and will have to serve a passthrough penalty.

Lap 68, as pit stops cycle through, Chase Briscoe retakes the lead.

Tyler Reddick reports that his brake pedal is getting spongy and inconsistent.

Ty Gibbs is also reporting brake issues.

Lap 71, the top five are Chase Briscoe, Denny Hamlin, William Byron, Tyler Reddick, and Christopher Bell.

Just 13 laps remain in stage one. 

William Byron passes Denny Hamlin for second.

Lap 80, William Byron gets loose and Denny Hamlin takes second.

Lap 81, Denny Hamlin passes Chase Briscoe for the lead as the leaders work top put KyleLaron a lap down.

Tyler Reddick passes Chase Briscoe for second.

Just six laps remain in stage one and Denny Hamlin stalks Kyle Larson to try and put Larson a lap down.

Denny Hamlin wins stage one.

The top 10 at the end of stage one:
Denny Hamlin
Tyler Reddick
Chase Briscoe
William Byron
Christopher Bell
Chase Elliott
Ryan Blaney
Michael McDowell
Joey Logano
Ross Chastain

Drivers come down pit road for service with Ryan Blaney winning the race off of pit road after taking just two tires.  Austin Cindric also took only two tires.  Denny Hamlin was the first car off pit road with a four tire change.

Crews for Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson were under the hood during their pit stops.

Ryan Blaney brings the field down for the green flag start of stage two on lap 97 with Ryan Blaney getting out in front wit the lead.

The top five are Ryan Blaney, Denny Hamlin, Austin Cindric, Tyler Reddick, and Christopher Bell.

There are 34 cars on the lead lap.

Lap 103, Ryan Blaney has pulled out to a lead of over half a second on Denny Hamlin; Austin Cindric, Tyler Reddick, and Chrisotpher Bell round out the top five.

Chase Elliott and William Byron are in a battle for sixth.

The caution flag comes out on lap 105 for Ricky Stenhouse Jr who is off the pace after he gets into the wall after contact from Carson Hocevar.

Bubba Wallace is the “lucky dog”.

Drivers come down pit road for service with several drivers taking fuel only.  Denny Hamlin wins the race off of pit road.

Denny Hamlin brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 111 with Austin Cindric alongside.  Hamlin takes the lead with Cindric in second; Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, and Christpoher Bell rounding out the top five.

The caution flag comes out on lap 113 for a wreck involving Alex Bowman, Noah Gragson, and Kyle Larson.  Larson made contact with Gragson as he was trying to slow down and avoid hitting Gragson who was against the wall.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr has taken his car to the garage for repairs.

Alex Bowman takes his car to the garage for repairs.

Denny Hamlin brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 119.  Drivers spread out three and four wide.  The caution flag comes out when Christopher Bell spins out after contact from Erik Jones.

Denny Hamlin brings the field down for the green flag restart with Austin Cindric alongside on lap 124.  Drivers spread out three and four wide across the track.  Denny Hamlin leads the race with Austin Cindric in second; Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, and Chase Briscoe round out the top five.

Ryan Blaney passes Austin Cindric for second; Joey Logano passes Austin Cindric for third.

Tyler Reddick is trying to make his way to pit road after dropping through the field with a possible flat tire.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr and Noah Gragson are out of the race.

Kyle Larson has to come down pit road with a possible tire issue.

Corey Heim brings out the caution flag on lap  131 when he spins out and gets into the wall after contact with Brad Keselowski.

Denny Hamlin brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 136 and Hamlin jumps out in front with Ryan Blaney in second; Joey Logano, William Byron, and Erik Jones rounding out the top five.  William Byron passes Joey Logano for third.

Lap 140, Denny Hamlin has a third of a second lead on Ryan Blaney; William Byron, Joey Logano, and Erik Jones round out the top five.

After starting near the back of the field, having car issues, and being involved in an on track incident: Kyle Larson is in the top 20.

Kyle Busch passes Kyle Larson for 20th.

After getting into the wall from contact with Erik Jones, Christopher Bell is in the top 15.

Lap 155, Denny Hamlin holds on to a third of a second lead on Ryan Blaney; William Byron, Joey Logano, and Erik Jones round out the top five.

Lap 158, Ryan Blaney has caught leader Denny Hamlin and begins to challenge for the lead.

Lap 164, Denny Hamlin has just a tenth of a second lead on Ryan Blaney.

Lap 166, William Byron passes Ryan Blaney for second and heads for leader Denny Hamlin.

Lap 167, William Byron and Denny Hamlin battle for the lead.

Lap 168, Ryan Blaney moves up to make it a three way battle for the lead.

Ryan Blaney takes the lead!

Lap 169, the top five are Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, and Erik Jones.

Lap 175, Ryan Blaney has pulled out to a near one second lead on William Byron; Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, and Erik Jones rounding out the top five.

Alex Bowman is still in the garage sitting in the car while the crew works on making repairs.

Just five laps remain in stage two with Ryan Blaney two seconds out in front.

Ryan Blaney wins stage two.

The top 10 at the end of stage two:
Ryan Blaney
William Byron
Denny Hamlin
Joey Logano
Erik Jones
Austin Cindric
Carson Hocevar
Zane Smith
Josh Berry
Christopher Bell

Drivers come down pit road for service with Joey Logano winning the race off of pit road.  His fueler fell trying to get the fuel cell filled as Logano pulled off.

Brad Keselowski is charged with having too many crew members over the wall.  Josh Berry was charged with crew members coming over the wall too soon.

Joey Logano brings the field down for the green flag start of stage three with Ryan Blaney alongside on lap 192.  Drivers get three wide across the track.  Logano gets out in front for the lead.

The top five are Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, William Bron, Erik Jones, and Denny Hamlin

The caution flag comes out on lap 194 when Ryan Preece gets loose and gets into the wall.

Joey Logano brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 198 with Ryan Blaney alongside.  Ryan Blaney gets out in front from the outside lane.

The top five are Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, Erik jones, William Byron, and Denny Hamlin.

Lap 202, Joey Logano and Erik Jones battle for second.

Denny Hamlin and William Byron battle for fourth.

Carson Hocevar and Ross Chastain battle for sixth.

Lap 205, Ryan Blaney has a lead of over half a second on Joey Logano; Erik Jones, Denny Hamlin, and William Byron round out the top five.

Denny Hamlin passes Erik Jones for third.

Lap 207, William Byron and Erik Jones battle for fourth.

Lap 209, Ryan Blaney has a one second lead on Joey Logano.

Lap 216, ryan Blaney has pulled out to a lead of over a second on Denny Hamlin; Joey Logano, Erik Jones, and William Byron round out the top five.

Alex Bowman returns to the race 104 laps down.

Lap 219, Tyler Reddick and Christopher Bell battle for eleventh.

Kyle Larson is back up in the top 10 after several stops on pit road for adjustments and a 28th place start.

A speeding penalty during the first pit stop put Bubba Wallace one lap down; he is now in the top 10.

Fully under the lights, several drivers are having handling issues with their cars and have fallen back in the field.

Lap 228, the drivers are now at the edge of their pit window to make it to the end of the race.  Last year’s race saw five overtime finishes.

Ryan Blaney continues to lead the race.

Lap 234, Ryan Blaney has a near two second lead on Denny Hamlin; Joey Logano, Erik Jones, and William Byron round out the top five.

Denny Hamlin has lost his hemet hose again and his water system isn’t working.

Lap 239, Ryan Blaney has increased a lead to over two seconds on Denny Hamlin.

There are 32 cars on the lead lap with three cars out of the race.

Lap 243, Erik Jones is the first driver to make a green flag pit stop to begin the cycle of green flag stops.

Lap 246, Joey Logano and Kyle Larson make their pit stops.

Lap 248, Ryan Blaney has a lead of over three and a half seconds when he comes down pit road for service.  Denny Hamlin is the new leader.

Leader Denny Hamlin is making Cup Series start number 700 tonight.

Lap 255, Denny Hamlin brings his car down pit road for fuel.  Austin Cindric is the new leader.

Lap 258, Austin Cindric makes his pit stop and gives the lead over to Austin Dillon.  Cindric has some gear shift issues.

Lap 260, Austin Dillon, Brad Keselowski, and Josh Berry have yet to make their pit stops.

Lap 266, Austin Dillon comes down pit road and gives the lead over to Brad Keselowski.

Josh Berry makes his pit stop; only Brad Keselowski has yet to come down pit road.

Lap 269, Brad Keselowski makes his pit stop and the field cycles through with Ryan Blaney leading the race with Carson Hocevar in second; Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, and Erik Jones round out the top five.

Just 28 laps to go, Ryan Blaney has a lead of over two seconds on Carson Hocevar.

With 25 laps remaining in the race, leader Ryan Blaney is two and a half seconds out in front with slower traffic looming; Carson Hocevar, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, and William Byron rounding out the top five.

Bubba Wallace has finished the past three races in the 30’s; he is currently in sixth place.

Twenty to go; Ryan Blaney has a lead of over two seconds on Carson Hocevar.

There are 25 cars on the lead lap.

Fifteen to go, Ryan Blaney has increased his lead on Carson Hocevar to over two and a half seconds.

Ten to go, Ryan Blaney has pulled out to a three second lead on Carson Hocevar; Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, and William Byron round out the top five.

Seven to go, Ryan Blaney holds a near three second lead over Carson Hocevar with Denny Hamlin three and a half seconds back in third.

Three to go, Ryan Blaney continues to lead the race.

Ryan Blaney takes the white flag.

After five DNF’s, Ryan Blaney wins the race by over three seconds on Carson Hocevar.  His win makes it a sweep for Team Penske with all three of the Penske drivers winning a race this season.

Blaney is the ninth winner so far this season.

Ryan Blaney always gives the checkered flag to a fan; this time he went into the stands to deliver the flag.

The unofficial results of the Cracker Barrel 400:
Ryan Blaney
Carson Hocevar
Denny Hamlin
Joey Logano
William Byron
Bubba Wallace
Erik Jones
Kyle Larson
Tyler Reddick
Christopher Bell
Ross Chastain
Kyle Busch
Zane Smith
Chris Buescher
Chase Elliott
Daniel Suarez
Chase Briscoe
Austin Cindric
Cole Custer
AJ Allmendinger
Michael McDowell
Todd Gilliland
Brad Keselowski
Riley Herbst
Shane van Gisbergen
Ty Dillon
John Hunter Nemechek
Ryan Preece
Austin Dillon
Josh Berry
Ty Gibbs
Justin Haley
Cody Ware
JJ Yeley
Chad Finchum
Alex Bowman
Corey Heim
Noah Gragson
Ricky Stenhouse Jr