gettyimages-2160002488.jpg
Getty Images

LEBANON, Tenn. -- Nashville is a city renowned worldwide as the home of the country music. To walk down the streets of Lower Broadway, and to take in all the sounds and sights of the city nightlife, is to be immersed fully in the culture of country music, the artists who have made the genre famous, and its impact on American culture beyond the banks of the Cumberland River.

But just as many musicians have made it big out of Nashville, so too have many racers. A little ways away from the Carolinas, racers like Darrell Waltrip, Sterling Marlin, Bobby Hamilton and more went from racing and winning at the Nashville Fairgrounds to NASCAR stardom, affirming Nashville's place as one of racing's great outposts and hotbeds in the southeast. And from the 5/8 mile Fairgrounds to just off of downtown in Lebanon, the tradition of racing in Nashville continues with this weekend's Cracker Barrel 400 for the NASCAR Cup Series at Nashville Superspeedway.

As they have since NASCAR's return to Nashville in 2021, everyone will be vying for the right to strum the Gibson Guitar that goes to the race winner -- one that Joey Logano earned after this race ended in a NASCAR record quintuple overtime one year ago that ended up having massive consequences for the season as a whole. Logano's Nashville win and the extraordinary circumstances that led to it allowed him to make the playoffs, single-handedly sparking his improbable championship run.

NASCAR playoffs 2025 race schedule, results: Complete list of Cup Series race dates, winners, tracks
Steven Taranto
NASCAR playoffs 2025 race schedule, results: Complete list of Cup Series race dates, winners, tracks

Where to watch the NASCAR Cup Series at Nashville

When: Sunday, June 1 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Nashville Superspeedway - Lebanon, Tennessee
Stream: Amazon Prime

Starting lineup

Chase Briscoe won the pole for the Cracker Barrel 400 on Saturday, setting a new track record of 29.125 (164.395 mph) in qualifying for his second-straight pole and third overall this season. Denny Hamlin will start on the outside pole, but he'll be on baby watch on Sunday as he and his wife expect the birth of their new child. In the event Hamlin is unable to start the race, Ryan Truex will be on standby as the reserve driver for the No. 11 team.

  1. #19 - Chase Briscoe
  2. #11 - Denny Hamlin
  3. #24 - William Byron
  4. #45 - Tyler Reddick
  5. #1 - Ross Chastain
  6. #6 - Brad Keselowski
  7. #20 - Christopher Bell
  8. #71 - Michael McDowell
  9. #22 - Joey Logano
  10. #17 - Chris Buescher
  11. #9 - Chase Elliott
  12. #23 - Bubba Wallace
  13. #47 - Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
  14. #43 - Erik Jones
  15. #12 - Ryan Blaney
  16. #2 - Austin Cindric
  17. #16 - A.J. Allmendinger
  18. #7 - Justin Haley
  19. #60 - Ryan Preece
  20. #21 - Josh Berry
  21. #3 - Austin Dillon
  22. #54 - Ty Gibbs
  23. #88 - Shane van Gisbergen (R)
  24. #48 - Alex Bowman
  25. #8 - Kyle Busch
  26. #77 - Carson Hocevar
  27. #38 - Zane Smith
  28. #5 - Kyle Larson
  29. #41 - Cole Custer
  30. #4 - Noah Gragson
  31. #10 - Ty Dillon
  32. #99 - Daniel Suarez
  33. #67 - Corey Heim
  34. #51 - Cody Ware
  35. #34 - Todd Gilliland
  36. #42 - John Hunter Nemechek
  37. #35 - Riley Herbst (R)
  38. #44 - J.J. Yeley
  39. #66 - Chad Finchum

Storyline to watch

With the calendar now turning from May to June and Race No. 14 of the season at hand, Nashville marks the start of the second half of the regular season and an important benchmark in the race to qualify for the NASCAR playoffs this fall.

With Ross Chastain's win in the Coca-Cola 600 a week ago, eight drivers -- Chastain, Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Denny Hamlin, William Byron, Joey Logano, Austin Cindric and Josh Berry -- have earned a playoff spot by virtue of winning a race. That leaves eight spots currently available for drivers to make the playoffs on points, which are currently held by Chase Elliott, Tyler Reddick, Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, Chase Briscoe, Bubba Wallace, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Ryan Preece.

For the drivers currently in on points, however, their hold on a playoff spot remains extremely tenuous -- particularly with plenty of frontrunners still due to win, including those currently on the opposite side of the cut line. As it stands, the closest drivers to the playoff cut line are currently Chris Buescher (-6), A.J. Allmendinger (-13), Kyle Busch (-14) and Michael McDowell (-21), all of whom have plenty of time to put themselves in then picture before the summer months end.

NASCAR news of the week

  • The National Motorsports Appeals Panel has reduced a penalty given to Chris Buescher's team after Kansas Speedway, ruling that while Buescher's No. 17 car had an illegal front bumper cover, they did not violate the section of the NASCAR rulebook pertaining to the exhaust cover panel. As a result, Buescher has had his points penalty reduced from 60 to 30 points, while the rest of his penalty (Five playoff points, a two-race suspension for crew chief Scott Graves and a $75,000 fine) remains in place.

    The penalty is a big help to Buescher's playoff chances as they stand, as the 30-point swing now puts him six points behind Ryan Preece for the last spot currently available on the playoff grid.
  • NASCAR is considering an increase in horsepower for short tracks, with the sanctioning body targeting an increase to 750 horsepower as early as this season with the goal of further improving the racing product on those racetracks. NASCAR managing director of communications Mike Forde confirmed on an episode of "Hauler Talk" that the topic was brought up during separate meetings with drivers and team owners, and the matter is now being discussed with the sport's engine builders.
  • After renovating the racetrack to the point that it successfully returned to the NASCAR Xfinity and Craftsman Truck Series schedules, Dan Lovenheim is selling Rockingham Speedway. Speaking to the Charlotte Observer, Lovenheim stated that after successfully building the historic track back up and bringing NASCAR back to the facility, "the time is right to pass the baton to someone who can take it further than we can."
  • Kaulig Racing has announced that reigning V8 Supercars champion Will Brown will race for them at the Chicago Street Course in July, driving a third car as a teammate to A.J. Allmendinger and Ty DIllon. It will mark Brown's second career Cup start, as the Toowoomba, Queensland native made his Cup debut last year driving for Richard Childress Racing at Sonoma where he finished 31st.
  • The Athletic has reported that Jim France, co-owner and CEO of NASCAR, was close to a deal to financially support an entry in the upcoming Cup Series race at Sonoma fielded by Spire Motorsports, with Jack Aitken -- who drives for the France-owned Action Express Racing in IMSA -- set to make his Cup debut. However, the plan was reportedly scrapped following backlash in the garage area over a perceived conflict of interest.

Pick to Win

Denny Hamlin (+600) -- Everything that unfolded in the chaotic finish to last year's Nashville race invalidated the drive in regulation by Hamlin, who had taken the lead from Ross Chastain in the final laps and was set to cruise to victory. Hamlin has been due for a Gibson Guitar, as he's led at least 70 laps (265 total) in the last three Cup races at Nashville and also has two poles to go with top-10 finishes of sixth (2022) and third (2023).

So who wins the NASCAR Cracker Barrel 400 2025, and which longshots are must-backs? Check out the latest 2025 NASCAR at Nashville odds below, then visit SportsLine now to see the full NASCAR Nashville projected leaderboard, all from the model that has nailed 21 winners, and find out.