Sunday’s inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Nashville Superspeedway saw comers and goers throughout the day, as well as a rash of brake problems that impacted multiple drivers.
But Kyle Larson was, once again, ahead of it all.
Larson led 264 of 300 laps and had the fuel mileage at the end to finish off his third consecutive points-paying win and fourth of the season.
He has now finished first or second in his last six points-paying races dating back to May 9 at Darlington Raceway.
Ross Chastain had a strong drive to finish a career-best second for Chip Ganassi Racing. Larson’s teammate at Hendrick Motorsports, William Byron, finished third. Stewart-Haas Racing’s Aric Almirola and Kevin Harvick rounded out the top five.
STAGE 1 WINNER: Chase Elliott
STAGE 2 WINNER: Kyle Larson
WHO HAD A GOOD RACE: Almirola’s fourth-place finish was a season-best and a desperately needed result in a campaign that’s already included five DNFs. … Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ran as high as second at several points before coming home sixth, his best finish since a runner-up in March on the dirt at Bristol Motor Speedway … Daniel Suarez, carrying the colors of famous Nashville honky tonk Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge, finished seventh to notch his third top 10 with the new Trackhouse Racing.
WHO HAD A BAD RACE: Brake rotor issues led to trouble for Ryan Blaney (crash, Lap 55), Cole Custer (finished 31st), and Ryan Preece (finished 33rd) among others … Two spins, one via contact with Daytona 500 winner Michael McDowell, were part of a rough afternoon for Bubba Wallace (finished 21st) … Moments after the start, Quin Houff drove into Turn 1 and went straight into the wall. Houff’s right-front wheel came off in the incident and was confiscated by NASCAR.
NOTABLE: Larson has won the last two Cup races held on Father’s Day. He won on June 18, 2017 for Chip Ganassi Racing at Michigan International Speedway.
NEXT: Pocono Raceway doubleheader – Race #1, Sat., June 26, 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN
