LEBANON, Tenn. — The NASCAR Cup regular season resumes tonight with a race at Nashville Superspeedway, and several drivers have critical stakes in this event.
Here are several key points to watch for in this evening’s race (green flag at 7:19 p.m. ET on Prime):
Leveraging the pole position…
Chase Briscoe aims to capitalize on his pole position once again.
After starting first and finishing third in last weekend’s Coca-Cola 600, Briscoe only led one lap, did not acquire points in the first two stages, and managed just two points in the third stage, hindered by a pit road penalty for an uncontrolled tire.
This highlights how early issues in a lengthy 600-mile race can affect overall performance. The race at Nashville tonight lasts 399 miles.
“It’s frustrating,” Briscoe shared with NBC Sports regarding his prior performance. “Our season has been like this all year. We haven’t managed to put together a full day, let alone a full weekend. We discussed maximizing our stage points if we qualified well.”
Unfortunately, he fell short of the expected stage points for a pole-sitter. Currently, he ranks last among playoff contenders in stage points this year, accumulating only 18, with eight drivers outside the playoffs scoring more.
Is Bubba back on track?
Bubba Wallace succinctly summarized his recent races: “The last three weeks, four weeks, if you want to count All-Star, just (expletive).”
Wallace has finished 33rd or lower in his last three points races, dropping from seventh to 12th in the standings.
While 14 of last year’s 16 playoff drivers secured victories during the regular season, this year’s wins have been limited to a smaller group, making it likely that points will determine playoff spots. Wallace’s fall in standings puts him at risk.
However, he is maintaining a positive outlook. Wallace acknowledges that in previous seasons he focused excessively on recent events rather than on the season’s overall picture, which still sees him 38 points above the cutline entering Nashville.
“Bad races happen,” Wallace stated. “I’ve seen guys like Denny (Hamlin) have rough stretches. They show up next week, shake it off, and move on.”
With a starting position of 12th, Wallace has an opportunity to earn points in the first stage, yet another poor finish could jeopardize his position near the cutline.
Deep in the pack
Kyle Larson boasts an average finishing position of 4.5 at Nashville and is the only driver to have placed in the top 10 across all four Cup races held there.
However, he has work ahead as he qualified in 28th—his lowest starting position since March 2019 at Phoenix.
The key question is how quickly Larson can maneuver to the front and whether he can score points in the initial stage.
Locked in…
The top 32 drivers in points after tonight’s race will secure their spots in the in-season tournament, set to begin later this month in Atlanta.
Currently sitting 32nd in points, Brad Keselowski has much on his mind, especially since his fifth-place finish at the Coca-Cola 600 was his first top 10 of the season. If he struggles again tonight, he risks missing the tournament, where the prize is $1 million.
Keselowski will start in a season-best sixth position tonight.
