Nashville Superspeedway is next on the docket for the NASCAR Cup Series, as the campaign moves forward to Tennessee for the Ally 400 on Sunday.
It’s the fourth time since 2021 that the Cup Series will return to Nashville. Kyle Larson won the first race in 2021, with Chase Elliott finding Victory Lane in 2022 and Ross Chastain last season. All in all, it’s been a popular addition to the schedule, and a race where each wheelman would love to capture that guitar.
Ahead of this weekend’s race, the crew over at Racing Insights has projected the entire finishing order of the Ally 400, utilizing their “advanced statistical formula includes current track, current track type, recent performance, team data and pit-crew data to arrive at a projected winner and full race results.” Here’s what they’ve come up with for Sunday’s race.
1) Denny Hamlin
Denny Hamlin looked primed to contend for the win before the rain came in Loudon, but the No. 11 couldn’t get going on wet weather tires. The Joe Gibbs Racing veteran ended up finishing P24 on the afternoon, far from what we’ve come to expect from Hamlin.
Over the course of his time at Nashville, Hamlin has steadily improved each time out. He finished P21 in 2021, but he’s finished P6 and P3 in his latest attempts, so perhaps he can ascend to Victory Lane this time around.
2) Christopher Bell
Christopher Bell dominated the entire weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. He first won the Xfinity Series race on Saturday afternoon, and then he captured the win in the Cup Series race on wet weather tires, breaking out the broom in Victory Lane.
Moving forward, Bell has never finished outside of the top ten in Nashville. Could he become the first driver to win four races in 2024? As his star continues to turn, it might not be a surprise at this point if he’s able to.
3) Kyle Larson
Kyle Larson made it interesting in Loudon, but he wasn’t able to get to and pass Christopher Bell for the win. Still, the No. 5 had a great day at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, coming home with a P4 finish, and staying atop the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Standings.
Nashville has been one of Larson’s best tracks in the Cup Series. He won NASCAR’s return to the area in 2021, and he hasn’t finished below P5 in three tries at the track. It should be a solid afternoon for the No. 5.
4) Chase Elliott
It’s been a phenomenal season for Chase Elliott, but he had some tough luck in New Hampshire. The Hendrick Motorsports star ended up finishing P18 on the afternoon, not what he would’ve liked after the resuming of the USA Today 301.
During NASCAR’s first trip to Nashville in 2021, Elliott did about as bad as you could, coming home P39. However, he rectified that with a win in 2022, so the No. 9 will be hoping to get his second win at the track, and his second win of 2024 on Sunday.
5) William Byron
William Byron’s taken a bit of a hit over the last couple of weeks, aside from his performance at Iowa Speedway. He couldn’t get going after the race resumed on wet weather tires, and Byron ended up finishing P26 in Loudon.
Nashville has been a mixed bag for Byron since 2021. He has a P3 and a P6 finish, but sandwiched in-between is a P35 in 2022. Perhaps he’ll be able to remind the NASCAR world why he’s a top contender this weekend with a win on Sunday.
Ally 400 Projections — 6-38:
6) Ross Chastain
7) Brad Keselowski
8) Martin Truex Jr.
9) Tyler Reddick
10) Ty Gibbs
11) Ryan Blaney
12) Joey Logano
13) Kyle Busch
14) Alex Bowman
15) Chris Buescher
16) Bubba Wallace
17) Josh Berry
18) Erik Jones
19) Michael McDowell
20) Daniel Suarez
21) A.J. Allmendinger
22) Austin Cindric
23) Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
24) Chase Briscoe
25) Carson Hocevar
26) Todd Gilliland
27) Austin Dillon
28) Noah Gragson
29) Ryan Preece
30) Justin Haley
31) Corey LaJoie
32) Harrison Burton
33) John Hunter Nemechek
34) Daniel Hemric
35) Zane Smith
36) Corey Heim
37) Riley Herbst
38) Chad Finchum
If Racing Insights‘ predictions come true, Denny Hamlin would capture his fourth win of 2024, and his first at Nashville Superspeedway. Additionally, it would be a great afternoon for Hendrick Motorsports, with three of their drivers in the top five. We’ll see how these projections matchup with the final running order when the Ally 400 is all said and done.
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