How did we get to the end of this 400-mile race and of all drivers it was Team Penske’s Joey Logano taking the checkered flag in Nashville. Logano is now in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, and Bubba Wallace gets shoved off the bubble.
This is the first points-paying win for Joey Logano this season. He was a winner in the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro, but this one probably feels even better than $1,000,000. The way it happened was absolutely unpredictable as well.
How Logano made it on fuel in tonight’s race will remain a mystery, I’m sure. A chaotic finish and a wild night in Music City.
Christopher Bell flexes in first stage
While his teammate Denny Hamlin was the pole-sitter, Christopher Bell fired out of the gate quick. It wasn’t long before he was in the lead and firmly in control. This would be a common theme throughout most of the race.
Toyota was strong in the early going. Between Bell, Hamlin, Ty Gibbs, Tyler Reddick, Martin Truex Jr., and Bubba Wallace it felt like every JGR and 23XI driver was hitting on all cylinders. The same could not be said of their Legacy Motor Club counterparts.
A fairly bland first stage as far as cautions go. We did not get a yellow flag in the opening stage. It was a very strong stage for JGR. We also saw a strong showing from RFK Racing, both of their cars picked up stage points as well.
Kyle Busch got off to a rough start but things turned aroundfor the beleaguered RCR driver.
Rain delay, more Bell domination, and cautions
While the first stage had no cautions, things picked up in the second. Christopher Bell was once again out front. He would lead a total of 131 laps on the day. It was more or less the same story as the first stage. Only this time, it was Reddick who was giving chase to Bell in P2.
John Hunter Nemechek went for a spin in the grass. Ty Gibbs also brought out a caution by sliding in the grass. Both of those cautions let drivers vary their pit strategy and get creative.
The real story in this stage was the rain delay. Storms moved into the area and it wasn’t long before the track was lost. The delay lasted about an hour and a half. The track was so hot already from this weekend’s weather that drying took little time.
We also had a bit of Denny Hamlin drama. He made Joey Logano so mad that Logano gave him the finger under caution. Then there was a dust-up with Kyle Larson after some hard racing between the two to end the stage.
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