On Sunday night, NASCAR will be returning to Nashville for the Cracker Barrel 400. Nashville is a 1.33-mile concrete D-shaped oval which is unique. I view it as almost a mix of 1.5-mile tracks and Dover (from the concrete surface aspect).

On Saturday, NASCAR held a combined group practice session. Teams had 45 minutes, and keep in mind teams have different agendas. Make sure you check out our Nashville Practice Notes, Nashville 10,15,20,25 and 30 Lap Average Speed Cheat Sheet and Nashville Practice Speeds/ 10 Lap Averages. 

Here’s the Nashville Starting Lineup/ Qualifying Results (Set by the metric).

Nashville Full Field Fantasy Rankings

1) Denny Hamlin
Start 1st / Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential – High
Nashville Outlook – At Nashville in the Cracker Barrell 400, the road to victory lane likely goes thru polesitter Denny Hamlin. Hamlin’s been a super-elite performer and in the Next Gen he ranks #1 across the board for Next Gen Speed Rankings, Driver Rating and Average Finish (6.0). I’ll also note that average finish even underrates him since he had a misleading result in 2024’s late extended mayhem. Last year, the #11 was strong but Hamlin had nothing for Blaney in closing time. In the race, Hamlin won Stage #1, finished 3rd in Stage #2, led 79 laps, had a race best 3.3 average running position, earned the 2nd best Driver Rating and then finished 3rd overall. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Hamlin ranked #1 with his speed over the segments being 1st, 2nd, 4th and 4th. In 2024, Hamlin probably should’ve won but finished an asterisk mark 12th. In the race, Hamlin won the pole, finished 2nd in Stage #1, finished 4th in Stage #2, was the leader on lap 295 and was the leader thru overtime #3 when he finally had to come in for gas, which led to his misleading 12th. Additionally, Hamlin led 70 laps, had the best Total Speed Ranking, earned the best Driver Rating and had a race best 4.5 average running position. In 2023, Hamlin had a rocket. In the race, Hamlin finished 5th in Stage #1, won Stage #2, had a 3.9 average running position, led 81 laps and then finished 3rd overall. In terms of speed stats, Hamlin had the 4th best Total Speed Ranking and ranked 5th for Speed Late In A Run. In 2022, Hamlin finished 2nd in Stage #1, 2nd in Stage #2, led a race high 114 laps, had the 2nd best Total Speed Ranking but then finished 6th overall. With 10 laps to go, Hamlin was running in 3rd, but he then came to pit road during a late caution which dropped him back to 13th with only 4 laps to go. In practice, the #11 was fast and ranked among the best.
DraftKings $11,000/ FanDuel $14,000

Further Recommended Reading = Nashville Projected Finish Ranges, DraftKings Nashville Scoring Projections, FanDuel Nashville Scoring Projections, Nashville Next Gen RPM, Nashville Next Gen Average Finishes, Nashville Next Gen Speed Rankings

2) Christopher Bell
Start 4th / Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential – High
Nashville Outlook – Christopher Bell should be on your short list of favorites to win at Nashville. Bell’s an elite performer at intermediate tracks and he’s been great at Nashville. In the Next Gen at Nashville, Bell ranks 2nd for Speed, 2nd for Driver Rating and has an 8.3 average finish minus 2024, where he might’ve just been the best, but his race wasn’t incident free. Last year, Bell started 7th, finished 5th in Stage #1 but then on lap 118 while running in 5th, Bell was spun and got into the wall. It didn’t look good, but he was still able to race competitively. When Stage #2 ended, Bell finished 10th. When the checkered flag waved, Bell finished 10th overall. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Bell ranked 6th. In 2024, Bell was giving the field a beat down, but his race wasn’t incident free and he finished 36th. In the race, Bell won Stage #1, won Stage #2, led 131 laps but then in the final Stage, pit strategy cycled him back to the teens and then on lap 227 while running in 15th, Bell got loose in traffic and got into the wall hard. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Bell ranked #1. Over the three races prior to that, Bell had results of 7th, 8th and 9th. This year at intermediate tracks, Bell ranks 4th for Speed and he’s fresh off a runner-up at Charlotte. In practice, Bell had the 3rd best 15-lap average.
DraftKings $10,200/ FanDuel $12,000

3) Tyler Reddick
Start 2nd / Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential – Medium-High
Nashville Outlook – 5-time 2026 winner, Tyler Reddick can’t be counted out at Nashville. He’s run great here, and he’s been elite at intermediate tracks in 2026. This year at intermediate tracks, Reddick ranks 2nd in terms of Track Type Total Speed Rankings and has the 2nd best average finish (4.6). In the Next Gen at Nashville, Reddick ranks 5th for Driver Rating, 8th for Speed and his 15.0 average finish which underrates him is tied for being the 10th best. Last year, Reddick had a strong showing. In the race, Reddick finished 9th, had the 7th best Total Speed Ranking, earned the 8th best Driver Rating and had the 10th best average running position (11.8). In 2024, Reddick ranked among the best. In the race, Reddick finished 3rd in Stage #1, finished 2nd in Stage #2, had a 6.1 average running position, earned the 2nd best Driver Rating, led 16 laps and then finished 3rd overall. I’ll note, on lap 295, Reddick was running in 8th. In terms of speed stats, Reddick had the 3rd best Total Speed Ranking and ranked 4th for Speed Late In A Run. In 2023, the #45 was fast but Reddick finished an asterisk mark 30th. In the race, Reddick won Stage #1, led 33 laps, was in 3rd on lap 132 but then shortly after that on lap 139 after just completing his green flag pit stop, Reddick lost a wheel. In terms of Total Speed Rankings he ranked 13th but take note his Speed Ranking over the first two segments were 1st and 3rd. In practice, Reddick ranked 2nd for 15 and 20-lap averages.
DraftKings $10,700/ FanDuel $13,500