LEBANON, Tenn. (AP) — Denny Hamlin outraced Christopher Bell over the final four laps after a final restart Sunday night to win the Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway.
Hamlin won for the second time this year and 62nd of his career on a night where he jumped the start off the pole. That penalty put him at the back of the field.
The 45-year-old Hamlin raced his way to the front for the thrilling win that had his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Bell and Chase Briscoe making it three-wide before Hamlin took the lead down the backstretch to win by 0.115 seconds.
The race started 80 minutes late after rain delayed NASCAR’s Cup Series for a second straight week. The wait was worth it with a record 31 lead changes and 12 cautions at the 1.33-mile, D-shaped oval that is NASCAR’s largest concrete track.
Bell finished second for a second straight race ahead of Briscoe. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was fourth, and Chase Elliott rounded out the top five.
Long time coming
Ryan Blaney, trying to repeat as champ at this track, led the restart trying to hold off AJ Allmendinger on a one-lap shootout for the first stage. Allmendinger took the lead on the backstretch, then held off Kyle Larson to take stage one for his first stage victory since 2024.
Stage 2 win
Suarez took the second stage after staying out during a caution and took the lead on the restart on lap 182. Then Corey Heim drove his No. 67 Toyota into the back of Todd Gilliland’s No. 34 Ford, sending him backward into the Turn 1 wall. That brought out the seventh caution with Cole Custer spinning out in the crash.
Lots of rotor woes
Rookie Connor Zilisch had the right rotor explode on his No. 88 Chevrolet sending him into the wall and smashing the right side on Turn 1 of lap 72. Zilisch got the Trackhouse Racing car into the garage with some flames coming out from under the right tire, which was stuck and nearly sideway.
He had been running 24th after starting 38th on the last row.
Trackhouse teammate Ross Chastain had his own rotor issue on lap 82 sending him into the wall between Turns 1 and 2. Michael McDowell spun trying to avoid Chastain’s No. 1 Chevrolet. Zilisch called the rotor problems a surprise when both he and Chastain had been moving up.
“Just unfortunate circumstances,” Zilisch said. “Yeah, we’ll learn from it.”
Van Gisbergen is the third member of Trackhouse Racing. His crew told him not to worry with his No. 97 Chevrolet running a completely different brake package. Ryan Preece went to the garage with no water in his No. 60 Ford, and his crew found a piece of rotor broken off into the radiator before he got back on the track.
Then Allmendinger, who was third, had the rotor spark and flame before his No. 16 Chevrolet hit the Turn 1 wall on lap 173 — with 12 laps left in Stage 2.
Chris Buescher was running 17th with 12 laps left when his right rotor went as he entered Turn 3.
Up next
The series will be at Michigan International Speedway next week where Hamlin will be trying to win for a second straight year.
___
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
