After 300 laps of racing that featured 11 cautions, 31 lead adjustments, and a margin of victory of simply over a tenth, Denny Hamlin collected his 62nd profession NASCAR Cup Collection victory.
Hamlin needed to face-off towards his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates, with the crew scoring a 1-2-3, nevertheless it might have simply as simply ended with all three within the exterior wall.
The chaotic night time of exploded brake rotors, wrecks, and harm emotions meant that there have been loads of winners and losers to select from in Music Metropolis:
WINNER: Denny Hamlin closes the deal in JGR showdown
Watch: Hamlin wins Nashville thriller towards teammates
Hamlin has loudly lamented the truth that he retains dropping races attributable to late-race cautions and chaotic restarts, however Nashville went the opposite approach for the motive force of the No. 11. He was seemingly going to complete third at Nashville, however a late warning gave him a shot at each of his teammates in last four-lap sprint. Hamlin battled door-to-door with Bell, and received extra aggressive with how a lot monitor he was utilizing in each nook. On the ultimate lap, he stored his cool and cleared the No. 20, taking the win by simply over a tenth. Hamlin now has 62 Cup wins, however that was his first guitar in Music Metropolis. Hamlin had began the race from pole, however truly needed to struggle from the very again of the sector after a penalty for leaping the preliminary begin.
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LOSER: Christopher Bell as one other win slips away
Watch: Bell happy with his pace, crew after P2 Nashville end
Bell hasn’t received a Cup race since final September, however he was extraordinarily near successful the final two. He was on Daniel Suarez’s bumper simply earlier than the race-ending warning within the Coke 600, and he was main on the ultimate restart at Nashville, After an epic side-by-side battle, he entered Flip 1 on the ultimate lap with a bit an excessive amount of pace, slipping up the monitor and permitting Hamlin to clear him. Bell was clearly pissed off, saying: “It was all fully in my fingers and I dropped the ball, so there’s no person that had something to do with dropping the race besides me.”
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WINNER: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. does Kyle Busch tribute automobile justice, makes big factors acquire
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet; Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Picture by: Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire by way of Getty Photos
Stenhouse restarted thirteenth with 4 laps to go at Nashville, and driving a Kyle Busch tribute paint scheme, he drove that NOS Vitality automobile like Rowdy would, ripping by way of the pack. He in the end completed fourth, incomes his finest end result at a non-drafting monitor in over 4 years. With a bit of extra time, he might have even challenged for the race win. That end result made Stenhouse the largest mover within the championship, leaping three positions, and making big features on the Chase cut-line. He was 81pts behind coming into Nashville, however leaves simply 44pts behind sixteenth. Let’s not overlook he additionally did that with one of many single-car groups left in Cup, and simply over two-dozen workers.
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LOSER: The victims of exploding brake rotors, particularly Ross Chastain
Ross Chastain injury, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Picture by: Jeffrey Vest / Icon Sportswire by way of Getty Photos
Brake points had been a theme of the night time at Nashville, and there was no crew more durable hit than Trackhouse. Each Ross Chastain and Connor Zilisch suffered exploding brake rotors early, ending thirty seventh and thirty eighth, respectively. Whereas it was the continuation of a nightmarish rookie season for Zilisch, it induced Chastain to crater within the struggle to make the Chase. He’s now all the way down to twenty sixth in factors, which is an absolute shock primarily based on previous years. What makes that much more irritating for the No. 1 is the truth that they lastly appeared to have some pace this weekend, however nothing to point out for it after the early exit.
They weren’t the one victims of brake rotor points both. AJ Allmendinger received a stage, and crashed closely whereas operating third, derailing a promising night time. Chris Buescher blew a brake rotor late as properly, and his RFK Racing teammate Ryan Preece had a chunk of a brake rotor undergo the radiator, ending his personal night time and falling exterior the Chase.
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WINNER: Shane van Gisbergen continues to succeed in increased on ovals
Shane van Gisbergen leads the sector, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Picture by: Sean Gardner / Getty Photos
The one shiny spot for Trackhouse was as soon as once more SVG. He’s carrying the struggling crew on his again this 12 months, and it is secure to say that he has ovals discovered at this level. He led double digit laps in each the Coke 600 and at Nashville, and spent nearly all of each races inside the highest ten. This previous weekend, he barely prevailed in a three-wide battle to the road, incomes his first-ever high 5 on an oval by simply 0.001s. He’s now as much as twelfth in factors, and is near overtaking Hendrick’s William Byron, blowing away all expectations for the No. 97 Chevrolet.
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LOSER: Tyler Reddick attributable to his dented factors lead, and destroyed automobile
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Reddick completed a good sixth at Nashville, however he had causes to be pissed off after the checkered flag — partly attributable to the truth that he received turned head-on into the surface wall after the end line. Whereas his automobile was destroyed, Reddick’s essential fear was simply how a lot of a bit race winner Hamlin took out of his factors lead. Reddick gave up 25pts, and Hamlin is now 97 factors behind. A couple of extra journeys to Victory Lane for the No. 11, and the battle for the factors lead will probably be on.
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WINNER: Zane Smith and FRM swing for the fences
Zane Smith, Entrance Row Motorsports Ford
Picture by: Sean Gardner / Getty Photos
Smith and crew rolled the cube on gasoline and tried reducing out a cease on the finish of the race. They held the lead till 13 laps to go, however a sudden warning allowed them to get on the offense. He went on to complete ninth after main 18 laps, side-by-side with the highest-placing Ford of Ryan in eighth. It was an analogous displaying to at least one week in the past, the place he additionally led a bunch of laps earlier than securing a top-ten end. He is already matched his season document for high tens, and there is nonetheless over 20 races nonetheless to go within the season.
LOSER: Bubba Wallace streak of dangerous luck continues
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Wallace was fully dejected in his post-crash interview, and the way can he not be? At first of the 12 months, he was second in factors to championship-leading teammate Reddick, however in latest weeks, he has been free-falling down the standings. Wallace received put within the wall after an aggressive Carson Hocevar pushed Buescher out of the groove, and immediately into the trail of the No. 23. He has completed twenty ninth or worse in 5 of the final 9 races, together with three DNFs for crashes. “Minding our personal enterprise once more,” mentioned Wallace exterior the infield care middle. “One other week our crew doesn’t get the end they deserve. I’m drained, man. It’s arduous to be in the identical boat always each week.”
WINNER: Ty Dillon along with his finest end of the 12 months
Ty Dillon, Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Picture by: Christian Petersen / Getty Photos
Amid the chaos of Nashville, a number of smaller groups snagged sturdy finishes. Amongst them was the No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet of Ty Dillon. He stored his nostril clear and completed twelfth — his finest results of the 2026 season.  “I’m actually happy with that end,” mentioned Dillon. That was our greatest end of the 12 months and it wasn’t with out its challenges being two laps down at one level … I am simply happy with our effort, man. We’re digging. We’re fighters. We do not quit it doesn’t matter what comes our approach, and I really feel like our crew is constructing.”
LOSER: Kyle Larson’s high 5 day falls half on last restart
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Larson had a high 5 automobile for many of the night time, and positively a high ten. The Hendrick Motorsports driver restarted sixth for the ultimate restart, however instantly reduce a tire down. It is attainable he hit a chunk of brake rotor from the Buescher incident a couple of minutes earlier. A pissed off Larson spun into the pit lane, and completed twenty third.
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