The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Nashville after a week off with drivers looking to make a summer push for the playoffs.
The NASCAR Cup Series returns this weekend for a race under the lights at Nashville Superspeedway. Drivers will look to begin the final leg of the regular season strong as we enter the final 10 races of the regular season.
While we’re still focused on the on-track action this year, we did get some big news on a seat being filled for next season.
Josh Berry, an Xfinity Series regular who has filled in on multiple occasions in the Cup Series this year, will be taking over the No. 4 for Kevin Harvick at Stewart-Haas Racing next year. Harvick, who is retiring at the end of 2023, is leaving big shoes to fill for Berry, but the team is confident they’ve found the right man to fill the role.
“Kevin Harvick has obviously set a very high bar, but Josh brings maturity, experience, and, above all, a winning record to Stewart-Haas Racing,” team owner Tony Stewart said in a team statement on Wednesday. “He is the right driver, at the right time, for the No. 4 team and our organization.”
Berry, 32, has started eight races for Hendrick Motorsports this year filling in for both Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman. Next year will be his first full-time ride in the Cup Series. Berry has the backing of not only the team, but the man he is replacing, so it’s now up to him to make the most of his opportunity and show his true potential as a full-time Cup Series driver.
You aren’t just some guy filling @KevinHarvick's seat.
You demand what the No. 4 requires.Resilient in the face of obstacles.
Calculated in your approach.
Fierce as a competitor.
There when it matters.The No. 4 is yours, @joshberry. #4WARD pic.twitter.com/i2jkI4XXMl
— Stewart-Haas Racing (@StewartHaasRcng) June 21, 2023
The Track
Nashville Superspeedway is a 1.33-mile tri-oval located just outside Nashville, Tennessee. The track was built in 2001 and initially hosted races for both the Craftsman Truck Series and the Xfinity Series. Races for those series lasted until 2011 before the sport turned away from the track.
In 2021, it made a grand return to NASCAR with all three major series taking to the oval, including the Cup Series. This year will be just the third Cup Series race at the track, with Kyle Larson (2021) and Chase Elliott (2022) the two winners so far.
A handful of current Cup Series drivers have won in the lower series at the track, including Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, and Brad Keselowski. Stewart-Haas Racing’s Ryan Preece won each of the last two Xfinity Series races at the track.
As for this weekend, Stage 1 will be the first 90 laps while Stage 2 will cover the next 95 laps. Stage 3 will consist of the final 115 laps of the race. Also, look out for Mother Nature to have an effect this weekend, as rain is possible on Sunday. Last year’s race was delayed twice by rain, so let’s hope for some clean running this time around.
Points Standings
Here’s a look at the playoff standings as drivers look to begin the final push for one of the 16 playoff spots.
- William Byron*, Hendrick Motorsports
- Martin Truex Jr.*, Joe Gibbs Racing
- Kyle Busch*, Richard Childress Racing
- Ryan Blaney*, Team Penske
- Kyle Larson*, Hendrick Motorsports
- Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing
- Denny Hamlin*, Joe Gibbs Racing
- Joey Logano*, Team Penske
- Christopher Bell*, Joe Gibbs Racing
- Tyler Reddick*, 23XI Racing
- Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr.*, JTG Daugherty Racing
- Brad Keselowski, RFK Racing
- Chris Buescher, RFK Racing
- Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing
- Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports
*= 2023 race winner
Predictions
This weekend I’m turning to a veteran to grab his second win of the season. Denny Hamlin has run well at Nashville over the last two years, finishing 21st and sixth in the two races. While that 21st might have you shaking your head, he was in the top 10 in both of the first two stages before a poor strategy call saw him drop back late.
Even last year, he was the runner-up in the first two stages before his sixth-place finish. All-in-all, Hamlin is primed for another strong performance this weekend with another win potentially on the cards.
- Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing
- Kyle Busch, Richard Childress Racing
- Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports
- Ryan Blaney, Team Penkse
- William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports
How To Watch: NASCAR at Nashville (All times ET)
- Practice: Friday, June 23 – 6:30 p.m. – USA
- Qualifying: Saturday, June 24 – 1:00 p.m. – USA
- Ally 400: Sunday, June 25 – 7:00 p.m. – NBC
