What to look for in the NASCAR Cup Series race at Nashville Superspeedway

Denny Hamlin will lead the field to the green flag in today’s Cup race at Nashville Superspeedway (3:30 p.m. ET on NBC).

Here are three things to look out for in today’s race:

1. Is there a rivalry between Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson?

Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson have had their share of duels and contacts on the track. Last week, crew chief Cliff Daniels and spotter Tyler Monn spoke to Larson via radio about not letting Hamlin take advantage of him on the track. Larson gave his spotter a succinct answer.

Hamlin was asked in Nashville on Saturday why he does not view his duels with Larson as a rivalry.

“I just think there are definitely differences,” Hamlin said. “I think there are rivalries that come from drivers who probably don’t respect each other. They may be very fast, but they don’t like each other. They run into each other on purpose.”

“I don’t think anyone (Hamlin and Larson) collides on purpose. Although that does happen. I’ve certainly made my mistakes and he’s had bad luck. But that comes from competition and wanting to beat him. He’s one of the guys who, there’s no other way to say it, is the best in our sport.”

Kyle Larson and Ross Chastain both finished in the top five in all three Nashville Cup races and also took a win at this track.

“I challenge myself more when I’m riding with him and that happens a lot, actually it happens more often up front. We know each other’s riding style and we do things around each other that hinder overtaking. And that usually means those tight positions.

“The simple answer is: if you’re faster than him, just overtake him. In the Next Gen car, it’s just not that easy. If you really want to hold someone off, you can. It seems like we do that to each other because it’s so hard to overtake the other again and we know that position on the track means everything.

“You know, when we try to pull a slider, the other guy goes deeper and makes sure you don’t have any room to clear. That’s just the technique that’s used all the time in the dirt, where they go up there and slide and force the car to go airborne. And if they don’t go airborne, there’s contact. And that’s just something that’s developed in Cup Series racing over the last few years, really in the Next Gen era. It’s just two guys not wanting to let the other guy by.”

2. A new winner?

There have been 10 different winners this season, meaning there are currently six playoff spots available via points.

Last year, Ross Chastain won this race, his first of two vicariates this season.

Josh Berry starts on the front row alongside Denny Hamlin and needs a win to make the playoffs. No Stewart-Haas Racing car has a playoff spot before today’s race.

“We led laps in Iowa,” Berry said. “In New Hampshire, we were obviously in the race on a late restart. I’m not saying we’re expected or expected to win, but I think we can.”

“I think our cars are becoming competitive enough. It might take the right sequence of events, I guess, but we keep finding ourselves in this position, sooner or later something will happen.”

“It was an easy transition through a really, really tough time,” Heather Gibbs said of joining the Joe Gibbs Racing management team following the death of Coy Gibbs in 2022.

Others who have not won this year include: Ty Gibbs (8th seed), Chris Buescher (ninth), Austin Dillon (11th), Alex Bowman (12th), Michael McDowell (14th), Carson Hocevar (15th), Noah Gragson (16th), Martin Truex Jr. (17th), Chase Briscoe (19th) and Chastain (20th).

3. I need a boost

William Byron is one of the drivers with three wins this year, the highest in the series, but has only finished better than 15th once in the last four races.

He starts today in seventh place and wants to turn things around.

In three races at the Nashville Superspeedway, Kyle Larson never finished worse than the top five.

“I just find the results a little frustrating because we were in all areas,” Byron said Saturday in Nashville. “But Iowa (two weeks ago) was a really good race for us, we got second. I think we just have to be present week in and week out and put on those consistent weekends; in terms of communication, effort and limiting the mistakes and just seeing where we are.”

“We’re trying to climb the points table. That’s important at this time of year. We’re trying to get as many bonus points as possible for the playoffs because the ranking is determined by the regular season table. I think if we can win a stage or a race or climb further up the points table, then those are our goals at the moment.”