The NASCAR Cup Series picks back up tonight as it visits Nashville Superspeedway for the Ally 400. The 1.33 mile, intermediate track opened in 2001 and is playing host to the Cup Series for the third consecutive season. One of only a few tracks on the schedule containing a concrete racing surface, drivers will be begging for four fresh tires every chance they get tonight. Each of the last two editions of the Ally 400 have been won by Hendrick Motorsports, with Kyle Larson taking home the inaugural title in 2021 and Chase Elliott delivering them their second straight win in 2022.
Driver to Fade:
Wood Brothers Racing is a sentimental favorite for many fans, but Harrison Burton just ain’t cutting the mustard right now. A 6th place finish at Darlington serves as Burton’s only top 10 this season and the 21 car is consistently one of the slowest cars in practice and qualifying at most tracks on the schedule. With an average finish of 23.81 on the season, Burton is going to be singing the blues in Nashville after another poor outing tonight.
Dark Horse:
Winner of yesterday’s Xfinity Series race, AJ Allmendinger is starting to heat up as we dive into the thick of summer, finishing in the top 15 in each of the last 3 races. The Dinger showed solid pace throughout practice and proved that he can make his way around this track quite handily with yesterday’s win. He may not necessarily have a car that can go out there and win, but we predict that Allmendinger will work his way through the field and bring home a fourth straight top 15 finish.
Top 10:
The regular season points leader, Martin Truex Jr. has had a career renaissance after going winless last year, with 2 wins, 5 top 5’s, and 8 top 10’s on the current campaign. Truex finished in the top 10 at Las Vegas, Kansas, and Charlotte and looks to carry his success on intermediate tracks into Nashville, where he showed great speed on both the short run and long run in the practice sesssion. MTJ is coming off a win at Sonoma, has had 3 straight top 5 finishes, and is firing on all cylinders. A top 10 finish tonight feels like a lock.
Winner:
William Byron is in the midst of what could potentially be a career-defining campaign, with 3 wins, 7 top 5’s, and 9 top 10 finishes to date. With a win at Las Vegas, a 2nd at Charlotte, and a 3rd at Kansas, Byron has arguably been the most consistent driver this year at intermediate tracks. Nashville is looking to be no different, as Byron also showed great speed in practice and seemingly got better the longer the run went on, which could be vital if there is a long green flag run to close the race. Byron will roll off tonight from 5th position, but we predict it will be smooth sailing as he brings home his 4th victory of the season!