The NASCAR Cup Series returns to race at the Nashville Superspeedway this weekend for the fourth consecutive year since it reopened to the sport in 2021. The upcoming event will mark the 19th race of the season and help close the window to make it to the playoffs further. As drivers break away from a stretch of short-track races, here’s a look at how the weekend will look.
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The Cup Series field will enter the venue on Saturday, June 29 with practice at 2:05 p.m. ET and qualifying at 2:50 p.m. The main race will unfold on Sunday, June 30 at 3:30 p.m. The Xfinity Series will get a start on things earlier than its superior counterpart. Practice is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. on Saturday which will be followed by qualifying at 12:30 p.m.
Nashville
ETFri
4:30-FS2-Truck p&q
8-FS2-Truck race 45-50-55
*Truck race repeat 11p ET on FS1Sat-USA
12-Xfin p&q
2:05-Cup p&q
4:30-Xfin prerace
5-Xfin race 45-45-98Sun-USA
3:30-NBC-Cup race 90-95-115— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) June 24, 2024
The main race will fall on the same day at 5:00 p.m. NBC Sports and the USA Network will cover the events for both Xfinity and Cup. The show doesn’t end with the top tiers though. The Craftsman Truck Series rounds off the triple-header weekend and will precede the other two on the calendar. The field will enter the venue on Friday, June 28.
Following quick sessions of practice and qualifying at 4:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. respectively, the main race will unfold at 8:00 p.m. FS2, MRN, and SiriusXM will broadcast the truck race. At the end of the weekend, three drivers will go home with the infamous Gibson Les Paul guitar, a trophy that symbolizes the music legacy of Nashville.
Why the Nashville Superspeedway took a sabbatical from NASCAR for nearly a decade
In August 2011, the track announced that it would be quitting its NASCAR operations in 2012. The reason behind the decision was not being able to host the Cup Series despite multiple attempts.
Cliff Hawks, the vice president of the venue at the time, said, “The reality is after 10 years of effort we have to face the fact that without a Sprint Cup race and/or a significant change in the operating model for other events, we simply cannot continue.”
And so, for the next 8 years, NASCAR did not visit the 1.3-mile concrete track. In 2021, it popped up back on the schedule with all three NASCAR series returning to race. The track is now the host of the Ally 400 Cup Series race, the Tennessee Lottery 250 Xfinity Series race, and the Rackley Roofing 200 Craftsman Truck Series race.
