NASCAR’s visit to Nashville Superspeedway this Sunday saw yet another driver and former champion of the sport solidify his place in the upcoming postseason after logging in his first victory of the season. Team Penske’s Joey Logano managed to end what had been a testing few weeks for the #22 Ford Mustang driver during the 2024 Ally 400.
Advertisement
The 300-lap-long race on Sunday saw drivers run an extra 30 laps and almost 40 miles due to the event setting the record for the most overtime restarts in Cup Series history. Many frontrunning drivers were seen falling out of contention during the final laps of the race giving the midfield drivers a chance to log in good finishes.
Smokin' Joe is playing the winning tune.
This is @joeylogano's 13th consecutive season with a win. pic.twitter.com/2Zr45EHZLO
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 1, 2024
The 400-mile-long event also saw its fair share of aggressive beating and door banging as Denny Hamlin was once seen nudging Kyle Larson in what could be a brewing rivalry between the two drivers. Carson Hocevar was also seen spinning out Harrison Burton under caution flags regarding a disagreement between the two related to blocking on the track.
Here is a detailed look at who gained the most during the weekend and who suffered from bad luck during the nineteenth regular season race of the highest echelon NASCAR.
Winner: Joey Logano
The driver of the #22 Ford Mustang fielded by Roger Penske‘s Cup racing outfit logged his first victory of the 2024 season in Nashville. Logano and the #22 crew were the driver and team combination to have stretched their fuel mileage the most as others around them ran out of fuel. Despite not having the quickest car during the race, Logano’s fuel-saving strategy, if any, helped save the day for Team Penske.
Loser: Christopher Bell
Touted as one of if not the fastest cars of the race during the middle stages, Bell was seen spinning out on his own and making contact with the inside wall. He subsequently retired from the race after major toe link damage to his Camry.
Winner: Zane Smith
MAKE THAT P2 for @ZaneSmith ‼️‼️@TeamTrackhouse | @Jockey pic.twitter.com/nWSEQE1bnn
— Spire Motorsports (@SpireMotorsport) July 1, 2024
The Spire Motorsports driver logged in the best result of his Cup Series career so far with a runner-up finish in Nashville. Looking to challenge for the win at one point Smith was no match for Logano who was leading at the time.
Loser: Denny Hamlin
The Joe Gibbs Racing veteran went from challenging Ross Chastain for the lead of the race at one point to running out of fuel during the race. Several other drivers were also seen with sputtering engines.
Winner: Ryan Preece
The #41 Ford Mustang driver finished in P4 during Sunday’s event as the 33-year-old driver tries to put himself in contention for a seat in the Cup Series come the 2025 season. With Stewart-Haas Racing shutting shop at the end of the year, Preece’s result was a much-needed break for the #41 crew.
Loser: Kyle Busch
The Richard Childress Racing driver’s run of bad luck continues as he was seen crashing out on the third overtime restart of the event while running in contention for a top-10 finish.
Busch was seen behind Kyle Larson as he ran out of fuel on the frontstretch as the pack accelerated. This caused the #8 Chevrolet Camaro driver to be bumped out of line and into the inside wall, ending his day on the spot.
