Samwise NASCAR Cup Series Newsletter
Monday, June 1, 2026
Denny Hamlin Wins Nashville, JGR Sweeps Podium in Dramatic Finish
Denny Hamlin converted pole position into victory Sunday at Nashville Superspeedway, though not without drama. Hamlin was penalized for jumping the race start and had to restart at the back of the 38-car field before rallying forward through the pack. In the final four-lap sprint to the checkered flag, Joe Gibbs Racing teammates ran three-wide for the win — Hamlin cleared Christopher Bell at the exit of Turn 2 on the last lap to win by 0.115 seconds, with Chase Briscoe third in a JGR podium sweep. It was Hamlin's 62nd career Cup win, his second of 2026, and Toyota's first victory at Nashville's 1.33-mile concrete oval.
Sources: NASCAR.com, Motorsport.com
Blaney Takes Responsibility for Post-Checkered Crash Involving Reddick and Elliott
A post-race incident at Nashville Sunday occurred when Ryan Blaney's late push of Chase Elliott went wrong at the checkered flag. Racing three-wide on the final lap, Blaney bumped Elliott from behind, sending him sliding into Tyler Reddick and hooking the No. 45 Toyota into the outside wall. Both drivers were uninjured, but Reddick's car was destroyed. Blaney took full responsibility, going to Reddick in person to apologize. “My sincere apologies to Tyler,” Blaney said. “I was trying to push the #9 at the top of three wide and got Chase sideways, and ended up hooking Tyler.” NASCAR scored Reddick sixth and Elliott seventh.
Sources: Motorsport.com
Trackhouse Racing Loses Both Cars to Brake Rotor Failures at Nashville
Trackhouse Racing lost both its drivers to brake rotor failures at Nashville Superspeedway on Sunday, with Connor Zilisch and Ross Chastain both crashing in Stage 1. Zilisch was first to go on Lap 72, blowing a right-front brake rotor and crashing hard into the Turn 1 wall; he was evaluated and released from the infield care center. Two laps later, Chastain suffered an identical failure. “We had a right-front brake rotor failure. It came apart and I just put it against the fence. You can't slow down once the rotor is out of it,” Chastain said. Chastain suggested Nashville's added horsepower demands may have contributed to the failures.
Sources: NASCAR.com, Motorsport.com
23XI Racing Signs Corey Heim to Full-Time Cup Ride for 2027
23XI Racing announced Saturday at Nashville Superspeedway that Corey Heim will join the team full-time in the 2027 NASCAR Cup Series season, driving the No. 35 Toyota. Heim won a record 12 NASCAR Truck Series races in 2025 and claimed that season's Truck Series championship. He will replace Riley Herbst, who has driven the No. 35 for 23XI since the start of the 2025 campaign. Heim is currently making 12 part-time Cup starts for 23XI in the No. 67 Toyota during 2026. Co-owner and driver Denny Hamlin made the team's thinking clear: “I knew I needed to get Corey.”
Sources: NASCAR.com, RACER
Van Gisbergen Earns Career-Best Oval Finish at Nashville
Shane van Gisbergen delivered the best oval result of his NASCAR Cup career at Nashville Superspeedway on Sunday, finishing fifth in the Trackhouse No. 97 Chevrolet. The New Zealand driver, better known as a road-course specialist, started tenth and ran inside the top 10 for most of the race, leading 12 laps — the most he has led at a non-superspeedway oval. Van Gisbergen finished 0.005 seconds ahead of Tyler Reddick at the checkered flag and was Trackhouse's only finisher after both Ross Chastain and Connor Zilisch retired early with brake rotor failures. Nashville marked his first oval top-five in the Cup Series.
Sources: Motorsport.com
Stenhouse Finishes Fourth in Kyle Busch Tribute Car, Tops All Chevrolets
Hyak Motorsports placed Ricky Stenhouse Jr. fourth at Nashville Superspeedway on Sunday while paying tribute to Kyle Busch. Stenhouse's No. 47 Chevrolet wore a paint scheme similar to Busch's NOS Energy livery from his NASCAR O'Reilly wins — a deliberate tribute to the fallen NASCAR legend. On a late pit call for four fresh tires at the end of Stage 3, Stenhouse restarted 13th for the four-lap sprint to the flag and worked up to fourth. It was his best finish since the Daytona 500 and the top Chevrolet result. “There's 28 of our employees that were really pumped up,” said Stenhouse.
Sources: Motorsport.com
RCR Presses Forward at Nashville with Tribute to Kyle Busch
Richard Childress Racing continued its 2026 season at Nashville Superspeedway on Sunday, fielding Austin Hill in the No. 33 Chevrolet in tribute to driver Kyle Busch, who passed away May 21 at age 41. Busch, a two-time Cup Series champion, died from complications of severe pneumonia. The organization has raced on in his memory since his passing, with a member of the team voicing the group's spirit: “He'd want us to go kick butt.” RCR has run the No. 33 since Busch's death, with Hill behind the wheel to keep the organization competing through the remainder of the 2026 season.
Sources: NASCAR.com, Motorsport.com
Hamlin Cuts Reddick’s Championship Lead to 97 Points After Nashville
Denny Hamlin closed in on the 2026 NASCAR Cup championship lead at Nashville, cutting Tyler Reddick's margin to 97 points after Race 14 of 36. Reddick leads with 657 points, with Hamlin second at 560. Around the Chase cutline in 16th position, Austin Cindric holds 306 points — just two ahead of Ryan Preece in 17th, with Joey Logano nine further back. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was the biggest mover of the week, jumping three positions to 23rd after his fourth-place Nashville result. Ross Chastain and AJ Allmendinger each dropped three spots. NASCAR removed Kyle Busch's 217 accumulated points from the standings following his death.
Sources: Motorsport.com
Cup Series Standings (Top 16)
1. Tyler Reddick — 657 pts
2. Denny Hamlin — 560 pts
3. Ryan Blaney — 483 pts
4. Chase Elliott — 460 pts
5. Ty Gibbs — 449 pts
6. Kyle Larson — 409 pts
7. Christopher Bell — 399 pts
8. Chris Buescher — 393 pts
9. Carson Hocevar — 383 pts
10. Daniel Suárez — 378 pts
11. William Byron — 352 pts
12. Shane van Gisbergen — 348 pts
13. Brad Keselowski — 347 pts
14. Chase Briscoe — 343 pts
15. Bubba Wallace — 338 pts
16. Austin Cindric — 306 pts
Manufacturer Standings
1. Toyota — 517 pts
2. Chevrolet — 508 pts
3. Ford — 453 pts
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.