Samwise NASCAR Cup Series Newsletter
Tuesday, June 2, 2026
Hamlin Overcomes Jump-Start Penalty to Win Nashville Cracker Barrel 400 in JGR 1-2-3
Denny Hamlin overcame a jump-start penalty to win Sunday's Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway, delivering Joe Gibbs Racing a 1-2-3 finish with Christopher Bell second and Chase Briscoe third. Penalized and sent to the back of the 38-car field on lap two after jumping the start from the pole, Hamlin fought forward through a race that produced a record 31 lead changes among 15 drivers. A final-lap pass of Bell at Turn 2 secured the victory by 0.115 seconds. The result was Hamlin's 62nd career win, his second of 2026, and Toyota's first at the 1.33-mile Nashville concrete oval. Hamlin led a race-high 57 laps.
Sources: Jayski, Motorsport.com
Reddick Leads Championship by 97 as Nashville Tightens Playoff Bubble
Tyler Reddick holds a 97-point lead over Denny Hamlin in the NASCAR Cup Series standings after 14 of 36 regular-season races, with 22 races remaining before the playoff cutoff. The bubble at 16th place is tight: Austin Cindric holds the final transfer spot by just two points over Ryan Preece, who suffered a DNF at Nashville, with Joey Logano nine points further back. The biggest mover after Nashville was Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who climbed three positions to 23rd. AJ Allmendinger and Ross Chastain each dropped three spots, falling to 22nd and 26th respectively, after both recorded DNFs at Nashville Superspeedway.
Sources: Motorsport.com, Jayski
Blaney Takes Blame for Post-Checkered Crash Involving Reddick and Elliott at Nashville
A dramatic Nashville Superspeedway finish turned chaotic after the checkered flag when Ryan Blaney's attempt to push Chase Elliott at the top of Turn 3 sent Elliott sideways into championship leader Tyler Reddick, launching the No. 45 Toyota hard into the outside wall. Both Reddick and Elliott were scored sixth and seventh, having crossed the line before the contact; Reddick was uninjured. Blaney immediately radioed, “Oh my god, I did not mean to do that,” and later said he got Elliott sideways while trying to push him, inadvertently hooking Reddick. The incident had no effect on the race result or the championship standings.
Sources: Motorsport.com
Bell and Briscoe Gutted After Losing Nashville Race to Teammate Hamlin
Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe were candid about their frustration after finishing second and third at Nashville Superspeedway behind Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin. Bell conceded the loss: “It's disappointment. I've got nobody, nothing, no circumstances to blame except myself. I just didn't win the race.” Briscoe was equally blunt: “I've never been so frustrated not to win in my career, I feel like, because I know the speed has been there.” Hamlin cleared Bell on the final lap after Bell drove deep into Turn 1 on the restart, with Briscoe unable to capitalize on the three-wide battle for the lead.
Sources: NASCAR.com
Van Gisbergen Posts Career-Best Oval Finish with Nashville Top Five
Shane van Gisbergen earned his first top-five oval result in 64 NASCAR Cup Series starts, crossing fifth at Nashville Superspeedway in his No. 97 Trackhouse Chevrolet. The New Zealander led 12 oval laps, the most he has managed at a non-superspeedway, before being initially scored seventh. NASCAR reviewed the finish and moved him up two positions; just 0.005 seconds separated his car from Tyler Reddick and Chase Elliott across the line at Turn 4. The result built on van Gisbergen's previous best oval finish of sixth at Atlanta earlier in 2026, continuing a development arc that has drawn praise from Trackhouse Racing.
Sources: Motorsport.com, NASCAR.com
Stenhouse Finishes Fourth for Hyak in Kyle Busch NOS Tribute Livery at Nashville
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. delivered Hyak Motorsports its best result of 2026 by finishing fourth at Nashville Superspeedway, doing so in a tribute paint scheme honoring the late Kyle Busch. The No. 47 NOS Energy Chevrolet ran a livery modeled after Busch's O'Reilly Auto Parts Series colors. Stenhouse restarted 13th with four fresh tires for the final four-lap sprint, worked to sixth, then cleared van Gisbergen and Elliott as time ran out. “There's 28 of our employees that were probably really pumped up about this,” Stenhouse said. Hyak was the top-finishing Chevrolet team in the race, outrunning multi-car operations including Hendrick, Trackhouse, and Richard Childress Racing.
Sources: Motorsport.com
Four Cup Regulars Among 36 Entries for Michigan Craftsman Truck Race
Four NASCAR Cup Series regulars are entered in Saturday's Craftsman Truck Series race at Michigan International Speedway, running June 6 at 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1 ahead of Sunday's FireKeepers Casino 400. Christopher Bell, Ross Chastain, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Carson Hocevar will all compete in the 36-truck field. Garrett Mitchell, also known as Cleetus McFarland, makes his second Truck Series appearance of 2026 in the No. 4 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet. Spencer Davis returns to the series for the first time since 2023 in the No. 5 Tricon Garage Toyota. Stewart Friesen is the defending winner of the Michigan truck race.
Sources: NASCAR.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 Suarez — 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
Source: Motorsport.com, after Race 14
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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