Cracker Barrel 400
Lebanon, Tenn. – May 31, 2026
AUSTIN CINDRIC No. 2 MENARDS/RICHMOND FORD MUSTANG DARK HORSE
START: 36TH STAGE 1: 20TH STAGE 2: 4TH FINISH: 26TH POINTS: 16TH
RACE RUNDOWN: Austin Cindric and the No. 2 Menards/Richmond Ford Mustang Dark Horse team battled through a challenging night at Nashville Superspeedway on Sunday to finish 26th in the Cracker Barrel 400. After inclement weather washed out qualifying on Saturday, the starting lineup was set per the NASCAR Rulebook, leaving Cindric to take the green flag from the 36th position. The No. 2 team steadily worked to improve the handling of the car throughout the opening two stages, using strategy and adjustments to gain track position. Cindric advanced to 20th by the end of Stage 1 before gaining valuable track position late in Stage 2. A series of cautions allowed crew chief Brian Wilson to employ strategy that moved the No. 2 Ford near the front of the field, and Cindric was scored fourth when the second stage ended under caution. Any momentum gained during the opening portions of the race was erased shortly after the start of the final segment. On Lap 193, Cindric was collected in an incident when another spinning car slid into his path, leaving him with substantial damage. The No. 2 team made multiple trips to pit road for repairs and worked through issues that included damage to the suspension. Despite the setback, Cindric remained on track and completed the event, ultimately crossing the finish line in 26th place.
CINDRIC’S THOUGHTS: “Obviously a frustrating result. We kept working on the balance and got ourselves some track position and stage points, but getting caught up in that incident hurt us. The guys did a great job repairing the damage and getting us to the finish. We’ll regroup and head to Michigan.”
RYAN BLANEY No. 12 ADVANCE AUTO PARTS FORD MUSTANG DARK HORSE
START: 7TH STAGE 1: 3RD STAGE 2: 14TH FINISH: 8TH POINTS: 3RD
RACE RUNDOWN: Ryan Blaney and the No. 12 Advance Auto Parts Ford Mustang Dark Horse team came away with an eighth-place finish Sunday night at Nashville Superspeedway, marking the team’s third-consecutive top-10 effort at the 1.33-mile oval. Following just over an hour rain delay, Blaney battled inside the top-10 during the opening run before a caution on lap 72 prompted crew chief Jonathan Hassler to make the call for right side tires and fuel, allowing the Advance Auto Parts Ford to win the race off pit road and restart from the outside of row two as a pair of teams opted to stay out. After taking the green flag with 11 laps remaining in the segment, Blaney charged to the lead before the caution flag flew to set up a one-lap shootout to the stage end, as he ultimately settled for a third-place finish. The No. 12 team opted to stay out between stages as Blaney went on to settle into fourth in the running order during the opening run of Stage 2. Hassler opted to run long when the green flag pit cycle began to take shape as Blaney eventually took over the lead on lap 141 before the caution flag flew four laps later with a majority of the field trapped a lap down. With several teams having to take the wave around, Blaney retained the lead after his trip to pit road under caution and went on to open up a two-second lead on the field following the restart. A caution on lap 173 saw a mix of strategies unfold as the No. 12 team opted for a four tire stop in order to stay out at the conclusion of the stage, resulting in a 14th-place finish in Stage 2. Several cautions at the start of the final segment only further varied the strategies throughout the field as Blaney was one of three cars to pit following the caution on lap 214, setting him up to restart 19th with 80 laps remaining. Blaney went on to charge up towards the top-10 from there, reaching as high as second in the running order as green flag pit stops were underway. Hassler called Blaney to pit road for another two tire stop with 27 laps left, allowing him to remain on the lead lap scored 14th at the time. A caution with 13 laps to go saw all but two cars ahead of Blaney hit pit road, prompting him to come down one final time for four tires prior to what ended up being the final restart of the night. After lining up to take the green flag from 11th with four laps to go, Blaney fought his way through two and three-wide battles to make his way up to eighth by the time the checkered flag flew.
BLANEY’S THOUGHTS: “It kind of got mixed up there when the yellow came out late in Stage 2. I had the lead and then we stayed out and some guys took two [tires] and we took four and I just couldn’t really get going on restarts and I’d lose one here and there. And then, yeah, we decided to pit and put rights on it there with 70 something to go and just try to do something. Ended up figuring we couldn’t make it. We came in and put four on and it ended up an OK finish. I just couldn’t really go anywhere when I was buried. But I appreciate Advance Auto Parts for doing what they do.”
JOEY LOGANO No. 22 SHELL-PENNZOIL FORD MUSTANG DARK HORSE
START: 9TH STAGE 1: 13TH STAGE 2: 26TH FINISH: 14TH POINTS: 18TH
RACE RUNDOWN: Joey Logano and the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse team finished 14th Sunday night at Nashville Superspeedway. Following an hour-plus rain delay, Logano took the green flag from ninth and fought a tight-handling condition during the first run of the night before the competition caution came out on lap 35. Crew chief Paul Wolfe made the call for right side tires only – one of five teams on the same strategy – as the No. 22 team gained Logano 11 spots to take the ensuing restart from the outside of row one with 49 laps remaining in the opening segment. Logano went on to settle into fifth in the running order before a caution on lap 72 saw varying strategies shake up the field as the Shell-Pennzoil hit pit road for a four tire stop in order to stay out in between stages. Following a 13th-place finish in Stage 1, Logano worked to regain track position during the opening run of Stage 2 before a caution in the middle of the green flag pit cycle trapped the No. 22 team a lap down after completing a four tire stop just five laps prior. After taking the wave around to rejoin the lead lap, Logano battled through traffic to eventually reach 26th in the running order by the conclusion of Stage 2. Logano continued to battle inside the top-20 as the final segment wore on before coming to pit road towards the start of the final green flag cycle of the night on lap 260. The final caution of the night flew with 13 laps to go as Wolfe called Logano to pit road for a set of four fresh tires prior to the final restart with four laps remaining as the Shell-Pennzoil Ford went on to take the checkered flag 14th.
LOGANO’S THOUGHTS: “We had our struggles early on and I think the call we made at the competition caution was what we needed in terms of track position. It didn’t play out the way we needed it to with the way the cautions fell and we weren’t able to regain those spots from there. A hard-fought night making the most of what we had, for sure.”
The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Michigan International Speedway on Sunday, June 7 for the FireKeepers Casino 400. Coverage begins at 3 p.m. ET on Prime, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
