Cracker Barrel 400 – Nashville Superspeedway
Lebanon, Tenn. – June 1, 2025

AUSTIN CINDRIC No. 2 DISCOUNT TIRE FORD MUSTANG
START: 16TH STAGE 1: 15TH STAGE 2: 6TH FINISH: 18TH POINTS: 13TH
RACE RUNDOWN: Austin Cindric and the No. 2 Discount Tire team showed early strength in Sunday night’s Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway, ultimately finishing 18th when the checkered flag waved. After starting 16th, Cindric reported being fairly happy with the car in the early going and executed a long-run strategy in Stage 1, making his first trip to pit road on Lap 70. He closed out the opening segment in 15th. During the stage break, crew chief Brian Wilson called for two tires and fuel, positioning Cindric second for the restart alongside teammate Ryan Blaney. Cindric maintained solid pace throughout Stage 2, running inside the top five for much of the segment before finishing sixth to collect valuable stage points. The team opted for four tires and an air pressure adjustment ahead of the final stage and Cindric restarted seventh. Just past Lap 200, he reported the car didn’t fire off well but began to come to him over the run, describing the handling as “squirmy” while running in 13th. In the closing laps, Cindric battled through a shifting issue and made his final pit stop with under 50 laps to go. From there, he soldiered on to finish 18th in the Discount Tire Ford Mustang Dark Horse.

CINDRIC’S THOUGHTS: “I thought our strategy early really put us in a great position to control our race with some track position. I felt like my car, and all of our cars, had some really great long run speed and I felt like we weren’t able to capitalize on some of those restarts, kind of in the mess, but then I lost the capability to shift and that kind of put us in a box, honestly. I’m super happy for Ryan [Blaney], everybody at Team Penske—that’s a big win to get all of our guys in the playoffs and well-deserved for that bunch.”

RYAN BLANEY No. 12 MENARDS/CARDELL CABINETRY FORD MUSTANG
START: 15TH STAGE 1: 7TH STAGE 2: 1ST FINISH: 1ST POINTS: 7TH
RACE RUNDOWN: Ryan Blaney led a race-high 139 laps en route to his 14th-career Cup Series win Sunday night at Nashville Superspeedway as all three Team Penske entries have now clinched playoff berths 14 races into the 2025 season. Sunday night’s victory marks the fourth of Blaney’s career in which he’s led over 100 laps, culminating in he and crew chief Jonathan Hassler’s seventh win as a driver-crew chief pairing. Hassler’s strategy call to run the opening stage long and take right side tires only prior to the start of Stage 2 paid huge dividends Sunday night as Blaney ran in the top-five the remainder of the night, ultimately taking the lead with 17 laps to go in the second segment following a three-car battle with the Nos. 11 and 24 before picking up his third stage win of the season. Following a caution on lap 193, Blaney restarted from the outside of row one and cleared the field off of turn two to take over the top spot and maintained the lead up until the final green flag pit cycle began to take shape. Hassler called Blaney to pit road for one last four tire stop with 53 laps remaining and eventually cycled back to the lead with 31 laps to go and over a three-second advantage on the field. The race remained the green the rest of the way as Blaney made his way through lapped traffic, eventually taking the checkered flag to send the Menards/Cardell Cabinetry Ford Mustang to victory lane.

BLANEY’S THOUGHTS: “I never gave up hope, that’s for sure. We’ve had great speed all year, just hasn’t been the best year for us as far as good fortune. The 12 boys are awesome; they stick with it no matter how it goes, and it was great to finish one out tonight. We drove up to seventh there in the first stage, and I thought two tires were great. I thought my car was really good, and that really set us up for the rest of the race, so great job by [Jonathan Hassler], as always, all the 12 boys, appreciate what they do. The pit crew was great. Appreciate Menards, Cardell, Ford, Ford Motor Company, Roush Yates Engines, Discount Tire, Wabash, Wurth, Snap-on, DEX Imaging, BODYARMOR, Advance Auto Parts, everything that they do. It’s nice that it’s finally happening, so I’m ready to go celebrate.”

JOEY LOGANO No. 22 SHELL-PENNZOIL FORD MUSTANG
START: 9TH STAGE 1: 9TH STAGE 2: 4TH FINISH: 4TH POINTS: 8TH
RACE RUNDOWN: Joey Logano turned in a top-five result Sunday night at Nashville Superspeedway as the Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang took the checkered flag fourth in the Cup Series’ return to the 1.33-mile oval. Logano battled some handling issues early on after starting from ninth, but maintained his track position over the course of the opening run to come away with a ninth-place finish in Stage 1. Following a caution on lap 105, crew chief Paul Wolfe’s call for fuel only gained Logano five spots on pit road as Logano battled for the lead on the ensuing restart, but ultimately settled for a fourth-place effort in Stage 2. The No. 22 team’s four tire stop during the stage caution won Logano the race off pit road as the defending Nashville winner took the restart from the inside of row one with 102 laps to go, but was shuffled back to third in the running order. Following the final green flag pit cycle of the night with under 60 laps remaining, Logano cycled to fourth on the leaderboard and held the position the rest of the way in the top-five effort.

LOGANO’S THOUGHTS: “We did the details well. All but the one restart where I lost the lead there but I don’t think I would’ve maintained it anyways, that run [Ryan Blaney] had was just lights out which gave him that huge lead. The last run after the last pit stop was pretty solid, I thought, once we got going. It just took me 15-20 laps to get speed in the Shell-Pennzoil Mustang which is the same as what it was in practice. Proud of Team Penske, all of our cars have a win now and that’s pretty impressive. It shows all the teams are really strong. My guys were great on pit road today as well. That’s a solid, hard-earned top-five.”

The NASCAR Cup Series heads to the Michigan International Speedway on Sunday, June 8 for the Firekeepers Casino 400. Coverage begins at 2:00 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime Video and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

No. 16 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Camaro ZL1

Start: 17th
Stage 1 Finish: 36th
Stage 2 Finish: 25th
Finish: 20th

AJ Allmendinger and the No. 16 started at the rear of the field and performed a stop and go pit stop after taking the green flag as part of a penalty for unapproved adjustments. Allmendinger battled the handing of his LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevy for the duration of race, reporting early the car was tight in traffic and the front end lacked feel. The team made air pressure and wedge adjustments throughout the race to continue to help Allmendinger with handling.

“Tough start to the day; we fought hard and executed our plan of what we needed to do to try to stay one lap down, and eventually get back on the lead lap. We just struggled all night with the car being a little bit too tight and we didn’t have a lot of raw speed. I felt like we maximized the day as best as we could but it was disappointing. We all expected to be a little bit faster, but with how the weekend went and how the race played out, I think we finished about as high as we should have finished.” – AJ Allmendinger

No. 10 Grizzly Nicotine Pouches Camaro ZL1

Start: 31st
Stage 1 Finish: 33rd
Stage 2 Finish: 24th
Finish: 26th

Ty Dillon and the No. 10 Grizzly Nicotine Pouches Chevrolet team started the Cracker Barrel 400 from the 31st position on Sunday evening. Gambling with pit stratagy early in the race, Dillon ran as high as fourth before making a green-flag pit stop late in stage one. When the caution flag waved at the end of the first stage, Dillon and the No. 10 team took the wave around to return to the lead lap. Restarting the race deep in the field at the start of stage two, Dillon made his way back in to the top 20 before finishing the second stage in 24th. Continuing to make routine stops throughout the remainder of the race and battling for position, Dillon was able to cross the finsih line in 26th place.

About Kaulig Racing

Kaulig Racing™ is a full-time, multi-car NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) team, owned by award winning entrepreneur, Matt Kaulig. Established in 2016, Kaulig Racing™ has earned 27 NXS wins, made the NXS Playoffs consecutively each season since the playoff system started, and won two regular-season championships. In 2021, the team competed in select NCS events, before expanding to a two-car, full-time NCS team in 2022 and adding a third, part-time entry during the 2023 season. Since its first NCS start in 2021, the team has earned two wins. Kaulig Racing is currently fielding two full-time entries in the NCS and continues to field three full-time NXS entries. To learn more about the team, visit kauligracing.com.

Chris Buescher 14th, Brad Keselowski 23rd, Ryan Preece 28th

Lebanon, TN (June 1, 2025) – Roush Fenway Keselowski (RFK) Racing came to Music City looking to keep the rhythm going after a strong showing in Charlotte a week ago. Chris Buescher hit the high note Sunday night, leading the RFK charge with a strong run to a 14th-place finish. After leading the race at one point, Brad Keselowski finished 23rd, and Ryan Preece battled back from a spin to finish 28th.

No. 17 – Chris Buescher

Chris Buescher started 10th at Nashville Superspeedway on Sunday night and quickly settled into a steady rhythm with the Kroger/OIKOS Ford. Early in the 90-lap segment, Buescher reported the car was tight on corner exit, but as the laps clicked off, the handling came to him. This was evident during the stage in a fierce, side-by-side battle with Ross Chastain that lasted several laps and showcased Buescher’s tenacity. Buescher ended Stage One in 11th.

Stage Two took on a much different complexion than the opening segment. Avoiding trouble in a caution-filled stage was key. After a solid adjustment during the break between stages, Buescher restarted 16th and reported improved handling. A two-tire call on lap 106 gained track position, and despite battling a loose car on restarts, he kept the car clean and avoided multiple incidents. Buescher ended the stage 27th, still in the fight with a clean car.

When the final stage began, Buescher restarted 29th. Opportunity presented itself on lap 199. Capitalizing on a caution and intense restart, Buescher picked up positions and built momentum. By lap 246, he pitted for four tires and fuel, and after green-flag stops cycled through, he had worked his way up to 16th. With a strong final run, Buescher picked off a few more spots and scored a solid 14th-place finish, capping off a determined drive forward in the closing laps.

No. 6 – Brad Keselowski

Riding momentum from a 5th-place finish in last week’s Coca-Cola 600, Brad Keselowski started strong at Nashville Superspeedway on Sunday night. He rolled off sixth in pursuit of his 37th career win. Throughout most of the first stage, the Solomon Plumbing Ford consistently ran inside the top 10. As the laps wore on in the 90-lap segment, which ran caution-free, it became clear that track position would play a key role. Keselowski and Crew Chief Jeremy Bullins began devising ways to implement strategy and increase performance in the ensuing stages. Though Keselowski slipped to 13th by the end of Stage One, confidence remained high, with Bullins assuring him, “We’ll keep digging. We’ll be alright.”

Stage Two at Nashville brought challenges for the No. 6, but the team showed resilience throughout. After an early caution on lap 106, Keselowski pitted for two tires. However, as John Hunter Nemechek was entering his pit stall and Keselowski was exiting, the two collided. Fortunately, the car avoided major damage. A string of cautions followed, and on lap 130, contact from Corey Heim pushed Keselowski into the wall, forcing an unscheduled stop for quick repairs. Despite dropping to 32nd, Brad stayed focused, providing detailed feedback as the team worked to improve the car’s handling. With half the race still ahead, the team remained determined to fight back in the final stage.

Stage Three required strategy and perseverance. After taking extra time during the stage break for splitter repairs, Keselowski restarted 30th but quickly began moving forward, climbing to 27th as the car fired off with more strength than earlier in the race. With intensity building on a lap 199 restart, Keselowski steadily advanced to 23rd. As green-flag pit stops began, the No. 6 team rolled the dice, keeping Brad on track as long as possible in hopes of a timely caution. The strategy vaulted him to the lead with 34 laps to go. Unfortunately, the caution never came, and Brad had to pit on lap 267, dropping him back to 23rd, where he would ultimately finish.

“A long night,” said Keselowski, who had worked through multiple points of adversity. “We got run off the track several times and it got us in a hole that we couldn’t get out of.”

No. 60 – Ryan Preece

Coming off two straight top-10 finishes, Ryan Preece entered Nashville Superspeedway with momentum and sat right on the playoff cutline. The driver of the No. 60 Trimble Ford started 19th and steadily gained ground, advancing to 16th within the opening 25 laps. A green-flag pit stop on lap 45 for four tires and fuel helped him cycle up to 14th. Preece maintained a strong pace throughout the run and wrapped up Stage One in 16th, showing consistency even as the car challenged him on corner entry.

Preece restarted 16th to begin Stage Two, which was slowed by three consecutive cautions. When the race resumed on lap 155, he held his position using the bottom groove and found better balance in the closing laps of the stage. During the 95-lap segment, Preece gained five positions to climb to 11th.

During the final stage break, a longer stop to top off fuel dropped the No. 60 Ford to 24th. Just four laps into the final stage, while running in traffic, Preece got caught in dirty air entering turn one and spun, bringing out the caution, despite no significant damage. From there, Preece mounted a respectable recovery, working his way through the back of the field over the final 100 laps. He gained four positions over the final pit cycle to finish 28th.

“We had a really good run going until I just lost the car entering turn one,” Preece said. “I’m super proud of our team for battling and bringing me a fast car; I just didn’t finish there at the end.”

Up Next:
Michigan International Speedway (Brooklyn, MI): Sunday, June 8, 2025 @ 2:00 pm on Prime

About RFK Racing
RFK Racing, in its 38th season in 2025, features an ownership lineup pairing one of the sport’s most iconic names, Jack Roush, along with NASCAR Champion Brad Keselowski and Fenway Sports Group owner John Henry. Roush initially founded the team in 1988, and it has since become one of the most successful racing operations in the world, propelling him to be the first NASCAR owner to amass 300 wins and capturing eight championships, including back-to-back NASCAR Cup titles in 2003 and 2004. Keselowski, a former owner in the NASCAR Truck Series, is the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series Champion. In 2007, Roush partnered with Henry, who also owns Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox, English Premier League’s Liverpool F.C., and the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, to form Roush Fenway Racing. Off the track, RFK is a leader and proven winner in NASCAR marketing solutions, having produced multiple award-winning social media, digital content, and experiential marketing campaigns. Visit rfkracing.com and follow the team on all social platforms @rfkracing.

LEBANON, Tenn. (June 1, 2025) – The NASCAR Cup Series raced its way into Music City for Sunday’s Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway, located just a half hour outside the big city. On the 1.33-mile, D-shaped oval, a total of 39 cars took the green flag for the race. Erik Jones, driving the No. 43 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE, led the LEGACY MOTOR CLUB entries from the 14th starting position, with his teammate John Hunter Nemechek starting 36th in the No. 42 DriveValue.com Toyota Camry XSE. Chase Briscoe started from the pole, and when the checkered flag flew after 399 miles, Ryan Blaney found himself in victory lane.

Below is a look at how the LEGACY MOTOR CLUB entries fared:

JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
NO. 42 DRIVEVALUE.COM TOYOTA CAMRY XSE RACE RECAP:
START: 36TH | FINISH: 27TH | POINTS: 22ND
On Sunday evening, beneath a beautiful Tennessee sunset sky, the 39-car field took the green flag in front of a sold-out crowd. Starting deep in the field, the No. 42 DriveValue.com Toyota Camry XSE team knew they needed to gain track position early, with the leaders expected to come around quickly.

For the opening run, the No. 42 team opted for a long pit strategy, becoming one of the last teams to make their green-flag stop. After pitting on lap 70, Nemechek rejoined the 1.33-mile speedway just ten car lengths ahead of the leader, running 35th. It was crucial for the Mooresville, North Carolina native to stay ahead and remain just one lap down. He managed to build a small gap and finished Stage 1 in 35th, one lap off the pace. At the stage break, the team took the wave-around to get back on the lead lap, hoping for a quick caution to make a much-needed pit stop for fresh tires.

That caution came on lap 106. As the team prepared to pit, chaos unfolded on pit road as several cars opted for two-tire stops, creating congestion. As the No. 42 entered its stall, the No. 6 car exited his pit box and made contact with the left side of the 42. Crew chief Travis Mack assessed the situation and, seeing no significant damage, the team completed their stop for tires and fuel.

Stage 2 was a dramatic shift from the green-flag-only first stage. Multiple cautions early in the segment allowed Nemechek to work his way up through the field, restarting 22nd by lap 122 and breaking into the top 20 by lap 130. As Stage Two came to a close under the night sky, Nemechek had slipped back to 28th.

During the stage break, Nemechek reported handling differences between the top and bottom lanes, saying the car was loose and needed more rear grip. Mack called him in for four tires, fuel, and a chassis adjustment to tighten up the handling. The No. 42 restarted the final stage in 26th.

With 80 laps remaining in the 300-lap event, Nemechek radioed in that he was feeling pretty good but stuck in traffic during a long green-flag run. On lap 248, the team made their final green-flag pit stop, rejoining the race in 34th. The final 52 laps ran caution-free, and Nemechek brought the No. 42 DriveValue.com Toyota Camry XSE home in 27th.

JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK QUOTABLE:

“Unfortunately not the night that we needed. We got caught with bad track position and that means a lot on these type of tracks. We’ll learn from this and move on to the next one.”

ERIK JONES
NO. 43 DOLLAR TREE TOYOTA CAMRY XSE RACE RECAP:
START: 14TH | FINISH: 7TH | POINTS: 24TH
After qualifying 14th for Sunday night’s Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway, Jones was ready to tackle the concrete oval under the lights. He was 13th within a lap and held steady there in the opening segment of the race. Despite feeling like he lacked grip in his No. 42 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE, he still put down similar lap times to the front of the field. He pitted on lap 43 during green flag pit stops for four tires, fuel, and an air pressure adjustment. When the field cycled through, he was 17th and still battling a free racecar.

In the final laps of Stage 1, he was able to move his way up a couple of spots to finish 12th, just outside the top-10. Jones told his crew that he was a little too free from entry to middle at both ends of the 1.33-mile oval. The team pitted for four tires, fuel and another air pressure adjustment.

He restarted the second stage in 11th and entered the top-10 in just two laps. Jones ran there until the lap 106 caution where he took a chance to pit for right side tires and fuel only. After restarting 11th, he quickly found himself in seventh throughout a flurry of cautions during the second stage. After some contact on lap 118 with the No. 20, he held his position as the team reported no damage. Jones felt like the car was better and proved it as he moved up to fifth by lap 138. He held this position as the rest of the stage went green to finish there and earn six valuable stage points.

During the stage break, the No. 43 Dollar Tree team pitted for four tires, fuel, and another air pressure adjustment. Thanks to the help of his quick crew, Jones gained two spots on pit road to restart third in the final stage.

He took the outside row on the second row on top for the Stage 3 restart. While he struggled on the initial launch, he settled into fourth as the caution came out just one lap into the run. On the next restart, Jones was battling for second with the No. 22 for several laps before settling for third. He defended his position for several laps before the No. 11 passed him, but he was able to hold off the No. 24 as his long run speed kicked in. He held that position as the rest of the field battled it out.

Jones visited pit road for his final pit stop on lap 242 under green with 58 laps to go in the race. He was the first of the field to visit and cycled through to eighth as pit stop strategies varied. As the laps counted down, Jones found himself struggling with a loose car. He fell back to seventh with just over 20 laps to go in the race. He held that position until the checkered flag to earn his second top-10 of the 2025 season,

ERIK JONES QUOTABLE:

“I think our mile-and-a-half stuff has been pretty good all year. I feel like it is a matter of we have to put it together. Today was a good day of putting it together. We didn’t have any mistakes. We had good pit stops. It just is cleaning everything up, and continuing to improve on these cars. Like at the end there, that was all we had. Our balance was pretty good, so we still need to get a little faster. We’ve done a great job. We are getting there. We are optimizing the speed. The mile-and-a-halves are our strong suit, so hoping we have more of it in Michigan. That would be a fun one to be up front again.”

NEXT UP: The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn for the Firekeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway.

Practice and qualifying take place on Saturday, June 7 starting at 9:35 a.m. EDT. The Firekeepers Casino 400 will cap off the weekend on Sunday, June 8 starting at 2 p.m. EDT.

Catch all the action on Amazon Prime, MAX, MRN Radio, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).

ABOUT LEGACY MOTOR CLUB: (LEGACY MC) is a premier auto racing organization co-owned by seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and 2024 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee, Jimmie Johnson and Knighthead Capital Management, LLC. Drawing from a rich tradition of success, LEGACY MC is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of motorsport and setting new standards of excellence. The CLUB competes under the Toyota Gazoo Racing banner in the NASCAR Cup Series with the No. 43 Toyota Camry XSE piloted by Erik Jones and the No. 42 Toyota Camry XSE driven by John Hunter Nemechek. Johnson also races on a limited basis in the No. 84 Toyota Camry XSE. With NASCAR legend and Hall of Famer Richard Petty, “The King”, serving as CLUB Ambassador, LEGACY MC blends timeless racing traditions with a new forward-thinking vision. As an inclusive community for motorsport enthusiasts, LEGACY MC honors both its storied past and the promising future of its members, always striving for victory and championship glory at the pinnacle of NASCAR competition.

Challenging Race for Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Toys for Tots Chevrolet Team at Nashville Superspeedway

Finish: 29th
Start: 21st
Points: 26th

“It was a long night for everyone on the No. 3 Toys for Tots Chevrolet team at Nashville Superspeedway. We missed the setup a little and I struggled with a Chevy that was too loose to race. Additionally, the brakes were chattering for most of the night. We did our best to manage it, but with the handling issues we were facing there was no way to gain track position. We tried to long run the last green-flag pit stop, but that strategy didn’t pan out for us. We ended up going from 21st to 29th. I don’t know what to say except it was miserable. As a team, we need to execute a little better. We all want more, so we’ll keep trying.” -Austin Dillon

Kyle Busch and the No. 8 zone Chevrolet Team Collect Respectable Finish at Nashville Superspeedway

Finish: 12th
Start: 29th
Points: 15th

“Decent finish for the No. 8 zone Chevrolet team at Nashville Superspeedway, so credit to the hard-working guys and gals at RCR because we had our work cut out for us tonight. The rubber build up on the track was noticeable and if we got the right-rear above the rubber, it was ice. The handling of our Chevy trended free, especially as the race went on. Randall Burnett and everyone on the No. 8 team continued to get after it and made adjustments that got us headed in the right direction. We stuck with it all day and got a respectable finish out of it.” -Kyle Busch

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Cracker Barrel 400
Sunday, June 1, 2025

Ford Unofficial Finishing Results:

1st – Ryan Blaney
4th – Joey Logano
13th – Zane Smith
14th – Chris Buescher
18th –Austin Cindric
19th – Cole Custer
22nd – Todd Gilliland
23rd –Brad Keselowski
28th – Ryan Preece
30th – Josh Berry
33rd– Cody Ware
35th – Chad Finchum
38th – Noah Gragson

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Menards/Cardell Cabinetry Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “I never gave up hope, that’s for sure. We’ve had great speed all year, just hasn’t been the best year for us as far as good fortune. The 12 boys are awesome; they stick with it no matter how it goes, and it was great to finish one out tonight.”

Q. How much did the game change for you on the 12 team when Hassler made the call for the two-tire stop at the end of Stage 1 and you got all that track position?

“Yeah, I thought it was a good call. We drove up to seventh there in the first stage, and I thought two tires were great. I thought my car was really good, and that really set us up for the rest of the race, so great job by him, as always, all the 12 boys, appreciate what they do pit crew was great. Appreciate Menard’s, Cardell, Ford, Ford Motor Company, Roush Yates Engines, Discount Tire, Wabash, Worth, Snap-on, DEX Imaging, Body Armour, Advance Auto Parts, everything what they do. It’s nice that it’s finally happening, so I’m ready to go celebrate.”

Q. You don’t normally do burnouts after a win, but Corey LaJoie loves to grade burnouts. So I’m sure he’s very happy you gave him one?

“I didn’t think it was very good, but did the crowd like the burnout or not? They liked it so that’s all that matters.”

NOAH GRAGSON, No. 4 Rush Truck Centers Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “I gave him a whole two lanes off the bottom and he just trekked me. It annihilated us. It was so early in the race and that was a hard hit. It is just sort of the story of our year so far. We’ve been running good, running better, then we get taken out by things not of our doing. We just have to go faster to get away from it all. We have been building good cars. We ran good at Charlotte. I feel like we have good speed at some of these tracks. I am really proud of everyone at Front Row Motorsports. It just sucks to be annihilated like that.”

CHRIS BUESCHER, No. 17 Kroger/OIKOS Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “Incredibly aero sensitive race. We just didn’t get the details right. We had decent speed but we didn’t perform at the level we are capable of. On to Michigan. We should be really good there. I am excited for it. It has been a really good one for us. We had a good tire test there. We will see what the new tire does but the speed was there.”

JOSH BERRY, No. 21 Freightliner Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “I thought our car was pretty solid. We had worked our way into the top-ten at the end of the second stage. Unfortunately, had a penalty on pit road and got mired in the back and just couldn’t get back up there. All in all, I was pretty happy with our Ford Mustang and we will get them next week.”

JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “We just took too long to get going. That pretty much was our day. Proud of Team Penske and proud of Ford. The car wasn’t fast in the first 30 laps.”

COLE CUSTER, No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “Our guys did a great job tonight and have been working their tails off to get better and better. We ran a good number of laps inside the top 15 and brought home a solid top-20 finish, but this race showed we can go out there and compete.”

CODY WARE, No. 51 Arby’s Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “Just a really frustrating night. I felt like we had a decent Arby’s Ford Mustang Dark Horse tonight, but the night kind of fell apart after we had an issue with a wheel at the start of the final stage. It’s a tough, tough way to have a swing like that in what would have been a decent day for the team. So we’re just going to reset, re-rack it for Michigan and just keep building on the progress we’re making as a race team.”

RICK WARE RACING
Cracker Barrel 400

Date: June 1, 2025
Event: Cracker Barrel 400 (Round 14 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway (1.33-mile, concrete oval)
Format: 300 laps, broken into three stages (90 laps/95 laps/115 laps)

Race Winner: Ryan Blaney of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner: Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Ryan Blaney of Team Penske (Ford)

RWR Finish:

● Cody Ware (Started 34th, Finished 33rd / Running, completed 297 of 300 laps)

RWR Points:

● Cody Ware (36th with 84 points)

Race Notes:

● Ryan Blaney won the Cracker Barrel 400 to score his 14th career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his first of the season and his first at Nashville. His margin over second-place Carson Hocevar was 2.83 seconds.

● This was Ford’s 745th all-time NASCAR Cup Series victory and its fourth of the season. Josh Berry won for the Blue Oval March 16 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Austin Cindric won April 27 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, and Joey Logano won May 4 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.

● This was Ford’s second NASCAR Cup Series victory at Nashville. Logano won last year’s race.

● There were seven caution periods for a total of 35 laps.

● Twenty-five of the 39 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.

● William Byron remains the championship leader after Nashville with a 48-point advantage over second-place Kyle Larson.

Sound Bites:

“Just a really frustrating night. I felt like we had a decent Arby’s Ford Mustang Dark Horse tonight, but the night kind of fell apart after we had an issue with a wheel at the start of the final stage. It’s a tough, tough way to have a swing like that in what would have been a decent day for the team. So we’re just going to reset, re-rack it for Michigan and just keep building on the progress we’re making as a race team.” – Cody Ware, driver of the No. 51 Arby’s Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the FireKeepers Casino 400 on Sunday, June 8 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn. The race begins at 2 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by Prime Video and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

HAMLIN TOP TOYOTA IN 700th CAREER CUP START AT NASHVILLE
Hamlin leads five Toyota Camrys in the top-10

NASHVILLE (June 1, 2025) – Denny Hamlin had a strong run in his 700th NASCAR Cup Series start, as the Virginia-native won the first stage, led five times for 79 laps and scored the top-finish for Toyota in third. With the finish, Hamlin moved up to fourth in the point standings.

It was a solid night for Team Toyota as five Toyota Camry drivers, and all three Toyota partner teams, finished inside the top-10 – Hamlin (third), Bubba Wallace (sixth), Erik Jones (seventh), Tyler Reddick (ninth) and Christopher Bell (10th).

Toyota GAZOO Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Nashville Superspeedway
Race 14 of 36 – 399 miles, 300 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS

1st, Ryan Blaney*

2nd, Carson Hocevar*

3rd, DENNY HAMLIN

4th, Joey Logano*

5th, William Bryon*

6th, BUBBA WALLACE

7th, ERIK JONES

9th, TYLER REDDICK

10th, CHRISTOPHER BELL

17th, CHASE BRISCOE

24th, RILEY HERBST

27th, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK

31st, TY GIBBS

37th, COREY HEIM

*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 Progressive Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 3rd

What more did you need tonight?

“We just needed to be a little bit faster there at the end. The 12 (Ryan Blaney) had exceptional long run speed there – just couldn’t hang with him after about 40 laps on a set of tires. They just had a lot of speed. We were just kind of next best there with our Progressive Camry, so we just went long there to kind of gain a tire advantage just in case a caution came out – we line up right behind them if we don’t pit for tires, and then in the end, the track – just a weird thing – everyone went to the bottom, and it created a lot of dust for the middle and top grooves, and we couldn’t get off of the bottom – so everyone just kind of freight trained that last 30 laps.”

BUBBA WALLACE, No. 23 Chumba Casino Toyota Camry XSE, 23XI Racing

Finishing Position: 6th

How frustrating was getting that penalty early?

“It was frustrating because I knew that we were fast. It was nice to kind of methodically work our way through the field and make passes. I’ll never understand strategy. I thought we were pitting into 12th, and they were like that is fifth and fourth in front of you, and I was like how did that happen? All-in-all, a good night for our Chumba Casino Camry. Proud to get Chumba Casino a good run – they deserve it. Brand new partner. They were actually here this weekend, all the way from Australia, so proud to do them a solid. We are going to Michigan.”

ERIK JONES, No. 43 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB

Finishing Position: 7th

Great night, can you tell us about your race?

“A great day. Ran really strong, at times a top-five car. We lost it a little bit in the end with the Dollar Tree Camry, but two good weeks, so proud of that, and hopefully more to come at Michigan.”

Where is the speed coming from?

“I think our mile-and-a-half stuff has been pretty good all year. I feel like it is a matter of we have to put it together. Today was a good day of putting it together. We didn’t have any mistakes. We had good pit stops. It just is cleaning everything up, and continuing to improve on these cars. Like at the end there, that was all we had. Our balance was pretty good, so we still need to get a little faster. We’ve done a great job. We are getting there. We are optimizing the speed. The mile-and-a-halves are our strong suit, so hoping we have more of it in Michigan. That would be a fun one to be up front again.”

COREY HEIM, No. 67 Chief’s Toyota Camry XSE, 23XI Racing

Finishing Position: 37th

What happened?

“I’m pretty sure I just kind of cleared myself across the nose of the 6 (Brad Keselowski). A little bit too desperate. We were moving forward really quick and I had a lot of confidence in my Chief’s Camry and thought I could clear him by the time I got to the wall, and just used too much race track, so sorry to those guys. It looks like I kind of ruined his day too and never want to do that. Just can’t say enough about the speed we had. I think if we didn’t start in 33rd, we could have been battling in the top-10. A lot of positives just screwed it up on my part. Huge thank you to 23XI, Toyota, Chief’s for coming on board. Definitely had a lot of fun, and looking forward to doing again.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for nearly 70 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.

Toyota directly employs nearly 64,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 49 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants. In spring 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 31 electrified options.

For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

NASCAR CUP SERIES
NASHVILLE SUPERSPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE REPORT
JUNE 1, 2025

Hocevar Leads Chevrolet with Runner-Up Finish at Nashville Superspeedway

 TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
2nd – Carson Hocevar
5th – William Byron
8th – Kyle Larson

• Coming off a heartbreaking finish one week ago, Spire Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar rebounded with a runner-up finish in his No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet to lead the Bowtie brigade to the finish in the Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway. The result marked Hocevar’s second top-five finish of the 2025 season, while also matching his career-best finish of second with just 59 career starts in NASCAR’s top division.
• For back-to-back weekends, William Byron was a race winning contender throughout much of the race – ultimately driving his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to a fifth-place finish in the Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway. With yet another strong Saturday performance, Byron posted his 10th top-10 qualifying effort of the 2025 season – lining up third for the 300-lap race. Nabbing a pair of top-four finishes in the stages, the 27-year-old Charlotte, North Carolina, native remained a steady fixture in the top-10 throughout much of the race en route to his seventh top-five and ninth top-10 finish with 14 points-paying races complete.
• Kyle Larson and the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team turned a turbulent race into an impressive run that ended with an eighth-place finish at the Tennessee track. Fitting an uphill battle after a disappointing qualifying effort, the struggles continued throughout the first-half of the race. But continuing to go to work on their Chevrolet-powered machine, the Cliff Daniels-led team finally broke into the top-10 during the final stage to collected a well-earned top-10 finish.
• Trackhouse Racing celebrated its 300th NASCAR Cup Series start at the organization’s home track of Nashville Superspeedway. Coming off his first crown jewel win in his NASCAR career, Ross Chastain and the No. 1 Chevrolet team led the three-car organization to the checkered-flag with an 11th-place result.
• Entering the Nashville race weekend back atop the NASCAR Cup Series points standings, William Byron turned in a 48-point day in his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to keep the reigns with a now 48-point lead.

Chevrolet’s all-time NASCAR Cup Series statistics at Nashville Superspeedway:

Wins: 3
Poles: 1
Top-Fives: 12
Top-10s: 22

Chevrolet’s season statistics with 14 NASCAR Cup Series races complete:

Wins: 5
Poles: 7
Top-Fives: 29
Top 10s: 63
Stage Wins: 14

UP NEXT: The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Michigan International Speedway with the Firekeepers Casino 400 on Sunday, June 8, at 2 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on Amazon Prime Video, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
Post-Race Driver Quotes:

Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet Finished: 11th

“Overall, a fairly strong night in the Busch Light Country Chevrolet. We started the race too loose and then Phil tightened me up and it was too much, so we worked on finding the balance. Just one spot short of a top-10 but looking forward to next weekend at Michigan.”

Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

Finished: 29th

“It was a long night for everyone on the No. 3 Marines Toys for Tots Chevrolet at Nashville Superspeedway. We missed the setup a little and I struggled with a Chevy that was too loose to race. Additionally, the brakes were chattering for most of the night. We did our best to manage it, but with the handling issues we were facing there was no way to gain track position. We tried to long run the last green-flag pit stop, but that strategy didn’t pan out for us. We ended up going from 21st to 29th. I don’t know what to say except it was miserable. As a team, we need to execute a little better. We all want more, so we’ll keep trying.”

Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Finished: 8th

“We just fought through it all day. We had some good restarts that worked out for us. It was just a really tough day, but I’m proud of the effort by this No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet team for never giving up. Obviously I wish the whole weekend would have been better and I think we could have had a little easier of a day.”

What can you say about the perseverance by this No. 5 Chevrolet team?

“Yeah, it was great. There for a lot of the race, I was thinking a top-20 was going to be the day that we should have. We just had some good restarts. It’s just really hard to pass here. Guys couldn’t pass me and I couldn’t pass the cars in front of me, and I just kind of settled in and chipped away at it. It looked like it could have been way worse, really. I almost got into a few crashes a handful of times, so coming home with an eighth-place finish, I’m pretty happy with it.”

William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Finished: 5th

“I felt like our car potential was probably third, behind the No. 12 (Ryan Blaney) and No. 11 (Denny Hamlin). We just never really got to restart with clean air. I think if we could have restarted with clean air, maybe we could have held them off, but it just seemed like we had to do too much to our car to keep up with those guys. I thought it was a good effort by this No. 24 Raptor High Heat Chevrolet team. We tried something a little bit different on that last stop. It ran long and, honestly, it was going to be good, and then we just kind of had a slow sequence. It was a good day overall. Nashville Superspeedway has been kind of a tough place for us the past couple of years. I felt like we had good speed, we just couldn’t quite get the handling.”

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet

Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident in Stage Two.

Finished: 39th

Stenhouse Jr. on the accident that ultimately ended the day early for the No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet team.

“A lap or two before, he (Carson Hocevar) tried to dive into there from about 10 car lengths back. And then that time, I just opened my entry a little bit and he overcharged the corner and drilled us in the rear bumper. I’d say it’s not out of the norm from him, but I definitely wasn’t expecting that at that point of the race. It’s just a bummer for us. The No. 47 NOS Energy Chevrolet wasn’t great, but we were making changes. I felt like after that restart, I was a little bit better than I was the run before. We were just burning our right-rear tire off there throughout the run.

We’ll go back to the shop and regroup. It’s a busy couple of weeks for our team getting ready for Michigan and Mexico City. Those two races back-to-back, we have to have all four cars ready. We’ll refocus and get ready for next weekend. As soon as these races are over, we focus on what’s next. We’ll try and bounce back strong next weekend and get back rolling.”

Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

Finished: 2nd

During the race, you said your car was “undriveable”, so how did you and your team adjust to get you to a runner-up finish?

“Either I’m really dramatic or they’re really good on adjustments… probably a little bit of both. I’m proud of this No. 77 Zeigler Auto Group Chevrolet team and proud of this car. Nashville Superspeedway is a really, really difficult place to pass, and we were able to go from 26th to second and have a shot at it. Just really proud of this group. After how last weekend ended, this was a really good reset being able to put together a good and deserved finish.”

Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Finished: 16th

“It was an OK day for this No. 99 Tootsie Orchid Lounge Chevrolet team. We fired off a little bit too far off again. The speed got a little bit better, but it took us pretty much a stage and a half to get it where we needed it to be. It was just difficult to pass. It was an average night. We just have to continue to keep working on it.”

About General Motors

General Motors (NYSE:GM) is driving the future of transportation, leveraging advanced technology to build safer, smarter, and lower emission cars, trucks, and SUVs. GM’s Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC brands offer a broad portfolio of innovative gasoline-powered vehicles and the industry’s widest range of EVs, as we move to an all-electric future. Learn more at GM.com.