By Roy J. Akers — www.skyviewsports.net
  A full weekend of racing is on tap at Nashville Superspeedway, where Ford Racing will be going for its third straight NASCAR Cup Series victory. Joey Logano started the streak with his five-overtime triumph in 2024 and Penske teammate Ryan Blaney followed that up last year with the first of four victories of his 2025 season.     BLANEY GOING FOR BACK-TO-BACK NASHVILLE WINSRyan Blaney became the final Team Penske driver to reach Victory Lane last year when he captured the Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway. Blaney led a race-high 139 laps, including the final 32 as he won for the 14th time in his Cup career. That served as a springboard for Blaney, who went on to win three more times during the year, including the Championship Race in Phoenix. In five career starts at the speedway, Blaney has three top-10 finishes while the other two saw him go to the garage early after being involved in accidents.  SITTING ON 749The next Ford win will be its 750th all-time in NASCAR’s top series. Ned Jarrett is Ford’s win leader with 43 while Bill Elliott is second with 40. Shirtless Jimmy Florian scored the Blue Oval’s first series victory when he upset the likes of Lee Petty, Curtis Turner and Joe Weatherly at Dayton Speedway on June 25, 1950. Florian earned his nickname after getting out of his 1950 flathead Ford without a shirt. Overall, 91 drivers have won at least one series race with Ford, including notable drivers Mario Andretti, Dan Gurney, Parnelli Jones, A.J. Foyt, Richard Petty, and Dale Earnhardt. |
NASCAR National Series – NCS/NOAPS/NCTSS
Toyota drivers continue towards top of points … After Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Team Toyota now owns four of the top eight spots in the NASCAR Cup Series point standings. Tyler Reddick continues atop the points as he has all season long, leading Toyota teammate and team co-owner Denny Hamlin by 122 points. Ty Gibbs sits fourth in the points, 195 points back of Reddick. Christopher Bell, coming off a runner-up result on Sunday, is eighth in the standings, heading into this weekend at Nashville Superspeedway.
Reddick, Gibbs continue incredible starts … With fourth and sixth-place finishes in the Coca-Cola 600, Reddick and Gibbs extended their strong starts to the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season. Reddick has three consecutive top-five finishes entering this weekend, now with nine top-fives and 10 top-10s, along with his five victories, so far this season. For Gibbs, Sunday’s result gave him his ninth top-10 of the season in just 13 races, to go along with six top-fives and his Bristol Motor Speedway victory.
Hamlin, Bell look to continue Nashville success … Since the NASCAR Cup Series began racing at Nashville Superspeedway in 2021, Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR)’s Hamlin and Bell have garnered plenty of success at the 1.33-mile concrete oval. Hamlin has accrued two top-fives and three top-10s, as well as two poles there in 2022 and 2024. Hamlin also enters this weekend with eight top-10s in the last 11 Cup Series races, dating back to Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in March. Bell has earned four top-10s in the five races at Nashville, which includes his 10th-place finish last season. This Sunday also marks Bell’s 230th career Cup Series start.
Sawalich gaining steam … With his second consecutive fourth-place result last weekend in Charlotte, William Sawalich is gaining momentum heading into the summer stretch of the O’Reilly Series season. In 15 starts, Sawalich has six top-10s, three top-fives and his win at Rockingham Speedway in the spring. This weekend at Nashville also marks Sawalich’s 50th career O’Reilly Series start, a track where he sat on pole position last season.
Honeycutt remains on hot streak … With his runner-up finish last weekend in Charlotte, Truck Series points leader Kaden Honeycutt continued his strong run in the opening half of the 2026 season. The driver of the No. 11 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro for TRICON Garage now owns eight top-10s, seven top-fives and a victory at Watkins Glen in 10 total races so far this season. Honeycutt has four consecutive top-fives as well, dating back to Texas Motor Speedway. He currently leads the series points standings by 11 points.
