After 300 laps of racing that featured 11 cautions, 31 lead changes, and a margin of victory of just over a tenth, Denny Hamlin collected his 62nd career NASCAR Cup Series victory.
Hamlin had to face-off against his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates, with the team scoring a 1-2-3, but it could have just as easily ended with all three in the outside wall.
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The chaotic night of exploded brake rotors, wrecks, and hurt feelings meant that there were plenty of winners and losers to choose from in Music City:
WINNER: Denny Hamlin closes the deal in JGR showdown
Watch: Hamlin wins Nashville thriller against teammates
Hamlin has loudly lamented the fact that he keeps losing races due to late-race cautions and chaotic restarts, but Nashville went the other way for the driver of the No. 11. He was likely going to finish third at Nashville, but a late caution gave him a shot at both of his teammates in final four-lap dash. Hamlin battled door-to-door with Bell, and got more aggressive with how much track he was using in every corner. On the final lap, he kept his cool and cleared the No. 20, taking the win by just over a tenth. Hamlin now has 62 Cup wins, but that was his first guitar in Music City. Hamlin had started the race from pole, but actually had to fight from the very back of the field after a penalty for jumping the initial start.
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Denny Hamlin wins frantic Nashville NASCAR Cup finish as JGR sweeps top three
Official race results: 2026 NASCAR Cup at Nashville
LOSER: Christopher Bell as another win slips away
Watch: Bell proud of his speed, team after P2 Nashville finish
Bell hasn’t won a Cup race since last September, but he was extremely close to winning the last two. He was on Daniel Suarez’s bumper just before the race-ending caution in the Coke 600, and he was leading on the final restart at Nashville, After an epic side-by-side battle, he entered Turn 1 on the final lap with a bit too much speed, slipping up the track and allowing Hamlin to clear him. Bell was clearly frustrated, saying: “It was all completely in my hands and I dropped the ball, so there’s nobody that had anything to do with losing the race except me.”
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WINNER: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. does Kyle Busch tribute car justice, makes huge points gain
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet; Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet; Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Stenhouse restarted 13th with four laps to go at Nashville, and driving a Kyle Busch tribute paint scheme, he drove that NOS Energy car like Rowdy would, ripping through the pack. He ultimately finished fourth, earning his best result at a non-drafting track in over four years. With a little more time, he could have even challenged for the race win. That result made Stenhouse the biggest mover in the championship, jumping three positions, and making huge gains on the Chase cut-line. He was 81pts behind entering Nashville, but leaves just 44pts behind 16th. Let’s not forget he also did that with one of the single-car teams left in Cup, and just over two-dozen employees.
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The little team that could: Ricky Stenhouse finishes fourth for Hyak in Kyle Busch tribute car
LOSER: The victims of exploding brake rotors, especially Ross Chastain
Ross Chastain damage, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Ross Chastain damage, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Brake issues were a theme of the night at Nashville, and there was no team harder hit than Trackhouse. Both Ross Chastain and Connor Zilisch suffered exploding brake rotors early, finishing 37th and 38th, respectively. While it was the continuation of a nightmarish rookie season for Zilisch, it caused Chastain to crater in the fight to make the Chase. He is now down to 26th in points, which is an absolute shock based on past years. What makes that even more frustrating for the No. 1 is the fact that they finally seemed to have some speed this weekend, but nothing to show for it after the early exit.
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They weren’t the only victims of brake rotor issues either. AJ Allmendinger won a stage, and crashed heavily while running third, derailing a promising night. Chris Buescher blew a brake rotor late as well, and his RFK Racing teammate Ryan Preece had a piece of a brake rotor go through the radiator, ending his own night and falling outside the Chase.
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WINNER: Shane van Gisbergen continues to reach higher on ovals
Shane van Gisbergen leads the field, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Shane van Gisbergen leads the field, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
The one bright spot for Trackhouse was once again SVG. He is carrying the struggling team on his back this year, and it’s safe to say that he has ovals figured out at this point. He led double digit laps in both the Coke 600 and at Nashville, and spent the majority of both races inside the top ten. This past weekend, he barely prevailed in a three-wide battle to the line, earning his first-ever top five on an oval by just 0.001s. He is now up to 12th in points, and is close to overtaking Hendrick’s William Byron, blowing away all expectations for the No. 97 Chevrolet.
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Shane van Gisbergen earns first-ever top five oval finish in Nashville Cup race
LOSER: Tyler Reddick due to his dented points lead, and destroyed car
Reddick finished a decent sixth at Nashville, but he had reasons to be frustrated after the checkered flag — partly due to the fact that he got turned head-on into the outside wall after the finish line. While his car was destroyed, Reddick’s main worry was just how much of a chunk race winner Hamlin took out of his points lead. Reddick gave up 25pts, and Hamlin is now 97 points behind. A few more trips to Victory Lane for the No. 11, and the battle for the points lead will be on.
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WINNER: Zane Smith and FRM swing for the fences
Zane Smith, Front Row Motorsports Ford
Zane Smith, Front Row Motorsports Ford
Smith and team rolled the dice on fuel and tried cutting out a stop at the end of the race. They held the lead until 13 laps to go, but a sudden caution allowed them to get on the offense. He went on to finish ninth after leading 18 laps, side-by-side with the highest-placing Ford of Ryan in eighth. It was a similar showing to one week ago, where he also led a bunch of laps before securing a top-ten finish. He’s already matched his season record for top tens, and there’s still over 20 races still to go in the season.
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LOSER: Bubba Wallace streak of bad luck continues
Wallace was completely dejected in his post-crash interview, and how can he not be? At the start of the year, he was second in points to championship-leading teammate Reddick, but in recent weeks, he has been free-falling down the standings. Wallace got put in the wall after an aggressive Carson Hocevar pushed Buescher out of the groove, and directly into the path of the No. 23. He has finished 29th or worse in five of the last nine races, including three DNFs for crashes. “Minding our own business again,” said Wallace outside the infield care center. “Another week our team doesn’t get the finish they deserve. I’m tired, man. It’s hard to be in the same boat constantly every week.”
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WINNER: Ty Dillon with his best finish of the year
Ty Dillon, Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Ty Dillon, Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Amid the chaos of Nashville, several smaller teams snagged strong finishes. Among them was the No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet of Ty Dillon. He kept his nose clean and finished 12th — his best result of the 2026 season. “I’m really proud of that finish,” said Dillon. That was our best finish of the year and it wasn’t without its challenges being two laps down at one point … I’m just proud of our effort, man. We’re digging. We’re fighters. We don’t give up no matter what comes our way, and I feel like our team is building.”
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LOSER: Kyle Larson’s top five day falls part on final restart
Larson had a top five car for most of the night, and definitely a top ten. The Hendrick Motorsports driver restarted sixth for the final restart, but immediately cut a tire down. It’s possible he hit a piece of brake rotor from the Buescher incident a few minutes earlier. A frustrated Larson spun into the pit lane, and finished 23rd.
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