NASCAR at Nashville results: Kyle Larson cruises to third straight Cup Series win at Ally 400

Edward Sutelan

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NASCAR at Nashville results: Kyle Larson cruises to third straight Cup Series win at Ally 400 image

It was clear early on that no one was going to beat Kyle Larson.

The only question late became whether the fuel tank would force him to pit. The answer? No.

Larson led for most of the race and cruised to the first-place finish in the Ally 400, winning his third straight NASCAR Cup Series race — fourth, if the All-Star Race is included. He finished the afternoon race having led for 264 laps in the 300-lap event. 

"Can't say enough about everybody at Hendrick Motorsports, HendrickCars.com, (car sponsor) Valvoline, Tommy Tarlton," Larson said after the race. "Thank you, Tommy, thanks, Metrotech, everybody who's been a part of this team this year and I just hope we can keep it going."

This was the first NASCAR Cup Series race at Nashville Superspeedway and the first time the city of Nashville has hosted a Cup Series race since 1984. 

While the race for first was largely in hand for most of the day, the fight for second place kept changing. Kyle Busch was a major contender for a while but had issues with his car and wound up dropping down into the 20s before finishing 11th. Chase Briscoe spent time in second, as did Larson's teammate William Byron. But in the end, Ross Chastain, who pitted at Lap 228 as compared to Lap 218 for the rest of the top five, was able to pull ahead of the field and finish behind Larson as the other drivers had to work to preserve fuel. 

Sporting News tracked live updates and lap-by-lap highlights from NASCAR's race at Nashville Superspeedway on Sunday.

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NASCAR at Nashville results

Kyle Larson easily picked up the win Sunday, leading an overwhelming majority of the race and only losing Stage 1 when Chase Elliott made a last-minute decision not to pit and instead keep driving during a caution. 

It was Larson's third straight win for points in the NASCAR Cup Series and his fourth straight win overall (he also took home the $1 million prize from the NASCAR All-Star Race). His four NASCAR Cup Series wins overall this season give him the most in the series, breaking a tie with Martin Truex Jr., who placed 23rd on Sunday. 

While Elliott finished the race in 13th, NASCAR announced late Sunday that he had been disqualified after a postrace inspection found his car had five loose lug nuts. Elliott was dropped to last place and he was credited with just one point.

Pos. Driver
1 Kyle Larson
2 Ross Chastain
3 William Byron
4 Aric Almirola
5 Kevin Harvick
6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
7 Daniel Suarez
8 Kurt Busch
9 Christopher Bell
10 Joey Logano
11 Kyle Busch
12 Austin Dillon
13 Chase Elliott (DQ)
14 Ryan Newman
15 Alex Bowman
16 Corey LaJoie
17 Michael McDowell
18 Anthony Alfredo
19 Tyler Reddick
20 Erik Jones
21 Bubba Wallace
22 Denny Hamlin
23 Martin Truex Jr.
24 Brad Keselowski
25 Matt DiBenedetto
26 Garrett Smithley
27 Josh Bilicki
28 JJ Yeley
29 BJ McLeod
30 Joey Gase
31 Cole Custer
32 Chase Briscoe
33 Ryan Preece
34 Chad Finchum
35 David Starr
36 Justin Haley
37 Chris Buescher
38 Ryan Blaney
39 Quin Houff

NASCAR at Nashville live updates, highlights from Ally 400

7:32 p.m.:  Make it four straight for Larson. Larson wins yet another race, coming in first in the Ally 400. 

7:28 p.m.:  Chastain is now up to second place, but he still trails Larson by nearly five seconds with six laps remaining. 

7:26 p.m.:  Hamlin has been told that he will not be able to finish on fuel. He's sitting in 10th right now, and will have to stop to be able to finish the race. Martin Truex Jr. just pitted. 

7:23 p.m.:  Larson's crew chief, Cliff Daniels, gives Larson the go-ahead on fuel to last the rest of the race. 

7:19 p.m.:  Chastain knows he'll be able to make it on fuel. He had a pit stop more recently than any other driver in the top five.

7:16 p.m.:  Chastain moves up into fifth place over Elliott. He's behind just Larson, Byron, Harvick and Almirola. 

7:13 p.m.:  Brad Keselowski is in 24th and is about to be lapped by Larson. He has been reporting brake problems to his team, as well. 

7:11 p.m.:  Suarez is reporting that he is having brake issues, which has been a common trend of the day. 

7:04 p.m.:  Larson uses the No. 51 car to get the debris off the grill and he's in the clear now. 

7:00 p.m.:  Larson, for the third time today, has debris on his grill. He's been able to get it cleared in the past. 

6:54 p.m.:  The green flag is back out with 68 laps left to go. Larson, Byron, Harvick, Elliott and Armirola lead the pack. 

6:53 p.m.:  Larson has set a personal-best for laps led during a season at 1,353.

6:50 p.m.:  Briscoe said that he lost his brakes. It's been one of those days with a number of drivers having brake issues. 

6:48 p.m.:  There's the 11th caution of the day as Briscoe hits the wall on Lap 228. 

6:47 p.m.:  Restart with 78 laps remaining. Larson, Byron, Chastain are the top three. 

6:43 p.m.:  A number of the leaders decide to pit. Larson is the first off pit row, but he'll come into third behind Chastain and Garrett Smithley as neither driver took a pit stop. 

6:40 p.m.:  Wallace having more issues, spins out in the grass and the caution flag is out with 83 laps remaining. 

6:35 p.m.:  Kyle Busch is all the way down to 26th with 89 laps to go. 

6:34 p.m.:  There was almost a problem for the two leaders at the restart. 

6:32 p.m.:  The green flag is back and Larson, Byron, Elliott, Hamlin and Kurt Busch make up the top five with under 100 laps to go. 

6:25 p.m.:  Ryan Preece spins out on turn two and the caution flag is back out at Lap 198. 

6:24 p.m.:  Several cars moving up ahead of Kyle Busch. The No. 18 car is now down to ninth place. 

6:21 p.m.:  There's the restart for the final stage and Larson and Byron are out in front with Kyle Busch, Hamlin and Stenhouse behind them. 

6:15 p.m.:  Larson holds on to win the second stage. Dillon, Briscoe, William Byron and Kyle Busch round out the top five. 

6:13 p.m.:  And there goes Larson taking the lead again with three laps remaining in the race. 

6:13 p.m.:  It did not take Larson long to move up into second. Briscoe still hanging onto the edge. Larson is on four fresh tires, while Briscoe is just on two. 

6:11 p.m.:  With five laps remaining, the green flag is back out on the Nashville Superspeedway. Briscoe, Reddick and Larson are the top three on the restart. 

6:07 p.m.:  Chase Briscoe and Tyler Reddick each go for a two-tire pit and move into the top two positions. Larson comes back in third with Austin Dillon in fourth and Kyle Busch in fifth. 

6:06 p.m.:  The leaders decide to pit with the caution flag still out. 

6:03 p.m.:  Cole Custer has a flat right rear tire and the caution flag is out for Lap 174. There's 11 more laps remaining in Stage 2. 

5:58 p.m.:  Almirola moves up into third ahead of Busch. It's still a healthy gap between Larson and Stenhouse for first, and between Stenhouse and Almirola now for second. 

5:55 p.m.:  Kyle Busch, moments after expressing frustration with his car, moves in ahead of Hamlin into third place. 

5:47 p.m.:  Stenhouse passes Kyle Busch to move into second and keep his incredible day going. He's been a constant presence in the top five for most of the day. 

5:43 p.m.:  The green flag is back out for lap 139 — lap 49 of Stage 2. Larson, Kyle Busch and Stenhouse make up the top three. 

5:43 p.m.:  Truex called for a speeding penalty on pit road, his second penalty of the day. 

5:38 p.m.:  Bubba Wallace gets a flat and spins, bringing out a caution flag. 

5:34 p.m.:  Matt DiBenedetto says that he is down a cylinder, as he is dropping down into the 20s. 

5:28 p.m.:  Ross Chastain makes some moves to jump up to the fourth spot, passing Logano and Kyle Busch. He now trails Larson, Stenhouse and Hamlin. 

5:22 p.m.:  Stenhouse is all the way up to second, leading Hamlin, Kyle Busch and Logano. Larson is still up by just over two seconds. 

5:18 p.m.:  The drivers have hit the restart and Larson is back out in front of Kyle Busch and Logano. 

5:09 p.m.:  Elliott wins the first stage and Kurt Busch places second. Larson finishes third, Suarez is in fourth and Kyle Busch is in fifth. 

5:08 p.m.:  Pit road is closed now with just two laps remaining in the first stage. 

5:06 p.m.:  With the green coming out, Elliott leads Kurt Busch and Daniel Suarez with only a few laps to go through the end of the stage. 

5:00 p.m.:  Alex Bowman is called for a speeding penalty on pit road. 

4:58 p.m.: Chris Buescher and Justin Haley both hit the wall, and the caution flag is back out on Lap 78. 

4:55 p.m.:  With 15 laps left in Stage 1, Larson is keeping steady in first place with Elliott in second and Stenhouse in third. 

4:50 p.m.: Kyle Busch is falling back a llittle bit. He's now down to fourth on lap 67, fighting with Kurt Busch going into the start of lap 68. 

4:46 p.m.:  Larson, Kyle Busch, Logano, Elliott and Kurt Busch are the top five on the restart. 

4:41 p.m.:  Here's a look at Blaney's collision to take him out of the race. 

4:40 p.m.:  Earlier during the race, Blaney's brakes looked like they might be having some issues. 

4:38 p.m.:  Larson retakes the lead, and the caution flag is back out. Blaney said his brake rotor blew out and he crashed into the wall. 

4:38 p.m.:  There's the restart and Busch is officially the leader in green. 

4:36 p.m.:  Busch will take the lead over Larson when the green flag is back out as he was off pit road first before the caution flag came out. 

4:29 p.m.:  Tyler Reddick goes for a spin in the grass and the caution flag is brought out for lap 46. 

4:28 p.m.:  The two leaders, Larson and Busch, both come into pit road. Almirola and Stenhouse Jr. also going to pit road. 

4:26 p.m.:  A number of drivers taking pit stops with Ryan Blaney, Denny Hamlin, Bubba Wallace, William Byron and others taking a trip to pit road with the green flag still out after lap 40. 

4:23 p.m.:  Ricky Stenhouse Jr. began the race in the No. 14 position. He's all the way up to fifth right now, trailing only Larson, Busch, Almirola and Logano at lap 38.

4:20 p.m.:  It's all Larson and Busch so far. Larson is leading the race by just over a second, but Busch's lead over Almirola in third place is by more than five seconds. 

4:18 p.m.:  NASCAR is going to be taking a look into the loose tire on Houff to see if there will be a need for suspensions. 

4:09 p.m.:  The back of Almirola's car hits Joey Logano, but Logano is able to save himself and keep going. Logano is in fourth with Almirola in third. 

4:07 p.m.:  Kyle Larson didn't take long to pull ahead between Kyle Busch and Aric Almirola. 

4:06 p.m.:  The green flag is back out for lap 6. 

4:01 p.m.:  Quin Houff loses a tire on the fence on the first lap and the caution flag is out. 

4:01 p.m.:  The green flag is out and the drivers are off in the Ally 400. 

3:59 p.m.:  Ryan Blaney will likely be heading into the pit early as he has some damage to the back of his car. 

3:50 p.m.:  Luke Combs tells the drivers to start their engines. 

3:43 p.m.:  Pre-race ceremonies underway with Cece Winans giving the invocation and Priscilla Block singing the national anthem. 

3:30 p.m.:  NASCAR announces that the race has been pushed back 10 minutes to give fans more team to get into the Nashville Superspeedway. 

3:27 p.m.:  Pitbull is excited to watch Daniel Suarez, the driver representing his team Trackhouse, race the Ally 400. 

3:05 p.m.:  How long has it been since a NASCAR Cup Series race was held in Nashville? Let's just say, it's been awhile. 

NASCAR start time today

  • Start time:  3:30 p.m. ET
  • TV channel:  NBCSN (TSN3 in Canada)
  • Live stream: NBCSports.com | fuboTV ( 7-day free trial )

The green flag for Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race at Nashville Superspeedway is scheduled to wave after 3:30 p.m. ET.

Rain may be a factor on race day. The National Weather Service's weekend forecast for Lebanon, Tenn. , where Nashville Superspeedway is located, calls for possible showers and thunderstorms Sunday afternoon and night, with a high temperature near 90 degrees. There is a 40 percent chance for precipitation Sunday afternoon, according to the weather service.

NASCAR starting lineup at Nashville

Aric Almirola keeps his strong run in qualifying races going. 

After earning a spot in the NASCAR All-Star Open by placing first after the 10 laps, Almirola posted the fastest qualifying time of 29.557 to take the pole position for the Ally 400. He came in just ahead of Kyle Busch, who placed second with a time of 29.572. 

Start Pos. Driver Car No. Team
1 Aric Almirola 10 Stewart-Haas Racing
2 Kyle Busch 18 Joe Gibbs Racing
3 Joey Logano 22 Team Penske
4 William Byron 24 Hendrick Motorsports
5 Kyle Larson 5 Hendrick Motorsports
6 Chase Elliott 9 Hendrick Motorsports
7 Cole Custer 41 Stewart-Haas Racing
8 Alex Bowman 48 Hendrick Motorsports
9 Erik Jones 43 Richard Petty Motorsports
10 Ryan Blaney 12 Team Penske
11 Matt DiBenedetto 21 Wood Brothers Racing
12 Kevin Harvick 4 Stewart-Haas Racing
13 Denny Hamlin 11 Joe Gibbs Racing
14 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing
15 Brad Keselowski 2 Team Penske
16 Chase Briscoe 14 Stewart-Haas Racing
17 Chris Buescher 17 Roush Fenway Racing
18 Anthony Alfredo 38 Front Row Motorsports
19 Ross Chastain 42 Chip Ganassi Racing
20 Ryan Preece 37 JTG Daugherty Racing
21 Bubba Wallace 23 23XI Racing
22 Daniel Suarez 99 TrackHouse Racing
23 Michael McDowell 34 Front Row Motorsports
24 Corey LaJoie 7 Spire Motorsports
25 Christopher Bell 20 Joe Gibbs Racing
26 Tyler Reddick 8 Richard Childress Racing
27 Justin Haley 77 Spire Motorsports
28 Austin Dillon 3 Richard Childress Racing
29 Ryan Newman 6 Roush Fenway Racing
30 Kurt Busch 1 Chip Ganassi Racing
31 BJ McLeod 78 Live Fast Motorsports
32 JJ Yeley 51 Petty Ware Racing
33 Chad Finchum 66 Motorsports Business Management
34 Josh Bilicki 34 Rick Ware Racing
35 Martin Truex Jr. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing
36 Garrett Smithley 53 Rick Ware Racing
37 Joey Gase 15 Rick Ware Racing
38 David Starr 13 Motorsports Business Management
39 Quin Houff 00 StarCom Racing

Edward Sutelan

Edward Sutelan Photo

Edward Sutelan joined The Sporting News in 2021 after covering high school sports for PennLive. Edward graduated from The Ohio State University in 2019, where he gained experience covering the baseball, football and basketball teams. Edward also spent time working for The Columbus Dispatch and Cape Cod Times.