Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin took the pole position for Sunday's 300-lap Cracker Barrel 400 NASCAR Cup Series race around the four-turn, 1.333-mile (2.145-kilometer) Nashville Superspeedway oval due to the fact that rain resulted in qualifying being canceled.
Rain canceling oval qualifying has become a bit of a weekly tradition. Dating back to mid-April, just one points-paying oval race has actually seen a real qualifying session.
Hamlin took the pole by way of the qualifying metric, which NASCAR introduced in 2020 but revised in 2025 to make it easier to understand and calculate. This metric is generally used to determine qualifying orders, but the reverse order is used when it is needed to determine starting lineups.
A full breakdown of that formula can be found here.
The driver of the No. 11 Toyota is set to share the front row with 23XI Racing's Tyler Reddick, who continues to own a massive lead in the point standings.
Here's a look at the full starting lineup for Sunday's Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway. Note that pre-race penalties are not factored into the chart below.
Full NASCAR Cup Series starting lineup at Nashville
Order | Driver |
|---|---|
1 | Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota |
2 | Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota |
3 | Daniel Suarez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet |
4 | Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota |
5 | Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet |
6 | Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota |
7 | Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford |
8 | William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet |
9 | Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford |
10 | Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet |
11 | Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford |
12 | Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing Ford |
13 | Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota |
14 | Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet |
15 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet |
16 | A.J. Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet |
17 | Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet |
18 | Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota |
19 | Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet |
20 | Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet |
21 | Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford |
22 | Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford |
23 | Riley Herbst, No. 35 23XI Racing Toyota |
24 | Corey Heim, No. 67 23XI Racing Toyota |
25 | Austin Hill, No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet |
26 | Noah Gragson, No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford |
27 | John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota |
28 | Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford |
29 | Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet |
30 | Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet |
31 | Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota |
32 | Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet |
33 | Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford |
34 | Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet |
35 | Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet |
36 | Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford |
37 | Chad Finchum, No. 66 Garage 66 Ford |
38 | Connor Zilisch, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet |
Live coverage of the Cracker Barrel 400 is set to be provided by Amazon Prime Video starting at 7:00 p.m. ET this Sunday, May 31. Don't miss any of the action from Nashville Superspeedway!
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