Denny Hamlin will lead the field to the green flag Sunday night at Nashville Superspeedway after rain washed out NASCAR Cup Series qualifying for the second straight week.

The post Hamlin on Nashville pole after another qualifying rainout appeared first on Mr PitBox.

For the second consecutive week, NASCAR qualifying for the Cup Series race was canceled due to weather. It happened this time at Nashville Superspeedway, with the metric score once again determining the NASCAR starting lineup for tomorrow’s Cracker Barrel 400.

Here is the Cracker Barrel 400 starting lineup tomorrow. Further below, you can find the NASCAR starting grid for Sunday’s race at Nashville.

Cracker Barrel 400 Starting Lineup

Here is the NASCAR starting lineup for Sunday’s Cracker Barrel 400.

NASCAR Starting Grid at Nashville

Here is the Cracker Barrel 400 starting grid.

More must-reads:

• NASCAR Rumors: Latest on Noah Gragson’s Future with FRM
• NASCAR Rumors: Insider Reveals Another Cup Series Driver on Hot Seat
• NASCAR News: RFK Racing President Reveals 2027 Cup Plans Amid Charter Issue

The post NASCAR Starting Lineup Nashville: Cracker Barrel 400 Grid after Qualifying appeared first on Mr PitBox.

Denny Hamlin believes that Corey Heim is one of those generational talents that only come around every now and then, and 23XI Racing will have his services for years to come.

The post ‘I knew I needed to get Corey’ – Hamlin appeared first on Mr PitBox.

23XI Racing made it official Saturday that Corey Heim will be a full-time driver in its stable beginning in 2027. Heim, 23, will pilot the No. 35 Toyota Camry. He will replace Riley Herbst.“Since I was five years old, all I ever wanted was to be a Cup driver,” Heim…

The post Heim finally gets full-time Cup Series ride with 23XI Racing appeared first on Mr PitBox.

Front Row Motorsports driver Noah Gragson came into the season viewed as one of the likeliest to be on the hot seat in 2026 based on his performances last year. Judging by the early results this season, it appears Gragson’s future in the Cup Series is still iffy.

During last week’s Door, Bumper, Clear Fan Day Show, The Athletic ‘s NASCAR reporter Jordan Bianchi said he believes there’s a 60-40 chance of Noagh Gragson keeping his seat in the Cup Series next season.

Related: Another Cup Series Driver on The Hot Seat

• Noah Gragson stats: 181 points, 1 top 10, 2 laps led, 28.077 average starting position, 23.385 average finishing position

That aligns pretty well with what Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports reported a few weeks ago. Gragson does have a “strong personality” that could help with sponsorship, but the lack of on-track success could eventually compel Front Row Motorsports to make a change.

Gragson, who turns 28 in July, is winless through 188 career Cup Series races. He finished 34th in the Cup Series standings last season, recording just three top-10 finishes with a 25.67 average starting position and a 25.17 average finishing position.

There’s been minimal improvement from the No. 4 team in 2026. He’s on pace to finish with fewer top-10 finishes over the last two seasons than he had in 2024 alone, and his average finishing position (23.39) is still one of the worst among full-time drivers in the Cup Series.

Who could replace him? Pockrass suggested a few weeks ago that Layne Riggs and Chandler Smith could be options to replace Gragson in the No. 4 car at Front Row Motorsports. However, FRM may not be able to land the same level of financial support from sponsors.

Smith, who turns 24 in June, has raced three times in the Cup Series for FRM, and he’s currently fourth in the Truck Series standings right now with 362 points, one win and seven top-10s in 11 races.

Riggs, who also turns 24 in June, just won Friday night’s Truck Series race in Nashville and sits atop The Chase standings. However, unlike Smith, he’s never raced at the Cup level, and the absence of experience in the Next Gen car might make Smith a better option.

More must-reads:

• NASCAR Rumors: Insider Reveals Another Cup Series Driver on Hot Seat
• NASCAR News: RFK Racing President Reveals 2027 Cup Plans Amid Charter Issue
• NASCAR Entry List Nashville: Cup Series Drivers for Cracker Barrel 400

The post NASCAR Rumors: Latest on Noah Gragson’s Future with FRM appeared first on Mr PitBox.

Layne Riggs pulled the No. 34 Ford into victory lane at Nashville Superspeedway late on Friday night after a rain delay.

The post Riggs delivers a masterclass with last-lap pass for Truck Series victory at Nashville appeared first on Mr PitBox.

Kaulig Racing and Ram will bring Conor Daly back to NASCAR competition with a Craftsman Truck Series ride at Indianapolis next month.

The post Daly set for NASCAR Truck return with Kaulig entry at Indy appeared first on Mr PitBox.

There are NASCAR rumors swirling early ahead of a silly season that is expected to have quite a bit of movement. While many of the top drivers are landing new contract extensions, one underperformer in 2026 could be on the hot seat.

During a live episode of Door Bumper Clear, motorsports reporter Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic shared his belief that there’s a 50-50 chance of Josh Berry remaining with Wood Brothers Racing next year.

Berry, who turns 35 years old in October, won his first-ever Cup Series race in the Pennzoil 400 last season. It earned him a spot in The Chase, creating millions of dollars more in earnings for Wood Brothers Racing in 2025. Unfortunately, this season hasn’t gone nearly as well.

Through 13 races, Berry ranks 31st in points (168). The veteran Cup driver has placed 20th or worse in 10 of 13 races this season, ranking 32nd in average finishing position (26.5), and he doesn’t have a top-10 finish since Martinsville.

With the win-and-in system gone, Berry has put himself in a spot where he stands little chance of making The Chase. He’s also on pace to have his worst average finishing position in his short career as a full-time Cup Series driver, with his laps led (15) just a fraction of what it was last year (207).

While Wood Brothers Racing might not be able to pull in a top driver, there are some young prospects who are thriving in the lower series and might deserve a full-time Cup ride in 2027. Berry’s seat truly seems hot, and if he finishes the second half of the season like this one has started, he probably won’t be a Cup driver next year.

More must-reads:

• NASCAR News: RFK Racing President Reveals 2027 Cup Plans Amid Charter Issue
• NASCAR Entry List Nashville: Cup Series Drivers for Cracker Barrel 400
• NASCAR Silly Season: Chris Buescher Has Interest From 2 Other Teams for 2027

The post NASCAR Rumors: Insider Reveals Another Cup Series Driver on Hot Seat appeared first on Mr PitBox.

The biggest focus of the NASCAR silly season is on drivers who could land with new teams. However, another massive domino that will fall this offseason is what happens with the three chartered cars at RFK Racing.

RFK is currently a three-car team—Brad Keselowski, Chris Buescher and Ryan Preece—with all three in the mix to make The Chase this season. However, all three drivers are on expiring contracts, and the team only has two charters for the 2027 Cup Series season.

Related: RFK Racing Driver Has Interest from Multiple Teams

On the latest episode of The Gluckcast, RFK Racing president Chip Bowers that the team will run three full-time cars in the Cup Series next season regardless of charter status. However, if a charter can’t be acquired, they’ll run one Open car next year.

It’s going to be very costly in one way or another. RFK’s lease for the charter owned by Rick Ware Racing is expiring, with Legacy Motor Club taking control of it. That leaves RFK in a difficult position where it has to hope both that a charter is available and that a price can be worked out with another Cup team.

If they can’t acquire one, keeping a competitive driver in that third seat will be difficult. Either Buescher or Preece could opt to sign with a team that would guarantee them a chartered ride, meaning a higher payout for each race. That scenario is why, if there is an Open car in 2027, the driver would likely be Keselowski since he’s already the team co-owner.

Related: Cup Series Charter Reportedly Up for Sale

Fortunately, there is expected to be a charter up for sale this offseason. While it’s not verified which specific team is open-minded to leasing its charter, that does offer RFK a path to run three full-time drivers next season with maximum earnings potential and automatic qualification for every race.

RFK’s guarantee does mean that there will be another three-car Cup Series team next season, with LMC adding a third car and RFK likely maintaining its current lineup. While that might come at the expense of one of the smaller teams, that team could wind up benefiting from the financial windfall of selling that charter and investing that money into a lower series.

Related: Insider Reveals Potential Cost of NASCAR Cup Charter

More must-reads:

• NASCAR Rumors: Insider Reveals Another Cup Series Driver on Hot Seat
• NASCAR Entry List Nashville: Cup Series Drivers for Cracker Barrel 400
• NASCAR Silly Season: Chris Buescher Has Interest From 2 Other Teams for 2027

The post NASCAR News: RFK Racing President Reveals 2027 Cup Plans Amid Charter Issue appeared first on Mr PitBox.

RFK Racing has two permanent charters: the No. 6 Ford of co-owner and driver Brad Keselowski and the No. 17 Ford of Chris Buescher. The No. 60 charter for Ryan Preece has been leased from Rick Ware Racing. It can only be leased for one year.

The post RFK Racing committed to three Cup Series entries in ’27, with or without charter appeared first on Mr PitBox.