A look at the NASCAR qualifying results and starting lineup for the 2026 Cracker Barrel 400 NASCAR Cup Series Race at Nashville Superspeedway.
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For just the sixth time ever, the NASCAR Cup Series will be in action on the concrete surface known as Nashville Superspeedway. The Cracker Barrel 400 marks the sport’s third time racing on concrete in 2026 and the first of those races that will be held in primetime under the lights.
Passing has proven to be very difficult at Nashville in previous editions of this race. As such, drivers who earned a strong starting position in the NASCAR qualifying results project to have a profound advantage early on. Coming through the field is possible, but it will take one fast race car and some aggressive driving to do so.
The following shares the official starting grid for Sunday’s race, along with Nashville Superspeedway track details and key observations from NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying.
NASCAR Qualifying Results at Nashville Superspeedway
2026 Cracker Barrel 400 Race Info
Date: Sunday, May 31, 2026
Start Time: 7 p.m. EST
Track: Nashville Superspeedway — Lebanon, TN
Coverage: Amazon Prime Video
Pole Sitter: Denny Hamlin
Defending Champion: Ryan Blaney
Cracker Barrel 400 Race Breakdown
Distance: 400 miles
Laps: 400
Lap Length: 1.333 miles
Stages: Three (100 laps each)
Surface: Concrete
Turns: 4
Banking: Turns — 14°; Frontstretch — 9°; Backstretch — 6°
Official Cracker Barrel 400 Starting Lineup
For the second week in a row, the NASCAR qualifying results were won by Mother Nature. Heavy rain showers forced the cancellation of Saturday’s session, and the starting grid has once again been determined by the metric.
Denny Hamlin was the top-seeded driver when the qualifying formula was called upon and thus will start on the pole for the Cracker Barrel 400. This marks the third time in six Cup Series races at Nashville that Hamlin will lead the field to green.
The No. 11 will be joined on the front-row by Tyler Reddick. Last week’s winner, Daniel Suarez, will start third. Defending Nashville race winner Ryan Blaney will roll off seventh.
The table below shares the complete Cracker Barrel 400 starting lineup and NASCAR qualifying results for Sunday night’s race.
| Pos. | Driver | Car No. | Team | Manufac. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denny Hamlin | 11 | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 2 | Tyler Reddick | 45 | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
| 3 | Daniel Suarez | 7 | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 4 | Christopher Bell | 20 | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 5 | Kyle Larson | 5 | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 6 | Ty Gibbs | 54 | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 7 | Ryan Blaney | 12 | Team Penske | Ford |
| 8 | William Byron | 24 | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 9 | Joey Logano | 22 | Team Penske | Ford |
| 10 | Shane van Gisbergen | 97 | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet |
| 11 | Zane Smith | 38 | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 12 | Brad Keselowski | 6 | RFK Racing | Toyota |
| 13 | Erik Jones | 43 | Legacy Motor Club | Toyota |
| 14 | Michael McDowell | 71 | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 15 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 47 | HYAK Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 16 | AJ Allmendinger | 16 | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet |
| 17 | Carson Hocevar | 77 | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 18 | Bubba Wallace | 23 | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
| 19 | Alex Bowman | 48 | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 20 | Cole Custer | 41 | Haas Factory Team | Chevrolet |
| 21 | Todd Gilliland | 34 | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 22 | Chris Buescher | 17 | RFK Racing | Ford |
| 23 | Riley Herbst | 35 | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
| 24 | Corey Heim | 67 | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
| 25 | Austin Hill | 33 | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 26 | Noah Gragson | 4 | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 27 | John Hunter Nemechek | 42 | Legacy Motor Club | Toyota |
| 28 | Ryan Preece | 60 | RFK Racing | Ford |
| 29 | Chase Elliott | 9 | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 30 | Ty Dillon | 10 | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet |
| 31 | Chase Briscoe | 19 | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 32 | Austin Dillon | 3 | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 33 | Josh Berry | 21 | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford |
| 34 | Cody Ware | 51 | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet |
| 35 | Ross Chastain | 1 | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet |
| 36 | Austin Cindric | 2 | Team Penske | Ford |
| 37 | Chad Finchum | 66 | Garage 66 | Ford |
| 38 | Connor Zilisch | 88 | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet |
NASCAR Cracker Barrel 400 Practice and Qualifying Notes
- With Saturday’s qualifying session being rained out, NASCAR used its rule book to set the starting lineup. The qualifying metric is based 70% on the owner’s previous race finish and 30% on the current owner points position.
- Although qualifying was canceled, the Cup Series did complete a practice session on Saturday. Christopher Bell turned the fastest lap at 160.660.
- Ross Chastain, Denny Hamlin, Ty Gibbs and Tyler Reddick rounded out the top-five in terms of practice speed. Four of the top five cars in practice were Toyotas.
- Ty Gibbs led the field in 10-lap average speed during the practice session.
- Ross Chastain was the fastest car in terms of 15-, 20- and 25-lap averages.
