This Sunday, the Cup Series visited the Nashville Superspeedway for just the fourth time in its history. With Denny Hamlin securing the pole position on Saturday, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver remained a favorite to win. However, the race was marred with issues that have severely hampered races this season.
It is no secret how the NASCAR fans love uninterrupted races. While the sport is fighting hard to retain its loyal fanbase, Mother Nature has different plans set out. Unfortunately, this isn’t helping the fans’ cause one bit as was the case in Nashville.
The race in Nashville Superspeedway could be a gamechanger for the regular season title race
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With just three races carried out at Nashville Superspeedway, the track is fairly new for the Cup Series drivers. In addition to that, the introduction of the Next-Gen car has only made it more tricky. Having said that, the likes of Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, and Ross Chastain have found success on the track.
Entering into the race on Sunday, Denny Hamlin secured the pole position. With the #11 driver standing 40 points behind leaders Larson and Elliott, a good result was all but necessary for him. However, he failed to maintain his lead early in the race.
Christopher Bell wins Stage 1 at Nashville over Denny Hamlin. Another playoff point for Bell.
3. Reddick (passed on last lap)
4. Larson
5. Keselowski
6. Gibbs
7. Byron
8. Buescher
9. Truex
10. Wallace
— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) June 30, 2024
Having said that, his Joe Gibbs Racing driver teammate Christopher Bell enjoyed a good run in Stage 1. The last week’s winner at New Hampshire secured the stage win after taking the lead from Hamlin. While all seemed to be going well for the 29-year-old, the race faced a lightning interruption.
Interestingly, Fox Sports journalist Bob Pockrass mentioned the possibility of both rain and lightning a few minutes before the race came to a red-flag halt. At the time, Bell kept the lead and was followed by Tyler Reddick, Kyle Larson, Brad Keselowski, and Chase Elliott.
With just 137 laps completed, the fans were left disappointed. Understandably so, given how rain has been a spoilsport this campaign.
The arrival of rain and lightning displeases the NASCAR fandom in an exciting race at Nashville Superspeedway
Undoubtedly, a lot was at stake in Nashville for the Cup Series race. With just eight races left in the regular season, the battle for the title couldn’t have been more intense. At the same time, the playoff fight only added more spice to the race. However, lightning brought out a caution and understandably, disappointed the fans.
Naturally, the NASCAR fandom vented out their frustration on Twitter. The prospect of rain brought out some interesting perspectives. One fan said, “Definitely not enough rain to end the race if we do stop it. Concrete usually drys faster.” While it may be true, another fan spoke more sensibly. He said, “They have lights……”
Last week at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, due to the unavailability of lights, the possibility of carrying out the race at a later stage was not an option. While it isn’t the case in Nashville, it totally depends on how quickly the track dries out and also the humidity.
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Amid all these, some fans expressed their disappointment. One fan said, “I’m so sick of this every week.” At the same time, another fan added, “It would genuinely be a disgrace is they ended this race short. They waited out the 600 before Fox shut them down. They waited out NH last week there’s no way they won’t wait this one out.”
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Another fan jokingly said, “NASCAR could make it rain anywhere in the world”. As harsh as it is, it is true given the frequency at which it has rained in the Cup Series races. Having said that, it is interesting to see how things turn out in Nashville if and when the lightning and rain subside.
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