By David Morgan, Associate Editor
LEBANON, Tenn. – It’s Toyota time in Tennessee.
When the NASCAR Cup Series hit the track for practice and qualifying on Saturday ahead of Sunday’s running of the Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway, it was a pair of Toyotas that would top the board.
Chase Briscoe powered around the 1.3-mile concrete oval in 29.125 seconds, 164.395 mph, to score his second straight pole position for the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing team and third overall in 2025. Briscoe won the pole last weekend for the Coca-Cola 600 and in the season-opening Daytona 500.
“I guess it was a good enough lap,” said Briscoe. “Alan Cavanna was asking me right before I went out, ‘What’s it take to run a perfect lap here? And I said, I don’t know. I think the best I’ve ever qualified here is like 20th. So yeah, it was a surprise. You know, I felt like it was a good lap.
“I definitely felt like I left a little bit on the table, but I just felt like it was a smooth, clean lap and I felt like it was for sure gonna be a top five lap. So it was a surprise and honestly that it was as fast as it was. So, yeah, it’s nice to start on the pole two weeks in a row.
“Hopefully we can do a little bit better tomorrow than we did last week. But yeah, certainly this track is very, very track position dependent, so to be able to start on the pole is gonna be a huge advantage for us and hopefully we can hold that advantage.”
Briscoe also broke the track qualifying record that had stood since June 2021 when the Cup Series made its debut at the track. Aric Almirola’s previous track record of 29.557 seconds was eclipsed not only by Briscoe, but also the top-12 drivers in the field.
“I mean, every year the teams get better, so that’s one reason,” said Briscoe. “And I don’t know if the left side tires were any different. I have no idea. But I definitely think that the weather being a little bit cooler. I don’t remember ever qualifying this late here either.
“So, I don’t know if that has something to do with it, but I think a lot of it’s just the teams get better and better. They understand what they need to do to make their cars faster.
“I don’t know how much the track record was before, but certainly seems like almost everywhere we go anymore we’re constantly getting a little bit faster. A little bit faster between car setup and even the engines. Like they’re constantly gaining a couple horsepower every single time we go back. So, I think it’s just a multitude of things.”
His JGR teammate, Denny Hamlin, who is set to make his 700th career start on Sunday, will join him on the front row.
William Byron, Tyler Reddick, Ross Chastain, Brad Keselowski, Christopher Bell, Michael McDowell, Joey Logano, and Chris Buescher would round out the top-10 starters.
Tyler Reddick Tops Practice
Prior to pole qualifying to set the field, drivers and teams went out in a split group practice session, where once again, it was a Toyota driver that timed in quickest.
Tyler Reddick jumped to the top of the board in the second group during practice and would not be bumped from that position, followed by Hamlin once again holding the runner-up position.
“It’s nice to be able to go out there in practice and show the fire-off pace, but also have good handling and good average speed, if you would call it that,” Reddick said.
2022 Nashville winner Chase Elliott was third fastest in practice, followed by Byron and Briscoe to round out the top-five.
The remainder of the top-10 in practice went to Keselowski, Chastain, Carson Hocevar, Bubba Wallace, and McDowell.
Kyle Busch would go for a spin during practice, but it was no harm, no foul as he kept his No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet off the wall. Josh Berry would do much of the same in his No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford after making an excursion through the infield grass on the frontstretch.
The only other issue during practice came when A.J. Allmendinger’s No. 16 Kaulig Racing team found themselves in hot water with NASCAR officials for unapproved adjustments the team had made on pit road, forcing them to have to go back through inspection before being allowed out on track.
“It’s just a part of NASCAR life,” Allmendinger said. “NASCAR saw something they didn’t like while we were sitting down there. We had to go back. My guys did a good job going back through there. We only lost 10 or 12 minutes, which the way these practices work…25 minutes you almost run out of tire anyway.
“So, it’s not like you’ve got to be out there for 25 minutes. You know, saves me a little energy.”
Next up will be Sunday’s running of the Cracker Barrel 400, which is scheduled for 7:00 pm ET on Amazon Prime.
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