The 2021 Ally 400 was a NASCAR Cup Series race held on June 20, 2021, at Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tennessee. Contested over 300 laps on the 1.333-mile (2.145 km) superspeedway, it was the 17th race of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season.

2021 Ally 400
Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]
Race 17 of 36 in the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series
Date June 20, 2021 (2021-06-20)
Location Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tennessee
Course Permanent racing facility
1.333 mi (2.145 km)
Distance 300 laps, 400 mi (640 km)
Average speed 113.792 miles per hour (183.130 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Stewart-Haas Racing
Time 29.557
Most laps led
Driver Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports
Laps 264
Winner
No. 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports
Television in the United States
Network NBCSN
Announcers Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Nielsen Ratings 1.46/2.590 million
Radio in the United States
Radio MRN
Booth Announcers Alex Hayden and Jeff Striegle
Turn Announcers Dave Moody (1–2) and Kyle Rickey (3–4)

Report

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The program cover for the 2021 Ally 400.

Background

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Nashville Superspeedway is a motor racing complex located in Gladeville, Tennessee (though the track has a Lebanon address), United States, about 30 miles (48 km) southeast of Nashville. The track was built in 2001 and is currently used for events, driving schools and GT Academy, a reality television competition.[8]

It is a concrete oval track 113 miles (2.145 km) long. Nashville Superspeedway is owned by Dover Motorsports, Inc., which also owns Dover International Speedway. Nashville Superspeedway was the longest concrete oval in NASCAR during the time it was on the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series circuits. Current permanent seating capacity is approximately 25,000. Additional portable seats are brought in for some events, and seating capacity can be expanded to 150,000. Infrastructure is in place to expand the facility to include a short track, drag strip, and road course.

On June 3, NASCAR confirmed the track would reopen to host a Cup race in 2021, replacing one of the two Dover dates.[9]

Entry list

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  • (R) denotes rookie driver.
  • (i) denotes driver who are ineligible for series driver points.
No. Driver Team Manufacturer
00 Quin Houff StarCom Racing Chevrolet
1 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford
3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
6 Ryan Newman Roush Fenway Racing Ford
7 Corey LaJoie Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
8 Tyler Reddick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford
13 David Starr (i) MBM Motorsports Toyota
14 Chase Briscoe (R) Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
15 Joey Gase (i) Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet
17 Chris Buescher Roush Fenway Racing Ford
18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
21 Matt DiBenedetto Wood Brothers Racing Ford
22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford
23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota
24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford
37 Ryan Preece JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
38 Anthony Alfredo (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford
41 Cole Custer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
42 Ross Chastain Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
43 Erik Jones Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet
47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
48 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
51 J. J. Yeley (i) Petty Ware Racing Chevrolet
52 Josh Bilicki Rick Ware Racing Ford
53 Garrett Smithley (i) Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet
66 Chad Finchum (i) MBM Motorsports Toyota
77 Justin Haley (i) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
78 B. J. McLeod (i) Live Fast Motorsports Ford
99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet
Official entry list

Practice

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Hendrick Motorsport teammates William Byron & Kyle Larson were the fastest in the practice session with a time of 29.724 seconds and a speed of 161.082 mph (259.236 km/h).[10]

Practice results

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Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed
1 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.724 161.082
2 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.724 161.082
3 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.735 161.022
Official practice results

Qualifying

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Aric Almirola scored the pole for the race with a time of 29.557 seconds and a speed of 161.992 mph (260.701 km/h).[11]

Qualifying results

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Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time
1 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 29.557
2 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 29.572
3 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 29.583
4 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.612
5 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.648
6 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.722
7 41 Cole Custer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 29.752
8 48 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.811
9 43 Erik Jones Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet 29.835
10 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 29.837
11 21 Matt DiBenedetto Wood Brothers Racing Ford 29.839
12 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 29.898
13 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 29.905
14 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 29.925
15 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 29.934
16 14 Chase Briscoe (R) Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 29.945
17 17 Chris Buescher Roush Fenway Racing Ford 29.986
18 38 Anthony Alfredo (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford 29.998
19 42 Ross Chastain Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 30.003
20 37 Ryan Preece JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 30.027
21 23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota 30.048
22 99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet 30.098
23 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 30.104
24 7 Corey LaJoie Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 30.144
25 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 30.169
26 8 Tyler Reddick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 30.207
27 77 Justin Haley (i) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 30.215
28 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 30.235
29 6 Ryan Newman Roush Fenway Racing Ford 30.250
30 1 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 30.299
31 78 B. J. McLeod (i) Live Fast Motorsports Ford 30.375
32 51 J. J. Yeley (i) Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet 30.555
33 66 Chad Finchum (i) MBM Motorsports Toyota 30.804
34 52 Josh Bilicki Rick Ware Racing Ford 30.821
35 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 30.931
36 53 Garrett Smithley (i) Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet 31.091
37 15 Joey Gase (i) Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet 31.145
38 13 David Starr (i) MBM Motorsports Toyota 31.691
39 00 Quin Houff StarCom Racing Chevrolet 0.000
Official qualifying results

Race

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Aric Almirola won the pole in qualifying. Quin Houff got into the wall on the first lap. Ryan Blaney slammed the wall hard after losing his brakes. Chris Buescher got into the wall along with Justin Haley. Kurt Busch won the first stage while Kyle Larson won the second. Several had brake issues that caused them to get into the wall including Ryan Preece and Chase Briscoe. Larson was able to save enough fuel to hold off Ross Chastain for his third consecutive win and fourth of the season.

Stage Results

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Stage One Laps: 90

Pos No Driver Team Manufacturer Points
1 1 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 10
2 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 9
3 99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet 8
4 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 7
5 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 6
6 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 5
7 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 4
8 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 3
9 21 Matt DiBenedetto Wood Brothers Racing Ford 2
10 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 1
Official stage one results

Stage Two Laps: 95

Pos No Driver Team Manufacturer Points
1 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 10
2 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 9
3 14 Chase Briscoe (R) Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 8
4 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 7
5 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 6
6 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 5
7 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 4
8 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 3
9 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 2
10 1 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 1
Official stage two results

Final Stage Results

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Stage Three Laps: 115

Pos Grid No Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Points
1 5 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 300 59
2 19 42 Ross Chastain Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 300 35
3 4 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 300 41
4 1 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 300 36
5 12 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 300 34
6 14 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 300 40
7 22 99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet 300 38
8 30 1 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 300 40
9 25 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 300 28
10 3 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 300 30
11 2 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 300 39
12 28 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 300 40
13 29 6 Ryan Newman Roush Fenway Racing Ford 300 24
14 8 48 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 300 23
15 24 7 Corey LaJoie Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 300 22
16 23 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 300 21
17 18 38 Anthony Alfredo (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford 300 20
18 26 8 Tyler Reddick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 300 19
19 9 43 Erik Jones Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet 300 18
20 21 23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota 299 17
21 13 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 299 22
22 35 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 299 15
23 15 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 299 18
24 11 21 Matt DiBenedetto Wood Brothers Racing Ford 298 15
25 36 53 Garrett Smithley (i) Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet 298 0
26 34 52 Josh Bilicki Rick Ware Racing Ford 298 11
27 32 51 J. J. Yeley (i) Petty Ware Racing Chevrolet 298 0
28 31 78 B. J. McLeod (i) Live Fast Motorsports Ford 295 0
29 37 15 Joey Gase (i) Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet 295 0
30 7 41 Cole Custer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 252 7
31 16 14 Chase Briscoe (R) Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 227 14
32 20 37 Ryan Preece JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 197 5
33 33 66 Chad Finchum (i) MBM Motorsports Toyota 143 0
34 38 13 David Starr (i) MBM Motorsports Toyota 126 0
35 27 77 Justin Haley (i) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 79 0
36 17 17 Chris Buescher Roush Fenway Racing Ford 77 1
37 10 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 53 1
38 39 00 Quin Houff StarCom Racing Chevrolet 0 1
DSQ 6 9 Chase Elliott [a] Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 300 1
Official race results

Race statistics

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  • Lead changes: 14 among 7 different drivers
  • Cautions/Laps: 11 for 60
  • Red flags: 0
  • Time of race: 3 hours, 30 minutes and 23 seconds
  • Average speed: 113.792 miles per hour (183.130 km/h)

Media

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Television

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NBC Sports covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and Dale Earnhardt Jr. called the race from the broadcast booth. Parker Kligerman, Marty Snider and Kelli Stavast handled the pit road duties from pit lane. Rutledge Wood handled the features from the track.

NBCSN
Booth announcers Pit reporters Features reporter
Lap-by-lap: Rick Allen
Color-commentator: Jeff Burton
Color-commentator: Steve Letarte
Color-commentator: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Parker Kligerman
Marty Snider
Kelli Stavast
Rutledge Wood

Radio

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Radio coverage of the race was broadcast by Motor Racing Network (MRN) and simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.

MRN
Booth announcers Turn announcers Pit reporters
Lead announcer: Alex Hayden
Announcer: Jeff Striegle
Turns 1 & 2: Dave Moody
Turns 3 & 4: Kyle Rickey
Steve Post
Kim Coon

Standings after the race

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Notes

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  1. ^ Elliott initially finished 13th, but was disqualified for unsecured tires (five loose lug nuts; three is grounds for disqualification).

References

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  1. ^ "2021 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  2. ^ "Nashville Superspeedway". Archived from the original on 13 April 2005. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  3. ^ "Entry List" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. June 14, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  4. ^ "Practice Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. June 19, 2021. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  5. ^ "Qualifying Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. June 20, 2021. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  6. ^ "Ally 400 Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. June 20, 2021. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  7. ^ "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. June 20, 2021. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  8. ^ "2021 NASCAR Cup Series schedule release: Dirt track racing returns, road racing set at COTA and Road America". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 2020-10-08.
  9. ^ Albert, Zack (June 3, 2020). "NASCAR Cup Series to race at Nashville Superspeedway in 2021". NASCAR. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  10. ^ Utter, Jim (June 19, 2021). "Hendrick drivers lead Cup practice at Nashville". Motorsport.com. Lebanon, Tennessee: Motorsport Network. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  11. ^ Utter, Jim (June 20, 2021). "Aric Almirola takes surprise pole in first Nashville Cup race". Motorsport.com. Lebanon, Tennessee: Motorsport Network. Retrieved June 20, 2021.


Previous race:
2021 Toyota/Save Mart 350
NASCAR Cup Series
2021 season
Next race:
2021 Pocono Organics CBD 325