While A.J. Allmendinger hoped to carry the momentum from a fourth-place finish in the Coca-Cola 600 into Nashville, things are off to a difficult start for the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet.

While sitting on pit road in preparation for practice, NASCAR officials demanded the car be brought back to the garage. A crew member messing with the splitter caught the eye of officials who saw something they did not like. Officials suspected that the team had made unapproved adjustments to the splitter after pre-qualifying inspection.

AJ Allmendinger, Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

Sean Gardner / Getty Images

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To make matters worse, the car failed on its first trip through the inspection after being brought back to the garage, confirming NASCAR’s suspicions. The team was scrambling to make the changes NASCAR wanted as practice rapidly approached.

They finally passed on the second attempt, but officials held the car for the first ten minutes of of the 25-minute Group B practice as a result.

In the hours that followed, NASCAR has announced that the team has lost pit stall selection for Sunday’s race and will be sent to the rear of the field. He had originally qualified in 17th on the 39-car grid. Car Chief Jaron Antley has also been ejected from the track for the remainder of the weekend and his hard card was confiscated by series officials.

And when the race begins, Allmendinger will be forced to perform a stop-and-go penalty under green flag conditions.

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“It’s just a part of NASCAR life,” Allmendinger told on NASCAR on Prime. “NASCAR saw something they didn’t like when we were sitting there, we had to go back, (and) my guys did a good job. We got back through there…only lost 10 or 12 minutes of practice, and the way these practices work, you almost run out of tire anyway so it’s not like you gotta be out there for 25 minutes.”

The veteran driver entered this race 18th in the championship standings, just 13 points below the cut-line. Kaulig is winless through the first 13 races of the 2025 season with their best showing coming just last weekend with Allmendinger’s top five finish in the 600.

Photos from Nashville – Practice & Qualifying

Cody Ware, Rick Ware Racing Ford

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Ryan Blaney, Team Penske Ford

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Chris Buescher, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford

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Noah Gragson, Front Row Motorsports Ford

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Cole Custer, Haas Factory Team Ford

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Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing Toyota

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Zane Smith, Front Row Motorsports Ford

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Justin Haley, Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

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Austin Cindric, Team Penske Ford

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Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

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Austin Dillon, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

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Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet

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Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing Toyota

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Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

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Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing Toyota

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Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

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Joey Logano, Team Penske Ford

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Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

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Chris Buescher, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford

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Ryan Blaney, Team Penske Ford

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Daniel Suarez, Trackhouse Chevrolet

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Corey LaJoie

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John Hunter Nemechek, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB Toyota

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Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

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Michael McDowell, Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

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Chris Buescher, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford

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Joey Logano, Team Penske Ford

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Daniel Suarez, Trackhouse Chevrolet

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Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

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Carson Hocevar, Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

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Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

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Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

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Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

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Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

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Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

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AJ Allmendinger, Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

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Todd Gilliland, Front Row Motorsports Ford

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Erik Jones, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB Toyota

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Chase Briscoe, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

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Chase Briscoe, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

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NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin has a reserve driver in place for Sunday’s race at Nashville Superspeedway

This weekend, NASCAR is racing at Nashville Superspeedway. The NASCAR Cup Series race is scheduled for tomorrow.

Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 car and Jordan Fish have two children. A third child is on the way.

The two have been engaged since 2024.

Their third child is expected this weekend, specifically on Sunday. Hamlin stated this weekend that he will not race if the baby comes within the window of the race.

He expects to make that decision tomorrow, before the race. However, the deadline is not confirmed on when he will make that decision.

Ryan Truex is on standby and prepared to jump into the No. 11 as the reserve driver if Hamlin elects to skip tomorrow’s race.

With 2 race wins in 2025, Hamlin has already qualified for the 2025 playoffs.

However, in order to qualify for the NASCAR Playoffs, drivers are required to run every points race. NASCAR does hand out waivers for medical reasons.

In this case, Hamlin would be granted a waiver and remain eligible for the playoffs.

Nashville TV Schedule: May-June 2025 (NASCAR)

Links

Denny Hamlin | Nashville SuperSpeedway | NASCAR

Pole positions typically don’t mean much in endurance racing. And while IMSA’s Detroit Grand Prix race is considered a sprint by the series’ and by definition short in length, it doesn’t guarantee that whoever leads the front of the field at the start, will lead it to the checkered flag. Today, though, the action in Detroit would serve up a fresh storyline.

It was an unexpectedly competitive field in Detroit Saturday as teams battled hard to gain those crucial podium and lead spots for both the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) and Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD Pro) classes. What felt to be even more unexpected, is that Friday’s pole winners, the #93 Meyer Shank Racing Acura (Nick Yelloly, Renger van der Zande) and #64 Ford Multimatic Motorsports (Sebastian Priaulx, Mike Rockenfeller), would be leading at the beginning and end of the race. And both put in a decent fight to get there.

#93 Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian Acura ARX-06: Renger Van Der Zande, Nick Yelloly

Brett Farmer / Motorsport Images via Getty Images

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Detroit’s narrow and bumpy course is not a welcoming place for passing, as was obvious within the first five minutes of Saturday’s race. The GTP and GTD Pro fields bumped and rubbed their way through the first narrow corners of the track, whether it was another manufacturer, or against their own teammates like the Paul Miller Racing BMWs.

Only, the #4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports car would be the one to suffer any real consequences harboring damage to the left rear from contact and losing a taillight. The result? The first full-course yellow, just three minutes in.

Meanwhile, the #81 DragonSpeed Ferrari found itself sidelined a couple of times and pitted for repairs, while the #4 Corvette was also in for taillight repairs.

Porsche teams battled all race

The #7 Porsche Penske Motorsports, Porsche 963 GTP with Felipe Nasr, Nick Tandy

Lumen Digital Agency

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What’s missing from the top of both the GTP and GTD Pro headlines is Porsche. First, does pink induce anger, because the #77 AO Racing Porsche — Roxy for Detroit — found itself in a couple of tiffs through Saturday’s competition starting with the #14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus. The Lexus bumped the #77 into the corner for a little spin, and earned itself a drive through penalty. Later in the race, just after the field returned to green for the second full-course caution, the #77 with Laurin Heinrich at the helm executed a beautiful pass around the #14.

The #77’s fight didn’t end there, taking on the #4 Corvette for a spicy battle ending in the #4 hitting the #77, sending it for a spin. Heinrich, in the #77, responded with a hit to the #4 for its own spin before pulling away. Race control issued a warning to both cars, as well as drive-through penalties served post-race adding an additional 17 seconds to their finish times.

And it was a far from perfect weekend for Porsche Penske Motorsport. The new BOP issued for the Detroit race to help alleviate what turned into a caution-free Monterey race, along with the winning streaks we’ve seen with teams like Porsche. But the BOP didn’t appear to slow the Penske team down as ‘Mr. 24’ Nick Tandy and Felipe Nasr managed to take the #7 car that started P6 Saturday to the front and hold tight for the majority of the mid race.

#64 Ford Multimatic Motorsports Ford Mustang GT3: Mike Rockenfeller, Sebastian Priaulx

Jake Galstad / Motorsport Images via Getty Images

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That lead saw its demise when Ricky Taylor in the #10 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac nudged his way around the #7 for the lead with just 15 minutes to go. Ricky, a previous winner in Detroit, was poised to take the win home for WTR when the #93 Acura and van der Zande took advantage of the Cadillac competitor’s weakness, finding the opportune window to earn the lead — aiming to keep it and the looming Porsche GTP cars behind for the overall and GTP class win.

The #64 Ford survived its own battle against another major Detroit contender — the #3 Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette — slightly alleviated by the mixed GTP traffic, which helped it to earn its first-ever win in the series, the first win for Ford in the IMSA at (home in) Detroit, and the second win for Ford in the 2025 season.

Overall carnage was minimal as the race was never red-flagged, and only minor pieces were found scattered on the track for the two cautions over the 100-minute race. The list of penalties for cars going into the runoffs or simply bumping, a lot, might paint a different picture. But for a race where there wasn’t a lot of action expected, everyone — fans, teams, and drivers alike — came out on the other side pleasantly surprised.

Now, for something completely different: bring on Le Mans.

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LEBANON, Tenn. — AJ Allmendinger’s team was penalized after NASCAR officials discovered an unapproved adjustment to the No. 16 Kaulig Racing car before Saturday’s practice session at Nashville Superspeedway.

All cars had to pass pre-race inspection ahead of Saturday’s practice and qualifying sessions.

Allmendinger’s car was on pit road when the team made an illegal modification to the car’s splitter. The car was ordered back to the garage and NASCAR found that an unapproved adjustment had been made. The team was forced to undo that change and had to go back through inspection before being allowed to participate in practice. NASCAR then held the team for 10 minutes in the 25-minute session.

NASCAR also issued the following penalties Saturday night:

— Allmendinger will start at the rear of the field and must perform a stop-and-go penalty after taking the green flag in Sunday’s race.
— The team lost pit stall selection for Sunday’s race
— Car chief Jaron Antley was ejected for the remainder of the weekend and his hard card credential also was confiscated.

Allmendinger is coming off a fourth-place finish in last weekend’s Coca-Cola 600. That finished moved Allmendinger up eight spots in the season standings to 17th.

Sunday’s race at Nashville begins the second half of the regular season.

Pole positions typically don’t mean much in endurance racing. And while IMSA’s Detroit Grand Prix race is considered a sprint by the series’ and by definition short in length, it doesn’t guarantee that whoever leads the front of the field at the start, will lead it to the checkered flag. Today, though, the action in Detroit would serve up a fresh storyline.

It was an unexpectedly competitive field in Detroit Saturday as teams battled hard to gain those crucial podium and lead spots for both the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) and Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD Pro) classes. What felt to be even more unexpected, is that Friday’s pole winners, the #93 Meyer Shank Racing Acura (Nick Yelloly, Renger van der Zande) and #64 Ford Multimatic Motorsports (Sebastian Priaulx, Mike Rockenfeller), would be leading at the beginning and end of the race. And both put in a decent fight to get there.

#93 Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian Acura ARX-06: Renger Van Der Zande, Nick Yelloly

Photo by: Brett Farmer / Motorsport Images via Getty Images

Detroit’s narrow and bumpy course is not a welcoming place for passing, as was obvious within the first five minutes of Saturday’s race. The GTP and GTD Pro fields bumped and rubbed their way through the first narrow corners of the track, whether it was another manufacturer, or against their own teammates like the Paul Miller Racing BMWs. 

Only, the #4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports car would be the one to suffer any real consequences harboring damage to the left rear from contact and losing a taillight. The result? The first full-course yellow, just three minutes in.

Meanwhile, the #81 DragonSpeed Ferrari found itself sidelined a couple of times and pitted for repairs, while the #4 Corvette was also in for taillight repairs.

Porsche teams battled all race

The #7 Porsche Penske Motorsports, Porsche 963 GTP with Felipe Nasr, Nick Tandy

Photo by: Lumen Digital Agency

What’s missing from the top of both the GTP and GTD Pro headlines is Porsche. First, does pink induce anger, because the #77 AO Racing Porsche — Roxy for Detroit — found itself in a couple of tiffs through Saturday’s competition starting with the #14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus. The Lexus bumped the #77 into the corner for a little spin, and earned itself a drive through penalty. Later in the race, just after the field returned to green for the second full-course caution, the #77 with Laurin Heinrich at the helm executed a beautiful pass around the #14. 

The #77’s fight didn’t end there, taking on the #4 Corvette for a spicy battle ending in the #4 hitting the #77, sending it for a spin. Heinrich, in the #77, responded with a hit to the #4 for its own spin before pulling away. Race control issued a warning to both cars, as well as drive-through penalties served post-race adding an additional 17 seconds to their finish times. 

And it was a far from perfect weekend for Porsche Penske Motorsport. The new BOP issued for the Detroit race to help alleviate what turned into a caution-free Monterey race, along with the winning streaks we’ve seen with teams like Porsche. But the BOP didn’t appear to slow the Penske team down as ‘Mr. 24’ Nick Tandy and Felipe Nasr managed to take the #7 car that started P6 Saturday to the front and hold tight for the majority of the mid race. 

#64 Ford Multimatic Motorsports Ford Mustang GT3: Mike Rockenfeller, Sebastian Priaulx

Photo by: Jake Galstad / Motorsport Images via Getty Images

That lead saw its demise when Ricky Taylor in the #10 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac nudged his way around the #7 for the lead with just 15 minutes to go. Ricky, a previous winner in Detroit, was poised to take the win home for WTR when the #93 Acura and van der Zande took advantage of the Cadillac competitor’s weakness, finding the opportune window to earn the lead — aiming to keep it and the looming Porsche GTP cars behind for the overall and GTP class win. 

The #64 Ford survived its own battle against another major Detroit contender — the #3 Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette — slightly alleviated by the mixed GTP traffic, which helped it to earn its first-ever win in the series, the first win for Ford in the IMSA at (home in) Detroit, and the second win for Ford in the 2025 season. 

Overall carnage was minimal as the race was never red-flagged, and only minor pieces were found scattered on the track for the two cautions over the 100-minute race. The list of penalties for cars going into the runoffs or simply bumping, a lot, might paint a different picture. But for a race where there wasn’t a lot of action expected, everyone — fans, teams, and drivers alike — came out on the other side pleasantly surprised.

Now, for something completely different: bring on Le Mans.