Drivers to watch, drivers with questions to answer at NASCAR Ally 400

This weekend the NASCAR Ally 400 is going to kick off the second half of the season and potentially punch a playoff ticket for a driver. Over the last two seasons since the Cup Series debuted at Nashville Superspeedway, it has been the Hendrick Motorsports show. Will that change?

The season has progressed and some favorites are starting to emerge. Meanwhile, some early-season favorites have faded and are looking to find the right formula as soon as they can. Wins are a lot harder to come by and it will only get more difficult as the weeks tick by.

Ten more races left in the regular season. Ten more races for drivers to make their way into the postseason.

Drivers to watch at Nashville Superspeedway

Kyle Larson
He is likely going to be on this list for the majority of the rest of the season. Larson has incredibly fast cars every week. He won the Ally 400 two years ago and after driving a junker of a car to a top-5 finish at Sonoma, I think he can pretty much win at any track in any setup. Yung Money is always one to watch, and he’s the odds-on favorite to win.

Chase Elliott
The 2020 Cup Series champion is lucky to find himself on this side of the list. Elliott has been off this season. That tends to happen when you break your leg and miss two months followed by a one-week suspension for on-track behavior. He won this race a season ago and should be a major factor this season as well.

Martin Truex Jr.
In the two races at this track, Truex Jr. has finished P22 both times. So, why is he on this list? In 2022 he led 82 laps in this race and won the first two stages. He faded in the final stage though. Truex Jr. got it done on the concrete at Dover and I think he’s on a hot streak. He could easily find Victory Lane on Sunday.

Drivers with questions to answer at Ally 400

Ross Chastain
The Melon Man has got to get it together. It is starting to look like Rick Hendrick has scared Chastain off. Whatever has changed since Darlington, needs to change back. It might just be a cold streak. Chastain has finished top-5 in each of the two races at this track, he needs another strong performance this weekend.

Alex Bowman
Could it be Bowman in the Ally No. 48 Chevy that steals this one away? With Hendrick’s dominance in this race, don’t be shocked. But the driver does have some questions to answer as he sits winless and on the bubble of playoff eligibility. In 16th, Bowman leads Daniel Suárez by just three points right now.

Corey LaJoie
This is a track that I can see LaJoie performing well at. The Spire Motorsports driver could use another top-10 on his record this season. While LaJoie is probably looking forward to Atlanta in a couple of weeks, he could really turn some heads with a good race in Music City. He needs something to get the momentum going in the second half of the year.