When the Nashville festivities started, Denny Hamlin got a thumbs-down from fans. The Joe Gibbs Racing veteran, about to become a father again, got a stream of boos during driver Introductions. Well, he is aware of his villain role in NASCAR ever since Kyle Busch renounced that role, and Hamlin has also said, “I somewhat find it fun.” However, leading a race for the second most laps and getting the fastest lap only to finish third is not something Hamlin would be too fond of.
Denny Hamlin led for 79 laps at the Cracker Barrel 400 and collected the first stage victory. However, the tables turned as a stronger car was out on the field – the No. 12 Team Penske Ford of Ryan Blaney, and his efforts pleased the fans at Nashville, Tennessee.
Ryan Blaney punches his ticket in pomp
The 2023 Cup Series champion qualified in 15th for the Cracker Barrel 400. But don’t bother with the average qualifying spot, as Ryan Blaney displayed solid signs during the race. On Lap 58, Blaney recorded a 30.30-second lap while Chase Briscoe, who was a strong contender, ran a 30.61. He was one of the few drivers in the top 20 who could make passes and drove up to seventh at the end of stage 1. After dodging the smoking crash fest that unfolded to fending off hard charges from rivals like William Byron and Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney came out victorious in the end at Nashville Superspeedway.
And the Team Penske driver did it in style. Ryan Blaney did a spectacular burnout before climbing through the fence to hand his checkered flag to a lucky fan. When the pit lane reporter appreciated his burnout, Blaney was humble. He said, “I didn’t think it was very good. I don’t know, did the crowd like the burnout or not?” This question elicited a thunderous roar of approval from the grandstands, and Blaney proudly said, “Oh, they liked it, so that’s all that matters.” Clearly, Denny Hamlin could not beat the crowd’s favorite driver in Nashville.
REPOST to congratulate Ryan Blaney!
The Team Penske driver WINS at Nashville Superspeedway! #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/KppRGhkf3M
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) June 2, 2025
On the restart after Stage 1, Ryan Blaney‘s team opted to give him two fresh tires. That strategy proved crucial for the driver to topple Denny Hamlin’s lead and win Stage 2. He reflected on it: “Yeah, it was a good call, we drove up to 7th there. In the first stage, I thought two tires were great; I thought my tires were really good. So that really set us up for the rest of the race. Great job by him [Jonathan Hassler, crew chief] as always, all the 12 boys…the pit crew is great…It’s nice that it’s finally happening, so I’m ready to go celebrate.”
With Ryan Blaney’s victory, the grandstands were filled with cheers and celebration. Denny Hamlin could not teach them a lesson in Nashville, but let us see how he responds in the upcoming races.
Stay tuned for updates!
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