Three Up, Three Down: Drivers in focus leaving Nashville

A chaotic race at Nashville Superspeedway left the NASCAR Cup Series with a final rundown jumbled from the typical dominators.

Five periods of NASCAR Overtime resulted in Joey Logano fending off fierce charges from Zane Smith and Tyler Reddick for the victory — 31 laps after the scheduled conclusion of Sunday’s Ally 400.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

Before the Cup Series treks to the Chicago Street Course on Sunday (4:30 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App), see which drivers are trending up and skidding down following Nashville.

THREE UP ⬆️

1. Zane Smith, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

Started: 36th

Finished: 2nd

What happened: The Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender left Music City with a much-needed career-best finish, the first top-five result of his young Cup Series career. Smith, the 2022 Craftsman Truck Series champion, proved resilient through the continued late restarts, keeping his No. 71 Chevrolet clean and putting it in position to capitalize on the final restart of the day. Smith finished just 0.068 seconds behind Logano for second place.

What’s next: Smith will make his maiden voyage to the Chicago Street Course. The 25-year-old Californian does not have significant road-course experience in a Cup car, but his first two road-racing starts for Spire have proven productive, finishing 19th in March at Circuit of The Americas and 16th in June at Sonoma Raceway.

2. Ryan Preece, No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

Started: 22nd

Finished: 4th

What happened: Like Smith, Preece overcame plenty of adversity to rally toward his best finish of 2024. Preece fell off the lead lap after a fierce battle with leader Christopher Bell at the end of Stage 1 but maintained the free-pass position to get his lap back. He then avoided the numerous late incidents to steer clear of further contact, leading to his first top-five finish of the year.

What’s next: Preece returns to the streets of Chicago, where his No. 41 Ford placed an impressive 15th in last year’s inaugural running of the Chicago Street Race.

3. Daniel Hemric, No. 31 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

Started: 37th

Finished: 9th

What happened: Perseverance carried Hemric to tie his best result of the season with a ninth-place finish, his third of 2024. Hemric was collected in a crash in the first attempt at NASCAR Overtime, piling into Ty Gibbs’ left-rear quarter panel in Turn 1 after Ross Chastain spun from the front row on the restart. The damage looked significant, including rear contact from William Byron in the melee, but Hemric overcame the calamity to net his third top 10 of the season, marking a career-high at the Cup level.

What’s next: Hemric will try his hand at the Chicago Street Course for the first time in a Cup car, but he’s no stranger to the city circuit. The 2021 Xfinity Series champion competed in last year’s Xfinity endeavor, scoring a seventh-place finish in the rain-shortened event.

THREE DOWN ⬇️

1. Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Started: 3rd

Finished: 36th

What happened: Bell was in the process of dominating the Ally 400 and appeared on his way to scoring his second consecutive Cup win after leading a race-best 131 laps Sunday. Instead, he wound up driver-side against the SAFER barrier in Turns 1 and 2 at Lap 228.

A three-time winner already this year, Bell was mired back in traffic after pit strategy dropped him into the proverbial hornet’s nest on track. Entering Turn 1 with 73 laps left in regulation, Bell lost control of his Toyota and crashed into the wall, ending his day prematurely for his first DNF since April at Dover Motor Speedway.

What’s next: A rebound for Bell is likely in Chicago. His No. 20 Toyota led a race-high 37 of 78 laps and swept the stages during last year’s inaugural running, but he eventually finished 18th instead. Despite Sunday’s crash at Nashville, Bell has plenty of momentum to right the ship quickly.

2. Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing Ford

Started: 5th

Finished: 25th

What happened: Keselowski was a frequent frontrunner in Sunday’s race after qualifying inside the top five, but that didn’t do him any favors late in the going. Diving into Turn 1 at Lap 243, Keselowski appeared to misjudge his entry, chopping across the nose of Austin Dillon’s No. 3 Chevrolet. The contact sent Keselowski spinning rear-first into the outside wall, significantly hampering the rest of the No. 6 team’s efforts.

What’s next: Keselowski was not much of a factor in last year’s trip to Chicago, heading home with a 24th-place finish. His most recent road-course result — a 13th-place showing at Sonoma — offers slight optimism for the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series champion.

3. Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Started: 8th

Finished: 23rd

What happened: Gibbs’ rally to finish 23rd is commendable considering how much damage his No. 54 Toyota incurred Sunday. Gibbs maintained a constant presence in the top 15 at Nashville and often much better than that. But Chastain’s crash at Lap 305 took place directly in front of the 21-year-old, who couldn’t slow quickly enough and clobbered Chastain’s left-front wheel with the right-front of the No. 54 car.

According to NASCAR’s loop data, Gibbs posted the fifth-best average running position of Sunday’s race, 10.58, but ultimately finished outside the top 20.

What’s next: The youngest racer on JGR’s Cup roster has always impressed on road courses, dating back to a win in his Xfinity Series debut at the Daytona International Speedway road course. Gibbs was quick in Chicago last year as well, scoring a ninth-place finish, and could bounce back strong on Michigan Ave.