NASCAR’s weekend in (actually 35 minutes away from) Music City is in the books, but that doesn’t mean it’s left the minds of some drivers. Here are the bottom five drivers from each NASCAR National Series race this past weekend at Nashville Superspeedway.
Jake Garcia
This year was a big year for Jake Garcia; no longer would he be the “other guy” at ThorSport Racing, but is that really the case? Two-pole wins are enough to have the third-best average start in the series this year, but what do those starts really do when you find yourself packed into the turn four wall?
Tanner Gray
Speaking of forgettable drivers at top teams, Tanner Gray also took part in the stage two stack-up in turn four. You rebounded well at Charlotte from a less-than-desirable start to the season, but now (by no fault of your own) you’ve tacked on another sub-30 finish and sit behind Corey Heim in points (he has four starts this season).
Jesse Love
Well, Jesse, this really weird start for you with a team that has had beef with your actual team went from a potentially memorable moment to a trivia question. We can all see it now, three, four, five years down the line, someone constantly re-posting online, “Thinking about that time Jesse Love started a Truck race with Spire in 2026, wrecked out in 34th, then dipped.”
Carson Ferguson
Carson Ferguson is a true feel-good story from RAM: Race For the Seat, but everyone can agree that making your NASCAR debut as a rotational driver in the fifth truck of a team trying to figure out the series is less than ideal. But hey, at least it’s not the worst finish for the No. 25 this season.
Tyler Reif
Tyler, everyone has to have their first-ever last-place finish in NASCAR. You got oh-so-close at Bristol, but this time, it all came together. Congratulations.
Dawson Cram
The first of three Joey Gase Motorsports entries is in the bottom five of this weekend’s NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race. So, props for finishing the race and beating your teammates.
Cleetus McFarland
You know who is in the bottom five and doesn’t race for Joey Gase Motorsports? Look, no one was surprised that he struggled again, but to think that just a few weeks ago, people thought he was ready for Talladega is laughable. One more race to go on that three-race per year deal, let’s see where he’s allowed to go next.
Joey Gase
The bossman finds himself second in the JGM pool of drivers finishing at Nashville. Look, it’s hard to dislike the guy or even call him a field filler. Joey has made 12 of the season’s sixteen races, with only one DNF and one DNQ. If you want someone to bring the car home in good shape, Joey’s your guy.
David Starr
Did everyone check David Starr’s regular random NASCAR start on their bingo card for 2026? It’s about as close to a free space as it gets, and, if you weren’t paying attention, he’s already made five starts this year. This is really just another quick and friendly reminder that Starr has made a NASCAR National Series start every year since 1999.
J.J. Yeley
A last-place finish is still a last-place finish, but everyone needs to give a shoutout to Yeley and RSS Racing for keeping Ford alive in the NASCAR OAP Series. The only question is whether the brand has officially reached Zombie status in the OAP Series, or whether that would require a drop-off in all other series?
Brad Keselowski
Talk about a rough spot, one run in with Austin Dillon and Bad Brad slides from 11th to 13th in points. The jury is still out on whether it was intentional, but after a 2025 season in which he had five DNFs before Nashville, let’s rejoice that this is the first.
A.J. Allmendinger
Let’s look past the fact that A.J. finished 35th, and can everyone be happy with the fact that a Kaulig Racing car led more than five laps on an oval this year? Here’s hoping that Dodge comes through for this team in the future.
Ryan Preece
Circling back to RFK drivers slipping down the standings as of recent, Ryan Preece is now the first RFK car to fall out of the Chase cutoff. His average finish over the past five races is down to 23rd, which is where he will be come the Chase cutoff if the bad-luck streak doesn’t break.
Ross Chastain
Remember when everyone said that Trackhouse was turning a corner just a week ago? Let’s pump the brakes on that theory (but not too hard on those rotors!). Anyway, it is worth pointing out that this is just Ross’ second DNF this year.
Connor Zilisch
This seems cruel at this point. Who would have guessed the transition to Cup would be this hard for Trackhouse’s prized prospect? Connor has a lot to work on, but this weekend was proof that the issues are not solely on his shoulders.
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