When the Cup Series roars into Nashville for the Ally 400 on Sunday, there will be plenty to look out for.
The postseason is just eight races away. Those who sit in limbo, caught between the oasis that is the Cup Series playoffs and the hellish grasp of missing out, are well aware of the way the wind blows this time of year.
For some, the job is a simple one. Win and you're in. Others, like Bubba Wallace and Joey Logano, find themselves yearning for points rather than checkered flags. There are a number of ways to get into that vaunted postseason. The racing gods don't tend to care about how you do so.
This week's race at Nashville should prove a compelling one, particularly with these factors lingering in the background. There are a number of big names clinging to life when it comes to postseason qualification. A disastrous result at Nashville – one of NASCAR's only superspeedways — could put some drivers way behind the eight-ball.
As the races dwindle down, that's not a good thing.
With that, the Sporting News is tracking the winner of the Ally 400. Follow below to see the winning performance and the starting lineup for Sunday's race at Nashville Superspeedway.
Who won the Ally 400 pole for 2024?
Denny Hamlin took home the pole on Saturday, outlasting Stewart-Haas Racing's Josh Berry to earn top billing for Sunday's race.
Hamlin posted a lap time of 29.895 seconds, 0.113 seconds faster than Berry.
Saturday's result represented the second pole of the season for Hamlin. He has two poles at Nashville and 42 poles in total following Saturday's run.
Hamlin should get some assistance from the second row, as Christopher Bell — Hamlin's Joe Gibbs Racing teammate — will slot into P3. Bell actually posted a faster lap time than Berry. However, NASCAR's new qualifying rules that place the fastest car from Group A and the fastest car from Group B on the front row worked in Berry's favor.
Rounding out the top five for Sunday's start are Hendrick Motorsports' Kyle Larson and Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing's Brad Keselowski.
Ally 400 starting lineup 2024
| Starting pos. | Driver | Car No. | Team |
| 1. | Denny Hamlin | 11 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 2. | Ross Chastain | 1 | Trackhouse Racing |
| 3. | Christopher Bell | 20 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 4. | Kyle Larson | 5 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 5. | Brad Keselowski | 6 | Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing |
| 6. | Tyler Reddick | 45 | 23XI Racing |
| 7. | William Byron | 24 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 8. | Ty Gibbs | 54 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 9. | Chris Buescher | 17 | Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing |
| 10. | Austin Cindric | 2 | Team Penske |
| 11. | Austin Dillon | 3 | Richard Childress Racing |
| 12. | Alex Bowman | 48 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 13. | Chase Elliott | 9 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 14. | Michael McDowell | 34 | Front Row Motorsports |
| 15. | Carson Hocevar | 77 | Spire Motorsports |
| 16. | Noah Gragson | 10 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 17. | Martin Truex Jr. | 19 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 18. | Ryan Blaney | 12 | Team Penske |
| 19. | Chase Briscoe | 14 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 20. | Ross Chastain | 1 | Trackhouse Racing |
| 21. | Corey LaJoie | 7 | Spire Motorsports |
| 22. | Ryan Preece | 41 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 23. | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 47 | JTG Daugherty Racing |
| 24. | Bubba Wallace | 23 | 23XI Racing |
| 25. | Harrison Burton | 21 | Wood Brothers Racing |
| 26. | Joey Logano | 22 | Team Penske |
| 27. | Kyle Busch | 8 | Richard Childress Racing |
| 28. | AJ Allmendinger | 16 | Kaulig Racing |
| 29. | Corey Heim | 50 | 23XI Racing |
| 30. | Riley Herbst | 15 | Rick Ware Racing |
| 31. | Daniel Suarez | 99 | Trackhouse Racing |
| 32. | Todd Gilliland | 38 | Front Row Motorsports |
| 33. | Justin Haley | 51 | Rick Ware Racing |
| 34. | Erik Jones | 43 | Legacy Motor Club |
| 35. | John Hunter Nemechek | 42 | Legacy Motor Club |
| 36. | Zane Smith | 71 | Spire Motorsports |
| 37. | Daniel Hemric | 31 | Kaulig Racing |
| 38. | Chad Finchum | 66 | MBM Motorsports |
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