Denny Hamlin is the oldest driver on the circuit and he will be among the favorites to win the longest race in NASCAR.

Convincing its star drivers the trip to Nashville Superspeedway in 2021 is the spark of a motorsports rebirth in the area and not just another lazy ride on an intermediate concrete track. Theres little sense now debating which track is worthy of the renovations and safety upgrades necessary to hold Cup Series races at least through 2024. The TV numbers also showed there was a demand for NASCAR in Nashville. Nashville Superspeedway held Xfinity and Truck events, as well as IndyCar races, from 2001 until 2011. But the track has never held an elite Cup Series race.

Its music to NASCARs ears: the stock car series is set to return to Nashville, Tennessee in 2021. Nashville Superspeedway will hold a Cup race for the first time next season, ending NASCARs decade-long absence from the track. The Nashville track is owned by Dover Motorsports, Inc., which has held Cup race weekends each year since 1969. The idea to return NASCAR to Nashville took root after a successful blowout last December for its season-ending awards celebration. The Cup Series ran 42 times at the old Fairgrounds from 1958 through 1984, and the lower-level Xfinity and Truck Series last raced there in 2000.