The Cup Series returns to action Sunday (5 p.m. ET, NBC) with a 399-mile race at Nashville Superspeedway near Lebanon, Tenn., following the first off weekend of the regular season.
The race will be the 1.33-mile track's second Cup event. Last season, Kyle Larson won in dominant fashion in the track's Cup debut. Nashville formerly hosted races for the Xfinity and Truck series. They're also on the agenda for this weekend.
Larson is the definition of "front runner" in Nashville. He led 264 of the race's 300 laps last year and triumphed by 4.33 seconds, nearly a calendar page ahead of second-place Ross Chastain.
Chastain, one of only four drivers with multiple wins this season, finished second to winner Kyle Larson last year at Nashville in what developed as a fuel-mileage finish.
Byron, who has won at Atlanta and Martinsville this season, has been somewhat quiet recently. He's led 570 laps this year, but 482 of those came in the first eight races. Byron has led only 88 laps in the last eight races.
Harvick is the most visible driver who is still on the outside looking in for a playoff position. He is the first driver to cross the point cutoff line, trailing Aric Almirola by seven points. Harvick has appeared in 12 consecutive playoffs, the most among current drivers.
So, Daniel, can you do it again? Suarez broke into the winners circle at Sonoma and has four top 10s in the last 14 races. Now he needs to prove he can compete for victories on big ovals.