Denny Hamlin, points leader this season but still searching for his first win, gave Byron a playful shove as he walked past following Saturday’s 55-minute practice session.
“We are off a ways for sure.
Only 14 drivers in Sunday’s field had raced the 1.33-mile D-shaped oval before this weekend, and only Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Austin Dillon and Joey Logano won lower series races before Nashville closed.
Spire Motorsports sold two of its three charters to Kaulig Racing for Kaulig’s move from the Xfinity Series to the Cup Series next season, and 36 charters guarantee a spot in the 40-car field each week.
Spire in 2018 paid $6 million for its first charter as the only interested buyer when Furniture Row Racing closed.
Marks has said he lost out on three different charters last year, which forced him to lease one of Spire’s charters to launch Trackhouse.
“It’s an interesting time in the history of the sport with this charter economy,” Marks said.