John Hunter Nemechek held on to win a thrilling Tennessee Lottery 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race Saturday at Nashville Superspeedway as a host of challengers were charging toward him as the race finished.
Nemechek, 27, earned his second win of the season in dramatic fashion by holding off teammate Chandler Smith and Richard Childress Racing teammates Jesse Love and Austin Hill during the final 48-lap, green-flag run.
It was Nemechek’s first win at Nashville and his 11th career Xfinity Series victory in his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.
“I thought we gave the race away there at the start of stage three; I asked for an adjustment and probably shouldn’t have,” said Nemechek, who won stage two. “Can’t say enough about my team and glad to finally get it done here at Nashville.”
Part of today’s challenge for the drivers was battling warm summer temperatures and for those who chose not to wear the high-tech cool-body suits, even higher temperatures in the cars. Nemechek said he’s old-school when it comes to racing in the heat.
“I love it when it’s hot out,” Nemechek said. “It separates the men from the boys.”
Nemechek also has an affinity for Nashville, the city where he grew up and learned and perfected his race craft.
“Getting my start at the Fairgrounds, and winning there and now getting a win here at the big track is very special to me,” Nemechek said. “Being able to come to this market for a NASCAR race and putting on a great show for the fans here is really cool.”
Nemechek, who received a beautiful green Gibson guitar for the hard-fought victory, will try to double-up tomorrow during the Ally 400 NASCAR Cup Series race (2:30 p.m. CT, NBC and PRN Radio), where he could add a shiny purple Gibson guitar to his collection. Nemechek will start 35th in row 18 alongside rookie Zane Smith.
Smith rallied to finish second in his No. 81 Toyota, but it was Love who had the fans on their feet as he put on a heck of a show marching all the way through the field.
Love, who finished third after starting last in his red and white No. 2 Chevy, passed a grand total of 69 cars and battled back from several different challenges during the race. He improved an incredible 35 positions during his inspired run to the front.
“I am just proud of everyone at RCR and proud to be a part of a team that doesn’t give up,” an exhausted Love said after the race.
Second-place Smith, who finished just over a second behind Nemecheck said he needed a few more laps to get the job done.
“We got caught up in (Justin Allgaier) and (Ty Gibbs’) scuffle there. I’m super proud of everyone at the JGR,” Smith said. “I hate that we got in that mess there cause we could’ve probably made a better run at the win.”
RCR’s Hill, who finished fourth, said he and his No. 21 Chevy teammates couldn’t get the car right where they needed it.
“We fought, it was probably a fourth-place car,” Hill said. “Throughout the race we lost the handle on the car. Everyone at RCR is working really hard. We just have to get a little bit better., I think we will be OK. It’s frustrating to run third and fourth, but it’s still a top-five day. We have to keep our heads up.”
Pole-winner Ty Gibbs finished 20th after winning stage one and finishing fourth in stage two. He and Allgaier tangled on lap 137, ending both drivers’ chances at victory. Allgaier finished eighth.
Defending series champ Cole Custer led two times for 64 laps and was strong early on, finishing fourth in Stage 1 and third in Stage 2. He fell off the pace in the final laps, but still managed to post a top-10.
Custer said his car got tight after the final restart and he was a bit frustrated with a ninth place finish after being so strong early.
“We just need to keep digging," Custer said. "We’re right there, but I just don’t know where we’re missing it honestly. We’re just really close every weekend. We just don’t quite have enough. I’m sure there were a few things I could do better and we’ll look back on it, but we definitely need a win now. We need to start trying to click off some wins, so we’ll keep digging.”
In addition to Nemechek and Gibbs, the other Cup regulars in the race were Noah Gragson, who finished fifth, Tyler Reddick, who finished 14th, and Ross Chastain, who finished 27th.
NASCAR Xfinity Series Race - Tennessee Lottery 250
Nashville Superspeedway
Nashville, Tennessee
Saturday, June 29, 2024
- (15) John Hunter Nemechek(i), Toyota, 188.
- (8) Chandler Smith, Toyota, 188.
- (38) Jesse Love #, Chevrolet, 188.
- (5) Austin Hill, Chevrolet, 188.
- (7) Noah Gragson(i), Ford, 188.
- (9) Riley Herbst, Ford, 188.
- (4) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 188.
- (6) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 188.
- (2) Cole Custer, Ford, 188.
- (24) Sam Mayer, Chevrolet, 188.
- (3) Ryan Sieg, Ford, 188.
- (30) Carson Kvapil, Chevrolet, 188.
- (13) Brandon Jones, Chevrolet, 188.
- (11) Tyler Reddick(i), Toyota, 188.
- (28) Shane Van Gisbergen #, Chevrolet, 188.
- (10) Parker Kligerman, Chevrolet, 188.
- (21) Parker Retzlaff, Chevrolet, 188.
- (17) Anthony Alfredo, Chevrolet, 188.
- (19) Jeb Burton, Chevrolet, 188.
- (1) Ty Gibbs(i), Toyota, 188.
- (18) Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, 188.
- (16) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 188.
- (23) Ryan Ellis, Chevrolet, 188.
- (26) Josh Williams, Chevrolet, 187.
- (25) Leland Honeyman #, Chevrolet, 187.
- (27) Kyle Sieg, Ford, 187.
- (20) Ross Chastain(i), Chevrolet, 187.
- (31) Hailie Deegan #, Ford, 187.
- (22) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, 187.
- (12) Sammy Smith, Chevrolet, 187.
- (29) Kyle Weatherman, Chevrolet, 186.
- (37) Logan Bearden, Chevrolet, 185.
- (14) Sheldon Creed, Toyota, 185.
- (35) Chad Finchum, Ford, 184.
- (34) Blaine Perkins, Ford, 184.
- (36) Garrett Smithley, Chevrolet, 183.
- (32) Dawson Cram(i), Chevrolet, 183.
- (33) Patrick Emerling, Chevrolet, 183.
Average Speed of Race Winner: 127.571 mph.
Time of Race: 1 Hrs, 57 Mins, 36 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.366 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 3 for 17 laps.
Lead Changes: 4 among 3 drivers.
Lap Leaders: T. Gibbs(i) 1-48;C. Custer 49-70;J. Nemechek(i) 71-100;C. Custer 101-142;J. Nemechek(i) 143-188.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): John Hunter Nemechek(i) 2 times for 76 laps; Cole Custer 2 times for 64 laps; Ty Gibbs(i) 1 time for 48 laps.
Stage #1 Top Ten: 19,16,9,00,7,30,98,20,81,39
Stage #2 Top Ten: 20,16,00,19,81,30,2,9,7,98
Race Schedule and Tickets
Sunday, June 30
Ally 400 NASCAR Cup Series race
2:30 p.m. CT, NBC, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Sunday, Sept. 15
NTT IndyCar Series Big Machine Music City Grand Prix
2 p.m. CT, NBC, Peacock, INDYCAR Live, SiriusXM
Call 866.RACE.TIX to discuss your options with an account representative, or visit NashvilleSuperspeedway.com. Tickets for children ages 12 and younger (with a paying adult) are free for the NASCAR races on Friday and Saturday and are only $10 for Sunday.
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About Nashville Superspeedway
Nashville Superspeedway, Middle Tennessee’s racing jewel, is a year-round family-friendly destination in one of the fastest-growing regions in the country. The 1.33-mile D-shaped track with 14 degrees of banking has hosted three NASCAR Cup Series races, 25 NASCAR Xfinity Series races, 17 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series events and eight INDYCAR SERIES contests. The largest concrete-only track in NASCAR, Nashville Superspeedway is owned by Speedway Motorsports.
