Nick GrayNashville Tennessean
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The NASCAR Xfinity Series takes on the hot 1.33-mile Nashville Superspeedway for Saturday's Tennessee Lottery 250.
Ty Gibbs is on the pole after setting the fastest time earlier Saturday. He is one of several Cup drivers pulling double duty this weekend, including John Hunter Nemechek, Tyler Reddick and Noah Gragson.
Jesse Love will start from the back of the field after bowing out of qualifying to fix the radiator on the No. 2 Chevrolet.
Last night's Truck Series race produced a flag-to-flag winner. Saturday promises to feature more passing up front. Follow along with our live race updates below, with the green flag set for after 4 p.m. CT Saturday.
BACK AT IT:How Clint Bowyer finished in return to NASCAR Truck Series at Nashville Superspeedway
SUNDAY PICKS:NASCAR Nashville predictions 2024: Expert picks for Cup Series race at Nashville Superspeedway
NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Nashville: Live updates, highlights, live leaderboard
Drivers report cooling shirt issues
Riley Herbst confirmed that his cooling shirt was not working, and he told NBC that he worried about his vision at one point during the race because he got so overheated.
Noah Gragson also said his cooling shirt quit working. A lot of drivers are pouring cold water into their firesuits and over their heads as they exit the race car.
Sammy Smith's points lead for final playoff spot narrows
Sammy Smith's lead in the points standings for the final playoff spot is down to 11 points ahead of Ryan Sieg. Brandon Jones is now within 54 points, shaving off a good chunk of the margin mentioned earlier.
John Hunter Nemechek wins in Nashville
John Hunter Nemechek has a large enough lead to not have to worry about a gaggle of lap traffic, and he cruises to a five car length victory in the Tennessee Lottery 250.
Chandler Smith finishes in second, with Jesse Love, Austin Hill and Noah Gragson rounding out the top five.
Smith notes in his post-race interview with PRN that his car was tight on the final run after he brushed the wall during the Ty Gibbs-Justin Allgaier incident.
Lap 173: John Hunter Nemechek's lead is up above 1 second
John Hunter Nemechek has stretched out his lead to 1.1 seconds. Meanwhile, Sheldon Creed has come to pit road with the hood up with a reported electrical issue.
Lap 156: Race for lead has stabilized
John Hunter Nemechek, who has debris on the front grill, has increased the lead over Chandler Smith to 0.7 seconds. He then gets the debris off the front via some help from a lapped car.
Justin Allgaier has made his way up to 12th after the battery change, while Ty Gibbs in 21st.
Lap 142: John Hunter Nemechek takes advantage of Cole Custer mistake
Cole Custer gets a solid advantage through turns 1 and 2 on the restart but slid well up the race track, allowing John Hunter Nemechek to pass for the lead.
Custer continues a free fall outside of the top five.
AJ Allmendinger has poor stop; Justin Allgaier changes battery
The No. 7 team changes the battery on Justin Allgaier's Chevrolet after he reported voltage issues during the previous run. He'll restart near the rear.
AJ Allmendinger entered pit road in second and leaves in ninth place after a slow stop.
Lap 135: Ty Gibbs spins off of Justin Allgaier's bumper
Ty Gibbs is tapped by Justin Allgaier in a battle for fourth and spins, glancing off the wall. He has damage to the rear. Chandler Smith also got into the wall trying to avoid the incident. How will Gibbs respond?
Lap 130: AJ Allmendinger cutting into Cole Custer's lead
AJ Allmendinger is within six-tenths of a second of Cole Custer as the final pit stop cycle looms.
Lap 115: AJ Allmendinger drives under Cole Custer for second
AJ Allmendinger continues to run well today, driving under Cole Custer for second place. The No. 16 Chevrolet is within 1.1 seconds of leader Cole Custer.
Lap 100: Cole Custer back to the lead
Cole Custer leads John Hunter Nemechek and AJ Allmendinger off the restart.
It's been a disappointing day for Ross Chastain, outside of the top 20. Justin Allgaier has fallen to sixth place and is reporting battery voltage issues.
Riley Herbst comes down pit road to get cooling problem fixed inside car
Riley Herbst's cooling shirt, a shirt worn by drivers in which cool water flows through to give the drivers some relief in these hot conditions, was not working for most of Stage 2. He comes in before pit road opens and gets his shirt drained while getting some ice and cold water.
NBC reports a track temperature of 120 degrees, and thermometers inside the cars have risen to as high as 128 degrees.
John Hunter Nemechek wins Stage 2
John Hunter Nemechek cruises to the Stage 2 win over AJ Allmendinger.
The top 10:
- John Hunter Nemechek
- AJ Allmendinger
- Cole Custer
- Ty Gibbs
- Chandler Smith
- Noah Gragson
- Jesse Love
- Brandon Jones
- Justin Allgaier
- Riley Herbst
Lap 71: John Hunter Nemechek to the lead
The first green-flag lead change of the weekend at Nashville Superspeedway takes place when John Hunter Nemechek slides past Cole Custer.
Ty Gibbs has fallen to fourth place.
Lap 55: Cole Custer gets lead on pit road, holds on during restart
Cole Custer wins the race of of pit road as Ty Gibbs, AJ Allmendinger and Noah Gragson all lose spots.
Sammy Smith was penalized for speeding during the last pit stop and restarted in the rear of the field.
Ty Gibbs wins Stage 1
Ty Gibbs leads the first 45 laps and wins Stage 1. AJ Allmendinger is in second. He and Brandon Jones were both faster than Gibbs over the last 15 laps of the run.
The top 10:
- Ty Gibbs
- AJ Allmendinger
- Brandon Jones
- Cole Custer
- Justin Allgaier
- Noah Gragson
- Riley Herbst
- John Hunter Nemechek
- Chandler Smith
- Ryan Sieg
Lap 28: Austin Hill enters the top 15
Austin Hill started in the rear and has moved up into 15th in the first stage. Very impressive by Hill, who won the first two races of the season but has not yet earned win No. 3 in 2024.
Lap 20: Brandon Jones moving up the leaderboard
Brandon Jones started 12th and has moved to fourth after 20 laps. He is 82 points off of Sammy Smith for 12th in the standings. There may be a pathway for Jones to points his way into the postseason, but he cannot afford to turn good runs into poor results.
Lap 10: Ty Gibbs pulling away
Ty Gibbs is pulling away from Cole Custer and AJ Allmendinger as the latter two battle for second place. Noah Gragson has moved up to fourth.
Green flag!
The green flag is out, and the Tennessee Lottery 250 is underway. Ty Gibbs and Cole Custer race side-by-side for about two laps before Gibbs moves ahead.
Sheldon Creed, Austin Hill among those starting in the rear
Sheldon Creed, Austin Hill, Jeb Burton and Jesse Love are among the drivers who will start at the rear for various unapproved adjustments.
Engines have fired for the NASCAR Xfinity Series
The command to fire engines has been made, and we're about to go green at Nashville Superspeedway. 188 laps around the 1.33-mile circuit.
Ty Gibbs on the pole; full NASCAR Xfinity Series in Nashville starting lineup
Ty Gibbs is on the pole for Saturday's race.
The top 10:
- Ty Gibbs, No. 19Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
- Cole Custer, No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
- Ryan Sieg, No. 39 RSS Racing Ford
- AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
- Austin Hill, No. 21Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
- Justin Allgaier, No. 7JR Motorsports Chevrolet
- Noah Gragson, No. 30 Rette Jones Racing Ford
- Chandler Smith, No. 81 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
- Riley Herbst, No. 98 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
- Parker Kligerman, No. 48 Big Machine Racing Chevrolet
Find thefull starting lineuphere.
NASCAR race radio coverage: How to listen to NASCAR Xfinity race at Nashville
The Tennessee Lottery 250 at Nashville will be aired on the radio by the Performance Racing Network. PRN has affiliates all across the country, and their feed can also be streamed onGoPRN.comand onNASCAR.comas well as the NASCAR app. The race can also be heard on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.
NASCAR Xfinity Series Nashville race TV schedule, start time
- Green Flag Time: Approx. 4 p.m. CT Saturday
- TV coverage: USA Network(Watch FREE on Fubo)
- Radio: PRN (102.5 FM in Nashville)
- Streaming:FUBO(free trial available); NBC Sports app (subscription required); GoPRN.com and SiriusXM for audio (subscription required).
The Tennessee Lottery 250 will be broadcast nationally on USA Network. Streaming options for the race include the NBC Sports app andFUBO, which offers afree trialto potential subscribers.
Recent NASCAR Xfinity Series winners at Nashville
- 2023: AJ Allmendinger
- 2022:Justin Allgaier
- 2021:Kyle Busch
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