The NASCAR Xfinity Series returns to action after a week off with Saturday’s Tennessee Lottery 250 (3:30 p.m. ET on USA Network, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) where a stacked lineup is ready to take the winner’s guitar trophy.
Kyle Busch (2021) and Justin Allgaier (2022) are the race winners in the two years since NASCAR reassumed competition at the 1.33-mile concrete oval outside Nashville.
Allgaier, driver of the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet, has finished second (2021) and first (2022) at Nashville and picked up his first win of 2023 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May to solidify his place among the Playoff eligible for this season’s title run.
“I really enjoy racing at Nashville, it’s always been one of my favorite places and it’s great going into this weekend as the race winner,” Allgaier said, adding, “We’ve had the momentum on our side here lately and hopefully we can keep that going on Saturday.”
The overall standings remain a tight back-and-forth between two-race winner John Hunter Nemechek in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and three-race winner Austin Hill in the No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. Nemechek holds a slim four-point edge over Hill coming into Nashville. The two drivers combined to win four of the season’s opening five races, but Nemechek’s Martinsville, Va. victory seven races ago marks the last time one of these two has hoisted a trophy.
A victory would certainly be the culmination of a big week career-wise for Tennessee-native Josh Berry. The 32-year-old JR Motorsports driver was formally introduced Wednesday to take over driving duties of the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 4 Ford for retiring NASCAR Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick. Berry was fourth in the Nashville race in 2021 and is still racing for his first Xfinity Series win of this season, despite being ranked fifth in the series driver standings – the only one among the series’ top six without a visit to Victory Lane yet this year.
In addition to the normal slate of Xfinity Series championship competitors, NASCAR Cup Series full-timers Ty Dillon, A.J. Allmendinger and Ty Gibbs are entered, as well as Sage Karam, Chad Chastain and Truck Series standouts Zane Smith and Carson Hocevar. Smith will be driving the No 28 RSS Racing Ford that NASCAR Cup Series regular Aric Almirola drove to an Xfinity Series victory at Sonoma, Calif. two weeks ago.
Opening practice is scheduled for Friday at 5:35 p.m. ET with qualifying at noon on Saturday before the green flag waves at 3:30 p.m. All the series’ on-track activity is airing live on USA Network.
TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!
