There’s been plenty going on at Nashville Superspeedway already, with one more day to go.
- Justin Allgaier wins Saturday’s Xfinity Race handily.
- Ryan Preece scores his second career Nashville win on Friday night.
- Two drivers sign contract extensions: one for the long haul.
Now there’s only Sunday. NASCAR came back to Nashville this weekend for the second year in a row. A lot has happened so far, and there is still Sunday’s Cup race to go.
Here’s what’s been going on at a hot Nashville Superspeedway:
Gator Gets a Guitar
Justin Allgaier, driver of the #7 Hellmann’s Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Tennessee Lottery 250at Nashville Superspeedway on June 25, 2022 in Lebanon, Tennessee.
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Justin Allgaier recorded his 18th career Xfinity Series victory with a resounding runaway in Saturday afternoon’s Tennessee Lottery 250 at Nashville Superspeedway. Driving for JR Motorsports, the series veteran led five times for 134 of the 188 laps in the 250-mile race.
Former Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne was second, a distant 4.513 seconds in one of his rare Xfinity starts for Joe Gibbs Racing. Pole-winner Riley Herbst was third, then Ty Gibbs, Sam Mayer, Ryan Preece, Jeffrey Earnhardt, Austin Hill, Ryan Sieg, and Brett Moffett to complete the top 10. Saturday completed a good weekend for Preece, who won Friday night’s Truck Series race on the same track.
Xfinity Results (PDF)
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The victory was Allgaier’s second in 17 starts this season, after Darlington in May. In addition, he’s finished top-5 on seven occasions and top-10 in 10 races. His near-seamless performance on Saturday included leading in bunches of 29, 44, 2, 19, and the final 40 laps, plus winning both stages.
No. 2 starter AJ Allmendinger led four times for 48 laps, Gibbs led twice for four, and Brandon Jones and Bayne also led, but just once for one lap each. Allmendinger was Allgaier’s only serious threat, but he fell back to finish 16th, a lap down, with late-race issues.
Allmendinger holds the series lead over Gibbs by 25 points. The rest of the top 10: Allgaier, Noah Gragson, Josh Berry, Mayer, Jones, Hill, Herbst, and Daniel Hemric. The series is at Road America at Elkhart Lake, Wis. next weekend.
Ryan Preece Gets his Second Guitar
Ryan Preece, driver of the #17 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford, celebrates with his wife Heather and NASCAR Cup driver Kevin Harvick, daughter Piper in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Rackley Roofing 200 at Nashville Superspeedway on June 24, 2022 in Lebanon, Tennessee.
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Friday night’s caution-filled Camping World Truck Series race was basically a two-man show.
Ryan Preece started from the pole, lead twice for 74 laps, and fairly easily won the Rackley Roofing 150 over Zane Smith. It was the Connecticut native’s second CWTS victory in eight career starts, and both have come at Nashville in 150-lap races for team owner David Gilliland.
Last year, Preece started sixth and led only eight laps – including the final seven – for his inaugural Truck Series victory. That one came over Todd Gilliland, the son of his Friday night team owner. (A week ago, Todd won the dirt-track race at Knoxville, Iowa in the same No. 17 Ford entry that Preece drove Friday night. Todd, a Cup Series rookie, was not entered on Friday night).
Truck Results (PDF)
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Second-starting Smith led the first 49 laps, Ty Majeski led 50-53, and Smith led the next 20. Preece finally took the point at lap 74 and stayed there through 98. Parker Kligerman led three laps before Preece took over and led the final 49. All told, Preece and Smith combined to lead 144 of the 150 laps, leaving four for Majeski and two for Kligerman.
Preece beat Smith by a half-second in the race slowed eight times for 43 laps. Carson Hocevar, Majeski, Stewart Friesen, Christian Eckes, Tyler Ankrum, Max Gutierrez, John Hunter Nemechek, and Matt Crafton completing the top 10. Ironically, Preece, Smith, and Hocevar finished exactly where they started: 1-2-3.
Smith built his series lead to 21 points over Nemechek and 30 over defending champion Ben Rhodes. The rest of the top 10: Chandler Smith, Friesen, Majeski, Eckes, Hocevar, Grand Enfinger, and Crafton. The series is off next weekend – its first break in eight weeks – before returning on July 9 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington.
Truex, Stenhouse Back for Next Season; Hamlin, Logano Will Lead the Field Sunday
Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Office Toyota, points to his signature on the Busch Light Pole Award backdrop after winning the pole award for the NASCAR Cup Series Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway on June 25, 2022 in Lebanon, Tennessee.
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Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano will go off 1-2 for Sunday night’s Ally 400 NASCAR Cup Series race at Nashville Superspeedway. The rest of the top 10 after Saturday’s qualifying: Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott on Row. 2, Daniel Suarez and Ryan Blaney on Row. 3, Ross Chastain and Kevin Harvick on Row 4., and Christopher Bell and Martin Truex Jr. on Row 5. Kyle Busch had a bad day spinning on his first qualifying lap. His Toyota smacked the outside wall, and while the crew was able to repair it, he’ll start from the rear Sunday.
Now that championship-winning crew chief Cliff Daniels is suspended for a tire infraction two weeks ago at Sonoma, Kevin Meendering will serve as Larson’s crew chief this weekend at Nashville, then in upcoming races at Elkhart Lake, Atlanta, and Loudon. The four-race suspension ends in time for Daniels to return for the July 24 race at Pocono, Pa.
Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 Pedigree Toyota, spins after an on-track incident during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway on June 25, 2022 in Lebanon, Tennessee.
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With unfounded rumors swirling around him, former Cup Series champion Truex Jr. has confirmed his return to the No. 19 Toyota next year at Joe Gibbs Racing. Popular speculation was that the 42-year-old veteran might retire after this, his 17th full Cup season. He’s struggling through a 24-race losing streak dating to Richmond in the fall of 2021.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has signed a multi-year contract extension with JTG Daugherty Racing. The 34-year-old Mississippi native is midway through his third season with the team, which is owned by Jodi and Tad Geschickter, and former NBA star Brad Daugherty.
“I’ve really enjoyed my time at JTG,” Stenhouse said on the eve of the Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway. (Since joining the team in 2020, Stenhouse has won the Daytona 500 pole in 2020 and scored five top-five and 11 top-10 finishes). “I feel we haven’t had the end results points-wise, but I’m ready to continue our progress together as a team. We’ve made some strides with this new car at some tracks, and we know there’s some work to do on others. I look forward to that process with the good group of people we have in place at JTG Daugherty Racing.”
Keyword: NASCAR’s Nashville Weekend So Far