John Hunter Nemechek Beats the Heat for Nashville Win

John Hunter Nemechek climbing out of his car and celebrating in Victory Lane after winning at Nashville. (Photo: Josh James | The Podium Finish)

LEBANON, Tenn. — Saturday at Nashville Superspeedway was a hot one with temperatures over 90 degrees Fahrenheit, but one driver who did not complain about the heat was John Hunter Nemechek, who after a great second half of the race, won the Tennessee Lottery 250.

“Feels good to be back in the 20 machine. We’ve been close to winning a lot this year in this thing,” said Nemechek. “Being able to capitalize on it is huge. It’s great to get it done here in Nashville.”

The victory is the second of the season for Nemechek in only nine starts and the 11th of his career in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

Nemechek led a race-high 76 laps and won Stage 2 along the way. The pass for the win came with 46 laps to go on a restart when Nemechek battled Cole Custer, the second-best car of the race, for the lead.

John Hunter Nemechek doing a burnout after winning the Tennessee Lottery 250 at Nashville Superspeedway. (Photo: Josh James | The Podium Finish)

Going into Turn 1, Custer got loose and shot up the track, losing all of his momentum and allowing Nemechek to take the lead and never give it back.

“I think I overdrove on that restart a little bit into Turn 1,” Custer said. “There’s a couple things I could have done better. Everyone’s got dirty air, and man, it was hard to make speed. I felt like we were solid when we were in the top three cars, but once we got back there, it was tough to get the car to handle.”

It was another one of those weeks for the defending champion and he just could not get it done. Custer led 64 laps and accumulated 15 stage points as well but was only able to finish in ninth after falling back when he was passed for the lead by Nemechek.

“I can’t say enough about our guys. We’re bringing cars that compete for wins every week. It’s just heartbreaking every week not to win,” said Custer. “We’re bringing good cars and leading laps. We’ll get it eventually. We’ll keep digging.”

With the heat during the race, the driver’s cool suits were very important to help keep them at a safe temperature during the race, but if one failed, it would be a difficult ride to the finish with the high temperatures.

John Hunter Nemechek posing for pictures in Victory Lane after winning at Nashville Superspeedway. (Photo: Josh James | The Podium Finish)

One of the drivers who had a cool suit fail was 19-year-old Jesse Love. Despite the discomfort, Love battled inside the car all day and climbed through the field late to finish in third place, the first top-10 for the No. 2 team since Darlington.

“Just proud to be part of a team that doesn’t give up,” Love said. “That was probably the hottest I’ve ever been. Just proud of my guys.”

Custer was also able to regain the points lead over Chandler Smith, who finished in second place, by 15 points heading into the Loop 110 at the Chicago Street Course.

Stage 1 Top 10 Results

1. Ty Gibbs
2. AJ Allmendinger
3. Brandon Jones
4. Cole Custer
5. Justin Allgaier
6. Noah Gragson
7. Riley Herbst
8. John Hunter Nemechek
9. Chandler Smith
10. Ryan Sieg

Stage 2 Top 10 Results

1. John Hunter Nemechek
2. AJ Allmendinger
3. Cole Custer
4. Ty Gibbs
5. Chandler Smith
6. Noah Gragson
7. Jesse Love
8. Brandon Jones
9. Justin Allgaier
10. Riley Herbst

Tennessee Lottery 250 at Nashville Superspeedway Results