Fresh off his first victory in the NASCAR Xfinity Series last weekend at Phoenix Raceway, Sammy Smith will get the advantage of starting from the lead in Saturday’s RAPTOR King of Tough 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Smith, piloting the No. 18 Pilot / Flying J Toyota GR Supra for Joe Gibbs Racing, has been awarded the top spot to start Saturday’s event, after inclement weather forced NASCAR to cancel Friday’s scheduled qualifying session.
The starting lineup will be determined by NASCAR’s performance metric, which weighs the previous week’s finish for driver and team, the entry’s points position, and the fastest lap rank from the previous week’s race.
John Hunter Nemechek, a teammate to Smith and a winner earlier this season at Auto Club Speedway, will start on the outside of the front row, while Daytona and Las Vegas winner Austin Hill will start from third.
Ryan Truex will roll from fourth in Saturday’s 250-mile contest, after finishing runner-up to Smith at Phoenix Raceway. Riley Herbst will complete the top-five starters.
Chandler Smith, Sheldon Creed, Cole Custer, Josh Berry, and Sam Mayer will round out the top-10 starters for the third NASCAR Xfinity Series event on Atlanta Motor Speedway’s new configuration.
Dawson Cram, piloting the No. 74 Chevrolet Camaro for CHK Racing, will fail to qualify for Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series event, marking the fourth event that CHK Racing has failed to qualify for this season, in five races.
Starting Lineup:
Qualifying Results: 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series Raptor 250 at Atlanta
