The Nashville Superspeedway is set to host three NASCAR races this weekend, with the Tennessee Lottery 250 being the second.
The Tennessee Education Lottery (TEL) is the title sponsor of this NASCAR Xfinity Series event on Saturday, June 19.
By the looks of it, this sponsorship won’t be the last of its kind for the corporation.
Tennessee Education Lottery sponsors a NASCAR race
The Tennessee Lottery 250 comes as the highly-anticipated 15th contest during this season’s 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series. This NASCAR race is the first sponsored by the Tennessee Lottery.
Saturday’s race marks the 22nd NASCAR Xfinity Series event held at the Superspeedway since 2001.
From 2002-2011, the track hosted two NASCAR Xfinity Series races per year.
Notable winners of those events include:
- Joey Logano
- Kyle Busch
- Kevin Harvick
- Carl Edwards
- Brad Keselowski
Now, after a nine-year hiatus, the NASCAR Xfinity Series makes its long-awaited return to the Superspeedway. The green flag goes up on the Tennessee Lottery 250 at 2:30 p.m. CT on Saturday and can be viewed on NBC Sports Network.
BetMGM Tennessee currently favors Kyle Busch to cross the checkered flag first.
| Driver | Odds |
|---|---|
| Ky. Busch | -135 |
| J. Allgaier | +500 |
| A. Cindric | +500 |
| N. Gragson | +1200 |
| AJ Allmendinger | +1200 |
| D. Hemric | +1400 |
| H. Burton | +1400 |
| T. Reddick | +1400 |
| J. Berry | +2000 |
| B. Jones | +2000 |
| J. Haley | +4000 |
| J. Burton | +8000 |
| R. Sieg | +25000 |
| B. Brown | +50000 |
| JJ Yeley | +100000 |
| A. Labbe | +100000 |
| J. Williams | +100000 |
Lottery continues to see growth
Since its launch in 2004, the Tennessee Lottery has raised close to $6 billion in education program funding, distributing over 1.5 million scholarships and grants along the way. Tennessee Lottery players have purchased almost $24 billion in tickets since its inception.
And in return, those players have won an average of $3 million every day.
Sales have been especially monumental this past year. Eight players have already won $1 million or more in 2021 alone, amounting to a total of 315 winners since launch.
And in April, instant game sales reached $10.1 million within a single 24-hour period, creating a new single-day record for the Lottery.
Tennessee Lottery tests new player engagement methods
To maintain this momentum, the Lottery is beginning to experiment with fresh methods of player engagement. This includes offering an ever-revolving door of instant win games and sponsoring special events statewide.
Tennessee Education Lottery President and CEO Rebecca Hargrove serves as the grand marshal for Saturday’s race.
She sees the sponsorship as a dynamic new way to interact with the public, saying:
“We are thrilled to sponsor this fantastic Father’s Day Weekend event at the Nashville Superspeedway and engage with drivers and fans in a whole new way. . . We want to thank NASCAR and the Superspeedway for this great opportunity. The excitement of this race and our Lottery games make this a perfect combination for fans and drivers – and dads – alike.”
Nashville Superspeedway’s President Erik Moses is similarly eager to integrate the Tennessee Lottery into the track’s historic Father’s Day Weekend.
“The Tennessee Lottery is a difference maker to thousands of students and Tennessee families through the funding it generates for education, and we’re fortunate to have them as a race sponsor and partner this June and into the future.”
Since sports betting’s Tennessee launch in November 2020, its tax revenue has contributed an additional $15 million to statewide education initiatives.
The Tennessee Education Lottery is in the process of slowly relinquishing its role as sports betting’s governing body. Regulatory power will officially transition over to the Sports Wagering Advisory Council on Jan. 1, 2022.
It appears the Lottery is using this newfound free time to collaborate with sporting leagues and engage with Tennesseans.
