Nemechek Ready for More Fun Doing Snowball Double-Duty
John Hunter Nemechek was the one kissing the snowball atop the Tom Dawson Trophy at the end of the 47th Annual Snowball Derby in 2014. One year later in 2015, Nemechek was eight laps away from his second straight win when his race literally went up in flames. Now Nemechek is heading back to Pensacola, Florida seeking more glory in the 49th Annual Snowball Derby.
“We’re going down there to go and win the race,” Nemechek told Speed51.com powered by JEGS. “We had a mechanical failure that took us out while we were leading with eight laps to go or we would have been the car to beat at the end. As long as we prepare our equipment correctly and make sure that we’re fast during practice we’ll be good. We’ve learned how to run the race strategy wise so hopefully everything will fall into place and we can be there at the end in the top three going for the win.”
Nemechek, a current NASCAR Camping World Truck Series regular, will compete in both the Snowball Derby and the Allen Turner Hyundai Snowflake 100 the night before the Derby.
300x250-2016-snowball-derby-ticketsPulling double-duty is something Nemechek has done the past three years as well, and has seen great results. In 2014, Nemechek finished second in the Snowflake and won the Snowball Derby. In 2015, Nemechek won the Snowflake and was leading late until a mechanical failure derailed his path to victory. Nemechek also finished second in the 2013 Snowflake 100 and scored another top five in that year’s Derby as well.
Nemechek said the main reason he runs both races every year is simple. It’s just fun.
“It’s challenging as a driver to run both the Pro and the Super Late Model,” he said. “They’re so different. It’s not like jumping from a Cup to an XFINITY car according to some drivers. The horsepower is way different and you have to drive both of them totally differently. As a driver, I like the challenge. I like to run the Super and the Pro and I like to be able to be in the car every day too. As a driver you want to run every chance that you can.”
The 19-year-old North Carolina native said the amount of fun he has is the main reason he enjoys Snowball Derby week so much. He doesn’t worry about the workload or the stress that typically comes with trying to win the biggest race of the year. He just has fun because he’s a racer and he gets to race.
“I think just being in a race car every day,” Nemechek said. “When you’re running most weekends you’re only in the car one or two days every weekend. But here you’re in the race car three or four days. We work way hard on our cars down there compared to any other race that you would really go to.”
Nemechek knows that even with as much fun as he already has during Derby week, there’s one way it can be even more fun.
“It’s always been fun to be able to go down there and run and it’s an exciting week. To win that trophy means a lot, so we keep going down there to win and to keep bringing those trophies back home.”
The 49th Annual Snowball Derby weekend kicks off on Wednesday, November 30 with the Cat Country/WEAR TV3 Green Flag Pit Party and Qualifying Order Draw Down.
Thursday, December 1 will see the Super Late Models take to the track for the first official Snowball Derby practice. The night will be highlighted by a 30-lap race for the Butler U-Pull-It Bombers and a 50-lap event for the Dock on the Beach Sportsmen division.
The top Snowball Derby starting spots will be set on Friday, December 2 during NASH FM 102.7 Pole Night. The Faith Chapel Super Stocks and the Modifieds will each run 50-lap features.
The Pro Late Models take center stage on Saturday, December 3 for the Allen Turner Hyundai Snowflake 100. The 50-lap Last Chance Qualifier for the Snowball Derby and a 50-lap feature for the Beef O’Brady’s Pro Truck division will also run on Saturday night.
Then on Sunday, December 4 the green flag will fly over the the 49th Annual Snowball Derby. The 300-lap race will begin at 2 p.m. CT.
Nemechek Returning to Supers Looking for Another Indy Win
After competing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event Wednesday night at Eldora Speedway in Ohio, John Hunter Nemecheck will hop over to Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis, Indiana to try and defend his win in the ARCA/CRA Super Series Circle City 100 presented by CSX Play It Safe.
“I don’t think there’s any pressure to repeat,” said Nemecheck. “We have a great Super Late Model program, one of the best in the country. I feel like our package for IRP is very good, just going to need some fine tuning to the race track when we get there.”
This marks the Mooresville, North Carolina driver’s second Super Late Model race of the year, both coming in the ARCA/CRA Super Series. Nemecheck brought home a fourteenth-place finish in January at SpeedFest and is excited to improve on that and climb back behind the wheel of his No. 8 Berrys Manufacturing Super Late Model this Friday night.
“I haven’t been able to run as many Super Late Model races this year and I’m really looking forward to being able to get back it and be able to go have fun,” said Nemechek. “Hopefully we can compete for a win and race our hardest, but most of all I’m just excited to be back in it and going to race some short tracks.”
Besides a win last year, Nemecheck also picked up a second place finish at the Indianapolis track in 2015. The only time the nineteen-year-old driver has finished outside of the top two in the last two years was when he had mechanical problems. If there’s one track for him to put his Super Late Model in victory lane, this is it.
“Really looking forward to getting back there in the Super Late Model,” said Nemechek. “It’s a lot of fun, the track is a lot of fun, both ends are a little different, but overall it’s a unique place. It’s really fun and really wide, you can run about anywhere on the racetrack.”
Nemechek Overcomes Obstacles for Second Masters of the Pros Win
John Hunter Nemechek will do anything to win a race, and the NASCAR star proved that this past weekend. The 18-year-old overcame missed flights, delayed flights and limited practice to win his second straight Champion Racing Oil Masters of the Pros 144 at Lebanon I-44 Speedway in Missouri.
Nemechek’s win helped him maintain a perfect batting average of 1.000% in JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour events. Of the seven JEGS Tour events he’s raced, he’s won them all.
“It means a lot. I’m still undefeated in the JEGS deal too,” said Nemechek. “It’s nice to have another green jacket to hang up on the wall next to the other one. Yesterday we had a little bit of a rough day, couldn’t quite get the truck right, so this makes it all worth it.”
After racing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Dover International Speedway in Delaware on Friday, Nemechek made the trip to Missouri Saturday morning. A delayed flight out of Delaware resulted in a missed connection in Illinois and ultimately resulted in a late arrival to the race track.
Once he arrived at the race track it was game on. Nemechek and the NEMCO Motorsports crew made good use of their limited track time throughout the day. Despite limited practice, Nemechek qualified his No. 8 Pro Late Model in the ninth position for the 144-lap event.
From the drop of the green, Nemechek wasted no time working his way to the front. By lap 10 he was up to sixth and by lap 18 he had already driven his way into the third position. The Mooresville, North Carolina driver held steady in third until lap 83 when he made his move into second and held onto that position until the break at lap 100.
“At the break we just made a couple minor adjustments, just what I wanted to make the car better for the end,” said Nemechek.
On lap 115, Nemechek ran down the leader and took the lead for the first time. With just under 10 laps to go, Nemechek surrendered the lead to Trevor Noles. Not to be denied another green jacket, Nemechek ran down Noles once again, reclaiming the lead on lap 138. He would hold onto the lead on a green-white-checkered finish to win the 144-lap main event for the second straight year.
“It makes all the flight delays, the late nights, the early mornings worth it, that’s for sure,” said Nemechek. “I can’t thank all my guys enough, that was one heck of a show. (Noles) raced me clean there at the end, which I liked. It came down to whoever’s car was better and we had the better car tonight.”
Next up for Nemechek will be the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway (NC) on Friday, May 20. For more information on John Hunter Nemechek, visit www.johnhunternemechek.com.
Nemechek Eyeing Second Green Jacket at I-44 Speedway
John Hunter Nemechek may not have plans to join the PGA Tour anytime soon, but this weekend he’ll make his way to Lebanon, Missouri’s I-44 Speedway in search of his second green jacket. The 18-year-old from Mooresville, North Carolina will attempt to win his second straight Champion Racing Oil Masters of the Pros 144 Saturday night at the high-banked 3/8-mile oval.
“Going back to I-44 Speedway, it’s a really fun race track, high-banked and it’s fun to go back and run Late Model races,” said Nemechek. “We won there last year and got the green jacket, so hopefully we can make it two green jackets in a row.”
Nemechek will compete in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) race at Dover International Speedway (DE) Friday night before making the trip to Missouri on Saturday. When he gets there, he’ll be looking to repeat his performance from one year ago.
“After being able to run the truck race, hopefully we’ll be able to make it out there despite the rain,” said Nemechek, who is already qualified for the NCWTS Chase. “I’m really looking forward to going back.”
Last year, Nemechek dominated the second half of the 144-lap race on his way to wearing the green jacket in victory lane.
Since that race, the NEMCO Motorsports team has experienced plenty of success in the Late Model ranks. Nemechek won the Snowflake 100 at Five Flags Speedway (FL) in December and followed that up with a Pro Late Model win during SpeedFest at Crisp Motorsports Park (GA). He’s hoping to continue that string of strong runs this weekend when he jumps back in a Late Model for the first time since March.
“Our success in not only Pro Late Models, but Super Late Models over the past couple years has been very successful for us,” stated Nemechek. “It means a lot to us, and how much work and determination we put into it. There’s a lot of thought and engineering processes that go into making our cars go faster around the race track, so it’s always great when you can get a win. Going to Cordele, and also going to I-44 and the Snowflake 100 win, we’ve been close to winning those before and finally got all three of those.”
Qualifying for the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Champion Racing Oil Masters of the Pros 144 is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. CT. Fans can follow along with the race live on Speed51.com.
About NEMCO Motorsports:
NEMCO Motorsports is a title-winning NASCAR XFINITY Series team owned by XFINITY Series champion Joe Nemechek. The team fields an entry in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series with the No. 8 Chevrolet for driver John Hunter Nemechek, and an entry in the NASCAR XFINITY Series with the No. 87 Chevrolet for driver Joe Nemechek. Based in Mooresville, North Carolina, NEMCO Motorsports is a family-owned operation that has been in national NASCAR competition since 1989. For more information, please visit us on the Web at NEMCOMotorsports.com on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/NEMCOMotorsports, and on Twitter @NEMCOMotorsport.
Nemechek Scores Third-Straight SpeedFest Pro Late Model Win
John Hunter Nemechek kicked off his 2016 season the only way he knows how, with a win in the JEGS/CRA 125 at SpeedFest. This make it a three-peat for the 18-year-old driver who still has yet to finish anywhere other than victory lane in any JEGS/CRA Pro Late Model race he’s entered.
“Winning the Pro (Late Model) race was something special,” said Nemechek. “To win it here three years in a row and still be undefeated in the JEGS Series is something I’m really happy about.”
Nemechek set fast time in his Pro Late Model early in the day and, with the invert, started the 125-lap feature from the ninth position. He drove to the lead on lap 64 with a three-wide pass and held off a series of challenges on late race restarts to start his 2016 campaign off with a victory.
Soon after his Pro Late Model win, Nemechek climbed behind the wheel of his Rocky Ridge Custom Trucks No. 8 Super Late Model for the SpeedFest 200.
Nemechek raced towards the front of the field throughout the 200-lap event, taking the lead on lap 188. With two laps to go the battle for the lead heated up between Nemechek, Bubba Pollard and William Byron. Contact was made among the top three drivers in turns one and two. Nemechek paid the price from the tangle that started behind him and went for a spin from the lead that ultimately cost him a shot at a SpeedFest sweep.
“When it came down to it everyone was bumping and rubbing” said Nemechek, “And rubbing’s racing. We had the best car there at the end. On that final restart we got the jump and got out to the lead and, I don’t know, we got spun out. It is what it is, but if someone has to spin you for the win it’s kind of uncalled for.”
Nemechek restarted the final two laps at the rear of the field and brought home a 14th place finish.
Next up for Nemechek will be a return to his No. 8 Chevy in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for the NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona International Speedway.
“I’m very excited,” said Nemechek. “We hired some new personnel over the off season, we hired a new engineer, and having Gere Kennon back as crew chief is exciting. Hopefully we start off how we ended the year last year, having finished four out of the last five races in second. Hopefully we can start off strong and go from there.”
Lessons Learned Lead Nemechek to Snowflake Win
After two years of being the bridesmaid and twice losing the lead in the final 10 laps of the race, John Hunter Nemechek's heartbreak in the Allen Turner Snowflake 100 came to an end Saturday night at Five Flags Speedway (FL). Nemechek of Morresville, North Carolina dominated the 100-lap event en route to capturing the $7,000 top prize.
It was a big win that came as a result of the advice he received during those two runner-up performances.
“I didn’t listen very good to my Truck crew chief, who is here spotting for me, on lap times the last two years and it has cost me the race,” Nemechek said. “It’s great to change that and be patient and it paid off.”
Nemechek led from the get go and only relinquished the top spot to fast qualifier Justin South on one short occasion. On restarts, he noticeably chose the outside in order to have the advantage.
“Being able to get the momentum off the corner,” Nemechek answered. “We picked the top because of the speedy dry at one point and those guys went into the corner and got really loose on the bottom.”
The next day, Nemechek was poised to back up his Snowball Derby 300 victory from 2014, but a late-race mechanical issue thwarted that plan. Nemechek's No. 8 went up in smoke in the closing laps while running in the top five. Flames erupted and his car crashed to a stop on pit road, bringing his Snowball title defense to an end.
Nemechek Feels No Pressure to Repeat as Snowball Champ
Not many people were focused on John Hunter Nemechek one year ago at the 47th Annual Snowball Derby. The questions going into the race surrounded drivers such as Bubba Pollard, Chase Elliott and Erik Jones. Nemechek wasn’t exactly an underdog, but he definitely wasn’t a favorite either.
Fast forward one year and now Nemechek is heading to the 48th Annual Snowball Derby, which will be broadcast live on Speed51 TV, as the defending champion and one of the favorites to win the most prestigious short track race in the country.
The 18-year-old driver can’t wait to head back to Five Flags Speedway (FL) during the first week of December as the defending winner of the race. Despite the added pressure and attention, he says that he and his NEMCO Motorsports team are just as relaxed as they were one year ago.
“I wouldn’t say there’s any pressure to come back and try to repeat it,” said Nemechek. “It feels good to be going back there to defend our title. We had a great car last year. I look forward to going back and trying to get another victory there. I’d say there’s going to be more smiles and a little seriousness, but more smiles going back to Pensacola this year.”
Nemechek’s Derby win, at the time, was the biggest win of his young career. Now he said it’s tied at the top of his list with his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory at Chicagoland Speedway (IL) this past September. But the emotion that hit Nemechek when he won the Derby was unlike anything else, because the full magnitude of what he accomplished wasn’t realized until a couple of weeks after the victory.
“It was like ‘We really accomplished that?’” said Nemechek. “Some emotion got me right after the race, but I really think that all of the emotion got to me a week or two afterwards. At the time you don’t really think about it. It’s a huge accomplishment because you’re caught up in the moment, but you can’t really describe that.”
The second-generation driver now heads to the Derby looking to join an extremely short list of drivers that have won back-to-back Snowball Derbys. Rich Bickle (1990-91 and 1998-99), Augie Grill (2007-08), and Erik Jones (2012-13) are the only three drivers to win back-to-back Derbys.
“To go down there and repeat would definitely be a hard accomplishment to do,” said Nemechek. “I don’t think there’s been that many that have gone down there the following year and have defended their title. It would be quite an accomplishment to go back there and repeat.”
In addition to repeating as Derby champion, Nemechek is also eyeing a potential sweep of the weekend as he will also race his Pro Late Model in the Allen Turner Hyundai Snowflake 100 on the eve of the Derby.
“We were close last year,” said Nemechek who has finished second in the Snowflake each of the last two years. “Hopefully we can get both of them this time.”
Nemechek Hoping to "Bring the Band Back Together" at Nashville
Less than one year ago, John Hunter Nemechek stood in victory lane at Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville (TN) holding the coveted All American 400 trophy guitar. The win, at that point in his career, was the second-generation driver’s biggest yet. It was before his nationally-recognized win in the 47th Annual Snowball Derby and it was well before his first win in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Chicagoland (IL).
When Nemechek first learned that he wouldn’t be able to defend his win in the race due to scheduling conflicts with the NCWTS being in Las Vegas, he was disappointed. But thanks to the biggest rain storm of the year in the southeast, which forced the race weekend to be pushed back two weeks, the Mooresville, North Carolina native will return to Nashville in the No. 8 Rocky Ridge Chevrolet to defend his win this Sunday.
“I definitely am glad that I’m able to have the opportunity to go back there,” Nemechek said. “It’s awesome, well I shouldn’t say it’s awesome that it rained out but I’m kind of glad that it rained out just for the fact that I’m able to go and try to defend my title. It’s definitely a great opportunity for us to go back and try to win another guitar.
Due in part to the late decision to enter the race, the NEMCO Motorsports team has been working countless hours in the shop to prepare the car for the tricky Nashville oval. They didn’t actually begin preparing the car until the team hauler arrived back in North Carolina early this week.
“It’s kind of a late start for us getting going on this car, it was actually the backup car for Dominque at Winchester,” said Nemechek. “We had to throw a motor in it and change a few things to get it ready to go.”
Nemechek’s performance at Nashville last November was one of the most dominating performances witnessed in the race since the first All American 400 in 1981. He led all but six of the 300 laps on the way to a sizable win over second-place finisher Willie Allen.
“It’s definitely going to be hard to be able to go back and duplicate that effort but I feel like with our team and our cars that we’re very capable of that,” Nemechek stated confidently. “You just have to get the setup right, and the track changes from time to time over the span of it sitting in the sun and the cool night. Hopefully it will all be on our side this weekend.”
If Nemechek is to win a second straight Nashville trophy guitar, he’s going to have to do it against some of the stiffest competitors in Pro Late Model racing. Fellow NASCAR star and 2014 NASCAR XFINITY Series champion Chase Elliott, 2014 Southern Super Series champion Bubba Pollard and West Coast star Derek Thorn are just a few of the drivers expected to contend for the win.
“I would say that its stiffer competition, but when you race in the south you’re always up against stiff competition,” Nemechek explained. “I definitely look forward to getting to battle with those guys this weekend and hopefully we can have our car set up better than them and outdrive them there at the end.”
Looking back on his win in the All American 400 last year, Nemechek acknowledges that it is still one of the highlights on his racing resume. He also knows the only thing better than having one guitar hanging up in the shop is having two guitars hanging up in the shop.
“It was definitely a big win for us,” Nemechek said. “The All American 400 is a very historical race and it’s something we always looked forward to as kids being able to run that race. I mean, who doesn’t want a guitar from Nashville?”
Despite saying last year after his win that he would consider learning how to play the guitar, his busy schedule didn’t allow him to do that. Now he’s just hoping to add a few more guitars to the collection so that he and a few of his crew guys can have a little fun.
“All of my guys say that we need to get another one this time so we can get the band back together and we can all learn how to play.”
Nemechek Gets his Revenge on Indy with CRA Victory
Last July, John Hunter Nemechek left Indianapolis, Indiana's Lucas Oil Raceway disappointed with losing an ARCA/CRA Super Series Late Model event by mere inches to NASCAR superstar Kyle Busch.
Saturday, in his first appearance to Lucas OIl since that dramatic finish, Nemechek found redemption in the "Circle City."
The 18-year-old driver scored his first ARCA/CRA Super Series victory and third overall Late Model win of the season with a dominating performance in the Circle City 100.
"We came out here to win and that's what we did," Nemechek said following his victory. "I can't thank D.A.B. Constructors, Rocky Ridge Trucks and everyone that helps on this team enough."
Nemechek set fast time for the 100-lap feature, but started 10th following an invert. He wasted little time to get back to the front. He rode patiently in second for several laps in the early stages before making his move around early leader Grant Quinlan on lap 55 and never looked back.
Even late-race restarts, which put some of the top Super Late Model talents in the country at his door and bumper, could not deter Nemechek's No. 8 from victory lane.
"I can't give enough to my dad (NASCAR veteran Joe Nemechek) who put this car together in about a week to come up here. It shows what our team can do and I can't thank everyone enough."
Nemechek will be back behind the wheel of his No. 8 Super Late Model on August 22 when he competes in the Lee Fields Memorial 100 at Mobile International Speedway in Alabama. First things first, he will compete in his No. 8 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series entry in the August 1 event at Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania.
Nemechek Leaves Missouri With Green Jacket & Big Check
John Hunter Nemechek is a big money race winner, and he proved that once again on Independence Day at I-44 Speedway in Missouri when he took home the green jacket and the $8,000 check in the Mercy Masters of the Pros 144.
Nemechek was fast all weekend, and he backed that up with a second-place effort in qualifying. He started eighth after the invert and quickly made his way through the field.
He got to second place behind leader Sterling Marlin on lap 40 and just waited for an opportunity to take the lead.
That chance came when a caution came out on lap 73. On the ensuing restart Nemechek stalked Marlin before finally taking the lead on lap 94.
“We knew we had to be patient, but at the same time we needed to grab spots whenever we could,” said Nemechek. "We just needed to race smart. It was a bit of a small crew. We made the decision to come out and run this pretty late. So it was just three guys and myself this weekend. ”
While Nemechek can now add this race to his list of big wins along with the Snowball Derby and All American 400, there's still a few races left he needs to cross off.
"There’s still a couple big races coming up this fall we want to win," Nemechek said. "Winchester [400]. Snowflake [100] and the Snowball again. And grab a Truck win too."
Nemechek will have a chance to grab that Truck win on Thursday, July 9 when the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series takes on the Kentucky Motor Speedway.