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.
NEMCO NCWTS Dover Preview
NEMCO Motorsports’ NASCAR Camping World Truck Series History at the Dover International Speedway . This weekend will mark NEMCO Motorsports’ third NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start at the one-mile “Monster Mile.” The organization earned a team best finish of sixth-place with John Hunter Nemechek on May 30, 2014. Two starts at the Dover International Speedway have earned NEMCO Motorsports an average starting position of 6.5 and an average finish of 14.0.
NEMCO Motorsports’ NASCAR Camping World Truck Series History ... Since entering the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 1995, the Mooresville, N.C.-based organization has logged 74 starts from five drivers, resulting in strong performances that include three victories (Watkins Glen, Chicago and Atlanta) and 16 top-five finishes, as well as 37 top-10 finishes, along with an average starting position of 14.1 and an average finishing position of 12.3.
All in the Family … Team owner Joe Nemechek has one win (2003), four top-five and eight top-10 finishes in the NASCAR XFINITY Series in 27 starts at the Dover International Speedway. In 39 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at the “Monster Mile,” Nemechek has one top-five and five top-10 finishes.
Follow NEMCO Motorsports on Social Media ... To keep up-to-date with the latest news, information and exclusive content, visit NEMCO Motorsports’ Twitter page - @NEMCOMotorsport. Also, follow the NEMCO Motorsports drivers on their personal Twitter pages - @FrontRowJoe87 and @JHNemechek. You can also “like” Joe Nemechek on his official Facebook page at /NASCARJoe, and John Hunter Nemechek on his official Facebook page at /JohnHunterNemechek.
Meet John Hunter Nemechek … John Hunter Nemechek is scheduled to participate in an autograph session with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, located at the Lucas Oil Display in the Dover International Speedway midway, from 12:00 p.m. to 12:45 p.m. (ET) on Friday, May 13.
Caring Heart and Helping Hands … A finalist for the Comcast Community Champion of the Year award, Martha Nemechek donated $20,000 to the Travis Manion Foundation in December 2015. On Thursday, May 12 and Friday, May 13, at the Dover International Speedway, NEMCO Motorsports will host members of the Travis Manion Foundation who are attending the Men’s Expedition in Dover. The weekend includes a service project with Habitat for Humanity, and then time at the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event with Martha Nemechek.
Catch the Action ... The Jacob Companies 200 will be broadcast live on FS1 on Friday, May 13 starting with the pre-race show at 5:00 p.m. (ET). It will also broadcast live at 5:00 p.m. (ET) on the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Qualifying for the fifth event of the 2016 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule will air on Friday at 2:00 p.m. (ET) on FS1.
John Hunter Nemechek
No. 8 Cricket SX3 Chevrolet Silverado
This Week's NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado at the Dover International Speedway ... John Hunter Nemechek will pilot Chassis No. 034 in the Jacob Companies 200 at the Dover International Speedway. The Gere Kennon-led team last unloaded the NEMCO Motorsports prepared chassis at the Martinsville Speedway on April 2 to qualify eighth and finish in second position. In the last four appearances of Chassis No. 034, Nemechek has finished fifth or better.
Nemechek at the “Monster Mile” ... This weekend marks John Hunter Nemechek’s third Dover International Speedway appearance with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The Mooresville, N.C., driver has earned an average starting position of 6.5 and an average finishing position of 14.0 at the one-mile track.
Welcome Cricket SX3 … The electric sport vehicle Cricket SX3’s logo will adorn the hood of the No. 8 Chevrolet Silverado NEMCO Motorsports machine this weekend at the Dover International Speedway. Rick’s Specialty Vehicles, based in North Augusta, S.C., is a company that specializes in developing sport vehicles with all-electric motors, providing easier maintenance and a completely green operation.
Autism: Understanding the Puzzle … To help generate awareness for Autism, John Hunter Nemechek will be showing his support for Autism Delaware’s mission throughout the race weekend by displaying a puzzle piece decal on his No. 8 Cricket SX3 Chevrolet Silverado.
Short Track Stats: In ten NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts on short tracks (less than one mile in length), John Hunter Nemechek has recorded three top-five and five top-10 finishes, with an average starting spot of 12.7 and an average finish of 11.5 on these racetracks.
In the Rearview Mirror: Kansas Speedway ... John Hunter Nemechek, driver of the No. 8 Andy's Frozen Custard Chevrolet Silverado for NEMCO Motorsports, finished 28th in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race last Friday at the Kansas Speedway. After rising to second from his sixth-place starting spot, Nemechek was on his way toward securing a solid finish in the extended 170-lap race around the 1.5-mile oval, when an early-race accident on Lap 48 caused damage to the No. 8 Chevrolet, and the night ended in dejection with two bouts of on-track trouble—including a blown tire.
Season-to-date … Through the first four NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races of the 2016 season, John Hunter Nemechek has completed 625 of 655 laps contested (95.4 percent), has led 8 laps, and is currently fifth in the driver point standings. In addition, the NEMCO Motorsports driver has one victory (Atlanta), two top-five and two top-10 finishes, has spent 469 laps running in the top 15 and made 228 green-flag passes so far this season.
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK QUOTE (ON DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY.):
“I’m looking forward to going back to Dover International Speedway this year, because it has always been a fun track for me. NEMCO Motorsports has always had fast trucks at Dover (International Speedway), but we have not always had the results we wanted, but we are really looking forward to going back. Especially after what happened last week at the Kansas Speedway, we are looking forward to a solid finish to regain our points lead. We want to run up front and contend for a win. Hopefully, we can get our first short-track victory.”
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.