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.
John Hunter Nemechek NCWTS Homestead Preview
John Hunter Nemechek
No. 8 Fire Alarm Services, Inc., Chevrolet Silverado
This Week's NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado at the Homestead-Miami Speedway ... John Hunter Nemechek will pilot Chassis No. 041 in the Ford EcoBoost 200 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway. The Gere Kennon-led team last unloaded this NEMCO Motorsports prepared chassis at the Michigan International Speedway on August 27 where they finished in the 26th-place after starting in the 16th-place in the chassis’ fifth appearance of the 2016 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season. In the chassis’ starts (Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway, Kentucky Speedway, Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, and Michigan International Speedway) with Nemechek, it has an average finishing position of 11.2.
“I'm going to Miami, welcome to Miami” ... This weekend marks John Hunter Nemechek’s second Homestead-Miami Speedway appearance with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The Mooresville, N.C., driver has earned an average starting position of second and an average finishing position of second with 24 laps led at the 1.5-mile track. Nemechek made his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series track debut on November 20, 2015.
In the Loop at the Homestead-Miami Speedway … John Hunter Nemechek has the highest average running position (2.485) at the Homestead-Miami Speedway of active NASCAR Camping World Truck Series drivers. In addition, Nemechek has the highest driver rating (126.6) and box score among full-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series drivers at the 1.5-mile track.
Speedway Stats: In 26 combined NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts on speedways (tracks 1 to 2-miles in length), John Hunter Nemechek has recorded two victories (Chicago and Atlanta), nine top-five and 15 top-10 finishes. He has led for a total of 89 laps on NASCAR’s speedway tracks.
Race Rewind: Homestead-Miami Speedway … John Hunter Nemechek, driver of the No. 8 Chevrolet Silverado for NEMCO Motorsports, qualified in the second-position for the 201-mile NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race November 20, 2015 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway. Nemechek captured the lead on Lap 31, exchanging the lead for a total of five times, leading 24 laps before finishing in the second-place. Nemechek was the highest finishing rookie in his debut at the Homestead-Miami Speedway.
In the Rearview Mirror: Phoenix International Raceway ... John Hunter Nemechek, driver of the No. 8 Fire Alarm Services, Inc., Chevrolet Silverado for NEMCO Motorsports, finished in the sixth-position in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Lucas Oil 150 at the Phoenix International Raceway on November 11. Nemechek started the 150-lap event from the sixth-place. The 19-year old raced to the fifth-place by Lap 140 and ultimately finished in the sixth-place, maintaining his position in the closing laps.
Season-to-date … Through the first 22 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races of the 2016 season, John Hunter Nemechek has completed 3133 of 3305 laps contested (94.8 percent), has led 99 laps and is currently eighth in the driver point standings. In addition, the NEMCO Motorsports driver has collected two victories (Atlanta, Canada), has one pole award (Iowa), has five top-five and 11 top-10 finishes, has spent 2,440 laps running in the top 15 and has made 796 green-flag passes thus far this season.
John Hunter Nemechek NCWTS Texas Preview
This Week's NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado at the Texas Motor Speedway ... John Hunter Nemechek will pilot Chassis No. 037 in the Striping Technology 350 at the Texas Motor Speedway. The Gere Kennon-led team last unloaded this NEMCO Motorsports prepared chassis at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on October 1 where Nemechek finished in the 16th-position after starting in the 15th-position in the chassis’ second appearance of the 2016 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season. Earlier in the season, Chassis No. 037 was driven into victory lane at the Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway. This chassis made its maiden voyage on-track at the Kansas Speedway in May 2015.
"Deep in the Heart of Texas" ... This weekend marks John Hunter Nemechek’s third Texas Motor Speedway appearance with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The Mooresville, N.C., driver has earned an average starting position of 17.5 and an average finishing position of 9.0 at the 1.5-mile track. Nemechek made his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series track debut on November 6, 2015.
Speedway Stats: In 24 combined NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts on speedways (tracks 1 to 2-miles in length), John Hunter Nemechek has recorded two victories (Chicago and Atlanta), nine top-five and 14 top-10 finishes. He has led for a total of 89 laps on NASCAR’s speedway tracks.
Race Rewind: Texas Motor Speedway … John Hunter Nemechek, driver of the No. 8 Fire Alarm Services, Inc., Chevrolet Silverado for NEMCO Motorsports, qualified in the 23rd-postion in the 250.5-mile NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on June 10, 2015 at the Texas Motor Speedway, running as high as fifth, but he eventually finished in seventh-place. The finish was Nemechek’s third top-10 finish of the 2016 season, and a career-best finish at the Texas Motor Speedway.
In the Rearview Mirror: Martinsville (Va.) Speedway ... John Hunter Nemechek, driver of the No. 8 Fire Alarm Services, Inc., Chevrolet Silverado for NEMCO Motorsports, finished in the third-position in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Texas Roadhouse 200 presented by Alpha Energy Solutions at the Martinsville Speedway on Saturday, October 29. Nemechek travelled to the .526-mile paperclip-shaped Martinsville oval with two previous consecutive second-place finishes at the Ridgeway, Va., facility. Nemechek started the 200-lap event from the 12th-place and wasted no time in his bid for the lead, racing into the top-ten by Lap 70 and taking over the top spot on Lap 158. He led the next 18 circuits around the track before the caution on Lap 177, and Nemechek restarted in the second-place before crossing the finish line in the third-place.
Season-to-date … Through the first 20 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races of the 2016 season, John Hunter Nemechek has completed 2837 of 3008 laps contested (94.3 percent), has led 99 laps and is currently eighth in the driver point standings. In addition, the NEMCO Motorsports driver has collected two victories (Atlanta, Canada), has one pole award (Iowa), has five top-five and ten top-10 finishes, has spent 2,179 laps running in the top 15 and has made 748 green-flag passes thus far this season.