No. 38 CITGARD Ford Mustang
Started: 23rd
Finished: 11th
  • Stage One: 15th
  • Stage Two: 23rd
  • Stage Three: 11th
  • John Hunter Nemechek started his first Daytona 500 in 25th place. However, he was not able to run many laps as a full-time Cup Series driver before the skies opened up and the race was postponed until Monday. After a nearly 24-hour rain delay, Nemechek restarted the race in 37th place. He pitted once the engines had been refired for fuel and four tires. The focus for much of Stage 1 was to keep out of trouble, staying towards the back of the pack. After a caution on lap 58, Nemechek pitted for four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment on Lap 60, hoping to alleviate a tight-handling racecar. By the end of the stage, Nemechek managed to make his way up to P15 and pitted under the stage break caution to take fuel only.
  • As the sun set on a warm day in Daytona, the handling of Nemechek’s No. 38 CITGARD Ford improved. He, along with David Ragan and teammate Michael McDowell, settled in around mid-pack for the remainder of Stage 2, where Nemechek finished P23.
  • Nemechek managed to keep his nose clean until Lap 184 when he was involved in a wreck and hit from behind, sending him into the wall. He sustained damage to the deck lid and splitter. Nemechek also sustained possible tow damage, which likely caused the car to handle much tighter and made the steering wheel difficult to turn. With repairs from the No. 38 CITGARD crew, he was able to stay on the lead lap for the last 15 laps of the race. Nemechek finished P11 after navigating a scary crash at the front of the field on the final lap.
Nemechek on Daytona: “It was a great way to start off my Rookie year in the Cup Series. We had a solid day in our No. 38 CITGARD Ford Mustang, being able to stay out of trouble early. We eventually got caught up in one wreck late in the race but still managed to get a solid P11 day after the guys were able to fix the car. We made the most with what we had today. We were hoping for a little bit better result but, overall it was a good way to start the points off for our Front Row Motorsports team. My thoughts and prayers go out to Ryan Newman, his family and our teammates at Roush Fenway after that awful wreck. I was very relieved to hear that his injuries were not life-threatening.”