John Hunter Nemechek came from the 18th starting position to put the Mobil 1 Tundra TRD Pro in contention for the win the Pinty’s Truck Race on Dirt at Bristol Motor Speedway Saturday night. The Toyota Racing driver battled for the lead with Carson Hocevar for much of the final stage until a late caution came out with 10 laps remaining. As the field went back green with five laps remaining, Nemechek was lined up on the inside of Hocevar but was unable to take over the lead, ultimately finishing in the race in third.
After disappointing results in the first three races of the 2022 season, Nemechek has rebounded by posting three straight top-five finishes.
Stage One Recap
· Nemechek lined up 18th for the Saturday’s 150-lap event at Bristol based on the combination of his fifth-place finish and passing points earned in the fourth qualifying race.
· The second-generation driver was unable to gain much ground throughout the opening stanza as he took the green-and-white checkered flag in 12th.
· Nemechek came over the radio at the end of the stage and communicated that his No. 4 Mobil 1 Tundra TRD Pro “needs to be tightened up a bit.”
Stage Two Recap:
· During the stage break, Nemechek brought his Mobil 1 Toyota down pit road for a controlled pit stop where the No. 4 team executed a four-tire and fuel stop with a wedge adjustment to help with the handling.
· As the field went back green for Stage Two, it took Nemechek only four laps to crack into the top-10 where he would remain for the remainder of the race.
· Just past the midway point of the race, Nemechek started to gain on Cup Series regular Joey Logano for third place.
· Nemechek and Logano continued to battle for third as Parker Kligerman made his way into the picture to create a three-way battle for third as the stage was winding down.
· With less than five laps to go in the middle stanza, Nemechek completed the pass, ultimately finishing the stage in third and earning eight stage points.
Final Stage Recap:
· Veteran crew chief Eric Phillips called for the No. 4 team to stay out during the stage break which proved to be the right call as Nemechek would restart the Final Stage in first with the first two trucks electing to pit.
· Nemechek was unable to hold off the No. 42 of Carson Hocevar on the restart as Hocevar took over the lead on Lap 92.
· The Mobil 1 driver continued to battle within the top three for the remainder of the race and was running second when the eighth and final caution of the night came out with 10 laps remaining.
· Nemechek lined up for the ensuing restart in second on the inside row. As the field went back green, Nemechek found himself in a three-way battle for the lead with Ben Rhodes and Carson Hocevar.
· Nemechek was unable to make a move on Rhodes or Hocevar and took the checkered flag in third. The Toyota Racing driver came over the radio after the conclusion of the race and stated his No. 4 Tundra TRD Pro “just needed a little more”.
John Hunter Nemechek, driver of the No. 4 Mobil 1 Tundra TRD Pro for KBM:
Solid finish. How was the finish from your perspective?
“Solid night for our Mobil 1 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro. We worked really hard over the off season to make the dirt program better. I feel like we were successful in doing that. I felt like we had one of the better trucks in practice. We needed the racetrack to dry slick off and it definitely did that – just didn’t quite have enough to get past the 42 (Carson Hocevar) and the 99 (Ben Rhodes) there. They were a little bit better than us. We will go back to work, but solid points day. Solid finish for our No. 4 Toyota Tundra TRD KBM team. Looking forward to the next few weeks and just trying to build on the recent finishes that we had after the start of the year.”
Pinty’s Dirt Race Recap
· Ben Rhodes picked up his sixth career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win. Carson Hocevar, John Hunter Nemechek, Parker Kligerman, and Christian Eckes rounded out the top-five finishers.
· There were eight cautions for 43 laps. There were three lead changes among two drivers.
How John Hunter Nemechek’s KBM Teammates Fared:
· Chandler Smith, driver of the No. 18 Toyota, finish 19th.
· Buddy Kofoid, driver of the No. 51 Toyota, finished 27th.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship Standings
Nemechek remains in fifth through the first six races of the NASCAR Truck Series season. He sits 62 tallies behind ThorSport Racing driver Ben Rhodes in first.
Next Race
Nemechek and the No. 4 team will have a two-week break until the NASCAR Truck Series returns to action on May 6 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. Live coverage will be on FS1, Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM at 7:30pm ET.
