jnemechek

Post-Race Report: Kentucky

• Stage One: 29th
• Stage Two: 29th
• Stage Three: 36th (out)

• Following a random draw for starting position, John Hunter Nemechek took the green flag in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series event at Kentucky Speedway in 22nd place. He noted on Lap 6 that his No. 38 YANMAR America Ford Mustang was “free to start” and was experiencing a lot of splitter bounce. At the Competition Caution, Nemechek pitted for 4 tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment. As Stage 1 came to a close, Nemechek was still loose and still bouncing off the splitter. He would take the green- and-white checkered flag a lap down in 29th position and pitted under caution for 4 tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment.

• Nemechek continued to struggle with the handling of his No. 38 YANMAR America Ford Mustang in Stage 2. He radioed to the team on Lap 116 that the splitter bounce was worse and when he was “behind someone in traffic, I just get loose.” He noted a few laps later that he was “wrecking loose center off” and eventually made a green flag pit stop for 4 tires, fuel, wedge and packer adjustments. When the caution came out on Lap 153, Crew Chief Seth Barbour made the call for Nemechek to pit for another packer adjustment and in the few short green flag laps remaining in Stage 2, Nemechek said that his handling had definitely improved. He would finish Stage 2 in the 29th position.

• Two laps down and without a wavearound opportunity, Nemechek pitted for 4 tires and fuel at the final Stage Break Caution. As Stage 3 got underway, Nemechek noted that his No. 38 YANMAR America Ford Mustang was finally in a place where he felt comfortable and his handling had improved. After making contact with the wall on Lap 243, Nemechek sustained heavy damage to the right side of the car, and the crew was unable to make enough repairs on pit road. He would retire to the garage and finished in 36th place.

• “Wasn’t the day we were hoping for in our No. 38 YANMAR America machine. We were loose to fire off and we were hitting the splitter, and it got worse before it got better. Seth and the crew tried a few different adjustments, but by the time we were able to get the handling to a better place, we were already multiple laps down and then we made heavy contact with the wall, which ended our day. Hate that for the team and our partners at YANMAR America. Everyone has worked so hard to get our Front Row Motorsports cars ready each week. We’ll regroup and focus on having a good run in the All-Star Open and getting our YANMAR America Ford Mustang into the All-Star Race on Wednesday."

by jnemechek

YANMAR America Back with John Hunter Nemechek at Kentucky

by jnemechek

Post-Race Report: Indy

• Stage One: 17th
• Stage Two: 17th
• Stage Three: 15th

• After a delayed start due to lightning in the area, John Hunter Nemechek took the green flag in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the 19th position. At the Competition Caution on Lap 12, he radioed to the team that his No. 38 Fire Alarm Services, Inc. (FAS) Ford Mustang was snug in all four corners and that he needed “help with turn center off.” He was on pit road for 4 tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment when a wreck happened on pit road directly in front and alongside Nemechek’s pit box, but he did not sustain any damage. He would stay there for a brief red flag and restarted the race in 21st place. Through the rest of Stage 1, Nemechek tried to experiment with the throttle and his driving line, but still struggled to “keep it turning in traffic.” He would take the green- and-white checkered flag in the 17th position.

• Crew Chief Seth Barbour made the call for Nemechek to stay out at the Stage 1 Caution, allowing him to start Stage 2 in 11th place. He still battled some tightness in traffic with his No. 38 FAS machine but noted that he was good running by himself. By the end of Stage 2, Nemechek radioed to tell the team that previous adjustments had helped and that he could turn better in traffic, but he could still stand to be a tick freer. He would finish Stage 2 in the 17th position.

• Nemechek took the green flag to start the day’s Final Stage in the 18th place. During a caution on Lap 124, Nemechek noted that his No. 38 FAS Ford Mustang was “free to fire off” and “tightened up as the run goes on.” He managed to stay inside of the top 20 for much of the stage. When a caution came out with less than 10 laps to go, Nemechek did not pit and restarted P13. He was involved in a last-lap wreck, but kept it rolling to take the checkered flag in 15th place.

• “It was a hard-fought day for our No. 38 Fire Alarm Services, Inc. Ford Mustang. We were tight in traffic to start and it was difficult to keep the car turning when I was behind another car. Seth and the crew made some good adjustments throughout the day that helped our handling a lot. We got caught up there at the end, but still had a decent top-15 day. I’m proud of our Front Row Motorsports team’s continued effort in the shop and at the track each week. Huge shoutout to FAS and Digital Ally Body Cameras for coming on board with us today. We’ll regroup this week and come back ready for Kentucky."

by jnemechek

John Hunter Nemechek looks for Speed at Indy with Fire Alarm Services, Inc.

by jnemechek

Post-Race Report: Pocono II

• Stage One: 20th
• Stage Two: 23rd
• Stage Three: 19th

• John Hunter Nemechek started the second of this weekend's doubleheader races at Pocono Raceway in 24th place. Shortly after taking the green flag, the race was paused for 50 minutes due to rain. Once the engines refired and the race restarted, Nemechek pitted for 4 tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment after noting that his No. 38 Death With Coffee Ford Mustang was tight in traffic, but otherwise fired off free. He said the handling improved as the run went on, and finished Stage 1 in the 20th position.

• Nemechek continued to battle a tight car in traffic through Stage 2. By the end of the stage, he said his No. 38 Death Wish Coffee machine had been a little free to fire off, but then it started getting tighter. Nemechek would take the green- and-white checkered flag to end Stage 2 in 23rd place. He would stay out under the Stage Break Caution.

• As the sun set over Pocono Raceway during the Final Stage, strategy played a factor as uncertainty over the amount of daylight remaining continued to build. Nemechek was still noting that he was tight in traffic by Lap 104. With less than 20 laps remaining, Crew Chief Seth Barbour made the call for Nemechek to pit for 2 tires (only) and fuel. He would work his way into the top 20 and finished in the 19th position.

• “Wasn't quite the day we were hoping for at Pocono Raceway, but we finished better than we did in yesterday's race, and that's an accomplishment for us. Our No. 38 Death Wish Coffee Ford Mustang was decent in clean air, but we just couldn't make it work in traffic. I was too tight whenever I got behind another car and we couldn't quite get the handling right in order to really make the kind of gains we wanted to on track. I'm proud of my team and thankful for their effort. Really appreciate Death Wish Coffee and Rich Mar Florist coming aboard with us again today. We'll regroup this week and head to Indy."

by jnemechek

Post-Race Report: Pocono

• Stage One: 26th
• Stage Two: 27th
• Stage Three: 24th

• Following a short weather delay, John Hunter Nemechek took the green flag in Saturday's race at Pocono Raceway in the 20th position. He noted early on that his No. 38 Death Wish Coffee Ford Mustang was tight in all corners, and particularly rough going over the bumps in Turn 2. At the competition caution, Nemechek took 4 tires, fuel and a significant track bar adjustment to try and free up his racecar. By the time he finished Stage 1 in 26th place, he said the adjustments helped but he still needed to be freer.

• Nemechek stayed out under the Stage Break Caution. Despite needing to be freer, Nemechek managed to crack his way into the top 10 as Stage 2 got underway. During a cycle of green flag pit stops, Crew Chief Seth Barbour made the call for 4 tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment to continue freeing up Nemechek's No. 38 Death Wish Coffee machine. On Lap 64, Nemechek got loose underneath while passing the No. 27 car and made contact, bringing out a caution for debris. Luckily, Nemechek sustained only minor damage. After a round of repairs, he took the green- and-white checkered flag in the 27th position.

• Nemechek had a quiet Final Stage in his No. 38 Death Wish Coffee Ford Mustang. He radioed on Lap 90 that his handling was "possibly still a touch tight." He continued to struggle with that tightness through the rest of the race, crossing the finish line in 24th place.

• “We fired off pretty tight in our No. 38 Death Wish Coffee Ford Mustang today at Pocono. We made some adjustments to try and free it up and made some progress, but I just got loose under the 27 at one point, and slid up into him a little. We still struggled toward the end of the race and needed to be freer on our runs, but we made some good notes for tomorrow. Really appreciate our partners at Death Wish Coffee and Rich Mar Florist for coming on board with us this weekend and I'm glad we have another chance tomorrow for a great finish."

by jnemechek

John Hunter Nemechek Doubles Down with Death Wish Coffee at Pocono

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