jnemechek

Nemechek Earns Career-Best Finish, Rookie of the Race at Talladega

• Stage One: 16th
• Stage Two: 14th
• Stage Three: 8th

• John Hunter Nemechek started Monday's rain-delayed race at Talladega Superspeedway in the 22nd position following a random draw to determine the starting lineup. The handling on his No. 38 Death Wish Coffee Ford Mustang was "kind of all over the place" in the early parts of the race and the team made a wedge adjustment and added grille tape during the Competition Caution to try to give him more stability. Towards the end of Stage 1, Nemechek reported that he was a bit tight, particularly off of Turn 2, where the wind had picked up. Shortly after reporting that, the skies opened up and the race was paused for nearly an hour under Red Flag conditions. Once the cars refired, Nemechek finished Stage 1 in 16th place.

• As Stage 2 got underway, Nemechek noted that his No. 38 Death Wish Coffee Ford Mustang was "tight running the bottom in traffic." On Lap 94, he had a tire going down, which caused him to spin on the frontstretch, bringing out a caution. Nemechek would pit several times for the crew to change tires and assess (minimal) damage. Once the race restarted, Nemechek managed to battle his way into the top 10 at times, reporting that he was still "a little snug, but not bad." He would go on to finish Stage 2 in the 14th position.

• With rain no longer a factor, John Hunter Nemechek settled in for the Final Stage. By Lap 134, Nemechek did not have any issues to note with his No. 38 Death Wish Coffee machine. He radioed that the car was pretty good and that he was "just trying not to be in the middle of the mess" with about 50 laps to go in the race. It was going to be a close call on fuel, but with a caution on Lap 185, Nemechek was able to pit to top up on fuel. In a thrilling final lap, Nemechek made contact with another car just before the start-finish line, but still took the checkered flag in the 8th position, his career-best finish thus far. He also finished highest among the Sunoco Rookie-of-the-Year candidates, earning him the "Rookie of the Race" award.

• “We had a really great run in our No. 38 Death Wish Coffee Ford Mustang today. I really thought we had a shot at it at the end there, but I'm still proud of our entire team's efforts. When we fired off, we were kind of tight, and then we had that tire go down in the second stage, but we managed to come back from it and battled into the top 10 by the end. I wish we would have won that thing, but a P8 finish at Talladega is still good for us and I want to thank everyone on the team for their support. I'm looking forward to giving Death Wish Coffee another chance at the checkered flag at Pocono."

by jnemechek

Ready for ‘Dega with Death Wish Coffee

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Post-Race Report: Homestead

• Stage One: 21st
• Stage Two: 22nd
• Stage Three: 19th

• John Hunter Nemechek started Sunday's race at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the 18th position following a random draw to determine the starting lineup. Shortly after the green flag, a weather delay (lightning) came that lasted a little over two hours. After a brief green flag run, Nemechek noted that his No. 38 Death Wish Coffee Ford Mustang was tight and at the Competition Caution, he took 4 tires, fuel, a wedge adjustment and grille tape. Another lightning hold delayed the race for close to 40 minutes. Once cars refired, Nemechek tried to get into a rhythm but still said the car was tight. He finished Stage 1 in the 21st position.

• At the Stage Break Caution, Nemechek pitted for 4 tires and fuel with a track bar adjustment and some more grille tape. After a few laps, he said the track bar adjustment made a positive difference, but as Stage 2 progressed, his Death Wish Coffee machine lacked front grip and was too tight. He would take the green- and white-checkered flag to end Stage 2 in 22nd place.

• Nemechek was able to find a good rhythm in the Final Stage and spent most of his time inside of the top-20. The handling on his No. 38 Death Wish Coffee Ford Mustang also loosened up as the evening went on. Nemechek remained quiet on the radio for much of the third and final stage and despite a right front tire going down on the last lap, went on to finish the race in 19th place.

• “We had a solid night in our No. 38 Death Wish Coffee Ford Mustang. We fired off pretty tight and battled with that for probably two-thirds of the race. The crew was lightning fast on pit road all night long and we managed to get the car a little bit freer towards the third stage. We would have finished a few spots higher but I had a right front tire go down on the last lap. We still were able to get a top-20, which is another solid result for us. Thanks to our partners at Death Wish Coffee for coming on board. Looking forward to having them back with us next week in Talladega."

by jnemechek

Death Wish Coffee to Give John Hunter Nemechek a Jolt in 2020

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (June 11, 2020) - John Hunter Nemechek's No. 38 Ford Mustang will have a new look when it rolls into Homestead-Miami Speedway this weekend thanks to Death Wish Coffee Company, a privately-owned coffee manufacturer. The company will serve as the primary sponsor for Nemechek's Front Row Motorsports (FRM) entry in Sunday's event and at six other races this season, including events at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International, Michigan International Speedway and Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.

by jnemechek

Post-Race Report: Martinsville

• Stage One: 21st
• Stage Two: 18th
• Stage Three: 25th

• John Hunter Nemechek took the green flag in Wednesday's race at Martinsville Speedway in the 18th position. He quickly radioed that his No. 38 FAS Ford Mustang was "super loose center" and that the car "wants to over-rotate." He pitted under caution for 4 tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment, which he said helped. By the time he took the green- and white-checkered flag to end Stage 1 in 21st position, Nemechek said the car "turned center pretty well."

• For much of Stage 2, Nemechek noted that his No. 38 FAS machine was "free on entry" but "tight center off." The crew made additional packer and track bar adjustments under caution in an effort to improve Nemechek's handling as the race went on and track conditions changed under the lights. Nemechek fought hard to stay inside of the top 20 for most of Stage 2 and finished P18.

• At the beginning of the final stage, Nemechek noted that his FAS Ford Mustang was still too loose and he "needed lateral drive." Under caution on Lap 325, Nemechek pitted for 4 tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment, which he said helped, but continued to battle a loose-handling racecar for much of the final stage. He would take the checkered flag 25th on the leaderboard.

• “It was a tough night for our No. 38 FAS Ford Mustang. We fired off pretty loose and Seth and the crew tried to make adjustments as the night went on, but we weren't able to get it to where we needed. My team worked hard and I'm proud of the effort everyone continues to put in each and every week. Big thanks to Fire Alarm Services for continuing to support us. We'll take our learnings and head to Homestead on Sunday."

by jnemechek

John Hunter Nemechek Teams Up with FAS at Martinsville

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Post-Race Report: Atlanta

• Stage One: 29th
• Stage Two: 24th
• Stage Three: 23rd

• John Hunter Nemechek started Sunday's race at Atlanta Motor Speedway from the 18th position. Early on, he struggled with the handling in his No. 38 YANMAR America Ford Mustang, noting that he was very loose, to the point of driving "sideways through the corner." Nemechek lost control and spun coming off of Turn 4 on Lap 94. Thankfully, he avoided contact and sustained minimal damage. The crew made various wedge, packer and track bar adjustments throughout Stage 1, but Nemechek continued to struggle, taking the green- and white-checkered flag in 29th place.

• During Stage 2, the No. 38 YANMAR America Ford Mustang continued to be loose, particularly when Nemechek ran the top line around the track. Seth Barbour and the crew attempted to improve the car's handling with adjustments to tire pressure, wedge and packer during pit stops in Stage 2. Nemechek radioed on Lap 186 that he was "tight on entry and loose off," and by the end of the run, he said he still needed to be tightened up. He finished Stage 2 in the 24th position and pitted for 4 tires, fuel, and wedge and packer adjustments.

• Nemechek started the final stage at the rear of the field, receiving a penalty for removing equipment (fuel can) during his pit stop at the Stage Break Caution. He kept quiet over the radio for much of the stage, but still felt the handling of his No. 38 YANMAR America Ford Mustang was too loose. Nemechek crossed the finish line in 23rd place, two laps down.

• “We had a challenging day in our No. 38 YANMAR America Ford Mustang. Wish we could have had a better result for our partners at YANMAR at their home track. It was a difficult day from the start. We fired off really loose and the car just kind of stepped out on me early on. Managed to avoid contact and damage, and we kept trying to tighten up the handling, but we just couldn't find that sweet spot. I'm proud of my team for never giving up. We'll go get 'em in Martinsville."

by jnemechek