Post Race Report: Darlington 2
No. 38 Scag Power Equipment Ford Mustang
Started: 12th
Finished: 35th
- Stage One: 39th
- Stage Two: 37th
- Stage Three: 35th
- Following an impressive finish in Sunday's race and an inverted starting lineup, John Hunter Nemechek started Wednesday's "Toyota 500" at Darlington Raceway in 12th position. Trouble came early for the Sunoco Rookie-of-the-Year candidate with a spin on Lap 2, which caused heavy damage to the rear of the car. Nemechek would spin again on Lap 11 and later radioed to the team that the car turned on him as soon as he hit the brakes. Nemechek would finish Stage 1 in the 39th position.
- Down but not out, Nemechek worked with Crew Chief Seth Barbour to make adjustments to the car's handling in Stage 2, and take notes for the next time NASCAR returns to the track "Too Tough to Tame." Unfortunately, the car's balance was consistently unpredictable and Nemechek took the Stage 2 green-and-white-checkered flag 37th on the leaderboard.
- Nemechek hung on and kept his nose clean throughout the remainder of the race despite his car's handling being unpredictable. Nemechek would finish the rain-shortened evening in 35th place, 6 laps down.
Nemechek on Darlington:
- “For as good as our day was on Sunday, we swung to the opposite end of the spectrum tonight. It was a long night. You never want to be that guy who goes out early. Not sure if I cut a tire or just drove it too hard and got loose. I really hate it for my crew and our No. 38 Scag Power Equipment team. These guys have been working their tails off over the last two weeks, and it's obviously very frustrating to have the kind of race we did tonight. It happens sometimes, but I'm still happy to be here. We'll take it as a learning experience and move on to Charlotte. Thank you to everyone at Scag Power Equipment and all of our Front Row Motorsports partners for continuing to support us race after race.”
John Hunter Nemechek Returns to Darlington with Scag Power Equipment
NEMECHEK TALKS SECOND RACE IN A ROW AT DARLINGTON:
"It felt great to turn laps on Sunday in our No. 38 Scag Power Equipment Ford Mustang. Safety continues to be the number one priority across the industry. We’ve got to do everything we can to make sure that we can compete while mitigating current health risks. We’re all in this together, learning and adjusting as we go along.
"We were anticipating Wednesday being our best race at Darlington, so to get a top-10 was a huge accomplishment. We were able to learn a lot on Sunday and it’s actually pretty helpful to have the opportunity to race in the same place again just a few days later. We’ve talked about some adjustments we want to make, not only to run at Darlington again, but to transition into a night race as well.
"I’m also excited to have Scag Power Equipment with us again for Wednesday’s race. I’m confident that our No. 38 team is ready to ‘mow’ the competition down again.”
Post Race Report: Darlington
No. 38 Scag Power Equipment Ford Mustang
Started: 34th
Finished: 9th
- Stage One: 21st
- Stage Two: 20th
- Stage Three: 9th
- John Hunter Nemechek took the green flag in the 34th position in The Real Heroes 400 Sunday afternoon at Darlington Raceway. The day's event marked the first time NASCAR has competed in over two months, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nemechek, along with the rest of the field, fired off without having practiced or qualifying at the track "Too Tough To Tame." His No. 38 Scag Power Equipment Ford Mustang's balance was all over the place to start the race and the team made various adjustments during early pit stops to improve the car's handling. Nemechek would finish Stage 1 in the 21st position.
- Nemechek's No. 38 Scag Power Equipment machine was free for much of Stage 2 and lacked front grip. The crew continued to make wedge adjustments and added grill tape during two pit stops. As the race went on, the handling improved and Nemechek finished Stage 2 in 20th place.
- In the third and final stage, Nemechek spent much of his time inside the Top-15 on the leaderboard. The car's balance continued to get better and Nemechek soon found himself battling for the 8th position. In his career-best finish and Front Row Motorsports' best result to date at Darlington Raceway, Nemechek brought his No. 38 Scag Power Equipment Ford Mustang home in 9th place.
Nemechek on Darlington:
- “We had a great day. I'm very excited that we were able to come home P9. My entire No. 38 Scag Power Equipment team and pit crew did an amazing job. Everybody executed all day with no mistakes. We made the right adjustments. Seth and the engineers did a great job getting the car ready for this race. The pit crew was flawless and I couldn’t have asked for a better day. It was great to get kicked off on the right foot for these races coming up. Hopefully, we can continue to build on this and create some momentum and continue to get our cars faster each and every week. It’s great to be back and I’m so excited to be able to race again on Wednesday. Thank you to all the fans that are out there supporting. We miss you at the race track. It’s definitely different without you guys there and I can’t wait until the day that you guys are back with us. Thank you to Scag Power Equipment and all of our partners for getting us to the race track. None of this would be possible without you guys.”
Scag Power Equipment Joins Front Row Motorsports at Darlington
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (May 12, 2020) - Front Row Motorsports (FRM) announced today that Scag Power Equipment, a leader in commercial-grade professional and premium residential lawn mowers, will join the organization as its newest partner. The company will be featured as the primary partner of Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender, John Hunter Nemechek and the No. 38 Ford Mustang team when the NASCAR Cup Series returns to Darlington Raceway on May 17 and 20.
The events at one of NASCAR's most historic tracks will mark the first time the sport has competed since March 8, due to the impact of the novel coronavirus. It will also be one of the first live sports on FOX.
"We've been tasked with a huge responsibility, carrying the world of live sports into a new normal," said Nemechek. "Our goal this weekend is to return to racing as safely as possible. Being able team up with a new partner such as Scag Power Equipment at Darlington gives us added motivation to restart the season on a positive note. Our No. 38 team is ready to work hard and perform at the top level, just like Scag's mowers."
Scag Power Equipment, a division of Metalcraft of Mayville, has been producing premium, heavy-duty mowers for its commercial and residential customers since 1983. Scag Power Equipment's innovation and attention to quality is known and respected throughout the power equipment industry. Mowers and accessories are designed to be user friendly, with an emphasis on quality, performance, ease of maintenance, profitability and long life.
Scag is no stranger to the world of motorsports, though this weekend will mark the company's debut at the NASCAR Cup Series level.
"We're thankful for the opportunity to participate in NASCAR's return to racing with Front Row Motorsports and John Hunter Nemechek," said Chris Frame, President of Scag Power Equipment. "It's truly an honor to play a small part in helping the rest of the world get back on its feet in these difficult times. We're looking forward to seeing the No. 38 car carrying our colors on track."
The No. 38 Scag Power Equipment Ford Mustang will make its debut at Darlington Raceway on Sunday, May 17. The NASCAR Cup Series race will air at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX and MRN.
For more information about Scag Power Equipment, visit Scag.com.
About Scag Power Equipment
Scag Power Equipment, a division of Metalcraft of Mayville Inc., is one of the largest independent manufacturers of commercial lawn mowing equipment in the United States. Metalcraft of Mayville Inc., an ISO 9001:2008 Registered company, manufactures products in its three facilities, totaling over 850,000 square feet, located in Mayville, West Bend, and Beaver Dam, Wisconsin.
About Front Row Motorsports
Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by successful entrepreneur, Bob Jenkins. FRM fields two full-time entries - the No. 34 of Michael McDowell and the No. 38 of John Hunter Nemechek - from its Mooresville, N.C., headquarters just outside of Charlotte. In 2020, the team announced an expansion to include the No. 38 Ford F-150 in the NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series, driven by Todd Gilliland. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on social media: Twitter at @Team_FRM, Instagram at @team_frm and Facebook at facebook.com/
Fire Alarm Services, Inc. Makes History with John Hunter Nemechek at Virtual North Wilkesboro Speedway in NASCAR iRacing Event
NEMECHEK TALKS LATEST PRO INVITATIONAL SERIES EVENT AT NORTH WILKESBORO:
"I'm proud to have taken part in the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series over the last several weeks. It's been both exciting and humbling to see our industry come together to provide some much-needed entertainment at home while we've been apart. The show we've been able to put on has been the next-best thing to competing in person and I have to give major props to everyone at NASCAR, iRacing and FOX for working feverishly to make this happen.
"It's going to be really cool to race virtually at North Wilkesboro Speedway this weekend. No one has run an iRacing event at this track before, so it might be a little wild and crazy, but definitely worth tuning in. I think it will be the perfect finale to the Pro Invitational Series, and a great sendoff as we get ready to return to the track in Darlington next weekend.
"I'm pumped to have FAS on board the No. 38 Mustang this week. We have a great relationship with the folks over there and they'll be with us a few more times throughout the season. I'm looking forward to having a good run for them in the virtual space."
ACME Supermarkets Partners with John Hunter Nemechek at Virtual Dover Speedway in NASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series
NEMECHEK TALKS LATEST PRO INVITATIONAL SERIES EVENT AT DOVER:
"Everyone is getting better at iRacing. Guys like William Byron, Timmy Hill and some others are always going to be good. But, everyone is getting better, too, and it makes the iRacing events hard to win.
"It's cool to run up front. I've led some laps and it's been fun. It helps our partners to see their car leading on TV. We have ACME Supermarkets on the car this weekend with retail partners such as Essentia, Minute Rice, Nudges Dog Treats and Ziploc. It's a great program that we have and the people at ACME right now are working really hard. It will be cool to get them a win this weekend.
"I know that we're still having fun with iRacing, but I also think we're getting closer to racing. It may look different, but I know that our fans will be excited. Everyone is anxious to see us race and I'll be ready."
Berry's Bullets to Partner with John Hunter Nemechek for Talladega iRacing Event. Nemechek Talks Benefits of iRacing
NEMECHEK TALKS iRACING EVENTS
"I think we all knew when we started the Pro Invitational Series, this was going to be a series that was meant to fill the gap that we currently have while we're not on the real track. But, at the same time, if you take a group of highly competitive people and put them on a national stage like FOX, it's going to get serious. And, we're racing for our partners, too. We may not be getting paid, but there is pride.
"I think it's been good. A really good thing, because it keeps us and fans involved. We have to practice, we do media interviews, we do videos for our partners. It's as close to a race week as we have right now. It keeps you focused, even if it's not the real car. I think it has its benefits that sometimes you don't think about.
"We have Berry's Bullets on the No. 38 this weekend. We're fortunate to have different partners of our program, and they all understand that this iRacing platform is giving fans some entertainment right now. They have wanted to be a part of this and it's been fun to see the cars on FOX."
Speedy Cash Joins John Hunter Nemechek for Pro Invitational Series Event at Virtual Richmond
NEMECHEK ON VIRTUAL RICHMOND:
"I hope everyone is still staying safe. That's always the most important thing. But, we can also have this distraction of the NASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series and it's fun to be back this weekend. I came close at Bristol and the feeling is the same as it is in the real car- you want to win.
"We're back this weekend with Speedy Cash, another great partner of FRM. It's been fun to see the excitement our partners have when seeing their car in the iRacing platform and then see it on FOX. This is as realistic as we can make it without actually being at the track and in the car. It's different, but it's still exciting and I'm racing to win and represent all our partners.
"We are supporting the Ford Apollo project on the car this weekend, too. The Ford Motor Company has really taken a lead in making products for hospitals and those working on the front line of this pandemic. That's been great to see. We'll continue to keep doing what we need to do and until then, we'll have some fun on iRacing."