jnemechek – Page 2 – John Hunter Nemechek

John Hunter Nemechek came into Saturday’s 94-lap event at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway nine points below the cutoff line for advancing to the Championship 4 with two races remaining in the Round of 8. After earning the pole in Friday’s qualifying session, Nemechek nearly maxed out his stage points by picking up the Stage One win and crossing the stripe in second at the end of Stage Two to earn 19 points.

Nemechek was lined up in 18^th for the first and only NASCAR overtime attempt at the 2.66-mile track after electing to ride near the back of the field for the Final Stage in an effort to miss wrecks and maximize his finish. As the field came through the tri-oval for the final time, Nemechek went through the infield grass to avoid “The Big One” at the end of the race and ultimately spun through the grass in his Pye-Barker Tundra. Once he regained control of his Tundra and crossed the stripe, Nemechek was scored in 24^th.

Stage One Recap

· Nemechek started the Talladega 250 from the front row after earning his seventh pole award of the year during Friday afternoon’s two-round qualifying session, posting a time of 53.567 seconds at 178.767 mph in the second round.

· The second-generation driver elected the outside lane to start the race with his Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) teammate Chandler Smith on the inside. As the field took the green flag, Nemechek ducked down in front of the No. 18 as they controlled the opening laps.

· Nemechek briefly lost the lead before regaining control of the draft on lap 5 and went on to lead the next 18 laps.

· The first caution of the day came out on lap 20 for a single-truck incident, ending Stage One under caution with Nemechek in the lead, earning him an important 10 bonus points.

Stage Two Recap:

· Veteran crew chief Eric Phillips called for a fuel-only stop at the stage break and sent the No. 4 Pye-Barker Tundra TRD Pro back out on track to restart in second.

· Nemechek and his KBM teammate Chandler Smith continued to work together throughout the second stage as third caution of the day came out on lap 34 with Nemechek scored in third.

· As the field went back green for a two-lap shootout to the green-white-checkered, Nemechek pushed the No. 18 of Smith out ahead of the field and held off a surge from the outside lane as they came through the tri-oval to take the green-and-white checkered in second, adding nine more stage points to his total.

Final Stage Recap:

· Nemechek restarted the final stage in 27^th after electing to pit and restart near the back to avoid any wreck that might have occurred throughout the Final Stage.

· The 25-year-old driver continued to run in 26^th before hitting pit road for two tires and fuel as green flag pit stops began on lap 62.

· Shortly after completing their stop, the fifth caution of the day came out on lap 65 for a loose tire on the track with Nemechek scored in 11^th.

· Nemechek was shuffled back to 19^th before coming over the radio to say “I’m bailing out of this” as he elected to get out of his lane and fall back to 23^rd with 17 laps to go.

· The seventh caution of the day came out on lap 80 for a five-truck incident with Nemechek scored in 19^th. The No. 4 team was one of three teams that elected to pit under caution as the over-the-wall crew executed a four tire and fuel stop.

· The second-generation driver lined up for the ensuing restart in 25^th and made his way up to 18^th before a caution with just three laps left set up a green-white-checkered finish in NASCAR overtime.

· As the field was coming through the tri-oval on the final lap with “The Big One” beginning to happen in front of him, Nemechek ducked through the infield grass and found himself spinning out before the finish line. As he got his Pye-Barker Tundra going again to cross the stripe, Nemechek was scored in 24^th.

John Hunter Nemechek, driver of the No. 4 Pye-Barker Tundra TRD Pro for KBM:

How was your race today?

“Up and down. Maximized stage points there with Chandler (Smith) in the first stage and in the second stage, put ourselves in a good position to gain as many points as possible. Just didn’t work out there at the end. Stuff happens and I was one of the trucks that was spinning through the grass there. Probably lost around 10 or 12 spots there by spinning through the grass. It hurt our points day a little bit and we’re now just five points behind the cut going into Homestead.”

Talladega 250 Recap

Matt DiBenedetto earned his first career Camping World Truck Series victory. Ben Rhodes, Bret Holmes, Ryan Preece, and Christian Eckes rounded out the top-five finishers.
There were nine cautions for 36 laps and 25 lead changes among 11 drivers, including Nemechek who led twice for 20 laps.

How John Hunter Nemechek's KBM Teammates Fared:

· Chandler Smith, driver of the No. 18 Toyota, finish 14^th.

· Corey Heim, driver of the No. 51 Toyota, finished 26^th.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship Standings

John Hunter Nemechek and the No. 4 team are on the outside looking in as they sit five points below the cutoff line to advance to the Championship 4 with one race remaining in the Round of 8.

Next Race

John Hunter Nemechek and the No. 4 GEARWRENCH team will have a two-week break before the Camping World Truck Series playoffs resumes at Homestead-Miami Speedway Oct. 22^nd for the final race of the Round of 8. Live coverage of the Baptist Health 200 will be on FS1, Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM at 12 p.m. ET.

by jnemechek

Bristol II Photos

by jnemechek

Bristol Post Race Report

With just a few minutes remaining in Thursday afternoon’s practice session, John Hunter Nemechek suffered a flat right front tire, sending his Tundra TRD Pro into the outside wall. The damage was significant enough to force the No. 4 team to go to a backup truck and start the UNOH 200 from the rear.

Despite starting at the rear of the field, the second-generation driver battled his way back toward the front and found himself within the top 10 midway through the second stage. Between differing pit strategies throughout the field and starting to deal with a tight handling truck towards the end of the race, Nemechek took the checkered flag in 12th.

Stage One Recap

· Nemechek lined up for Thursday’s 200-lap event at Bristol Motor Speedway in 36th after an incident in practice forced the No. 4 team to bring out their backup truck.

· As the first caution of the night came out on lap 38 for a three-truck incident, Nemechek had made his way up to 25th before veteran crew chief Eric Phillips called him down pit road for four fresh Goodyear tires and full load of Sunoco fuel.

· The 25-year-old driver lined up for the ensuing restart in 21st and held his position when the green-and-white checkered flag came out to end the opening stanza.

Stage Two Recap:

· The No. 4 over wall the crew executed another four tire and fuel stop at the stage break, sending Nemechek back out on track to restart in 11th.

· Just under 20 laps into the second stage, Nemechek had cracked into the top-10 for the first time of the night as crew chief Eric Phillips came over the radio and encouraged him to “keep soldiering on”.

· When the third caution of the night came out on lap 86, Nemechek was running in 10th and reported that his No. 4 Tundra was “struggling to wrap the bottom and is tight on exit”.

· As the field went back green for the final 11 laps of the stage, Nemechek was able to grab two more positions and took the green-and-white checkered flag in eighth, earning three stage points.

Final Stage Recap:

· Nemechek once again brought his No. 4 Tundra down pit road at the stage break for four new tires and a top off of fuel before restarting the final stage in 18th.

· As the laps began to click off in the final stage, Nemechek started to deal with the same handling issues he faced in the second stage as his Tundra began to tighten up again.

· When the final caution of the night came out on lap 180, Nemechek was scored in 14th. The second-generation driver was able to gain two more spots over the final 12 laps and took the checkered flag in 12^th.

John Hunter Nemechek, driver of the No. 4 Mobil 1 Tundra TRD Pro:

Can you talk about your race after having to go to a back-up truck?

“We had a fast truck in practice. We got behind by blowing a right front tire. All my guys scrambled hard and gave us a fast piece. Racing here sucked tonight, honestly. I don’t want to say that, but you couldn’t pass. It was super hard to pass. Heck, the 38 (Zane Smith) and I started in the back, almost went a lap down early on, running the bottom, couldn’t really make the bottom work. I thought the PJ1 was going to wear out tonight, and it didn’t. We were just one adjustment behind, I feel like, all night. You get that when you get behind from the start of the race.”

UNOH 200 Recap:

Ty Majeski earned his first Camping World Truck Series victory and locked himself in to the Championship 4. Zane Smith, Parker Kligerman, Grant Enfinger, and Matt Crafton rounded out the top-five finishes.
There were six cautions for 49 laps and three lead changes among four drivers.

How John Hunter Nemechek's KBM Teammates Fared:

· Chandler Smith, driver of the No. 18 Toyota, finish ninth.

· Corey Heim, driver of the No. 51 Toyota, finished 10^th.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship Standings

After the first race in the Round of 8, Nemechek finds himself just nine tallies below the cutoff line to advance to the Championship 4 at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway.

Next Race

John Hunter Nemechek and the No. 4 Pye-Barker Fire & Safety team will return to action on Oct. 1 when the Camping World Truck Series playoffs continue at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. Live coverage of the Talladega 250 will be on FS1, Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM at 12:30 p.m. ET.

by jnemechek

Kansas Photos

by jnemechek

Kansas Post Race

After earning his sixth pole award of the season and dominating the opening two stages of the Kansas Lottery 200, John Hunter Nemechek found himself over 20 seconds back of Carson Hocevar with 31 laps remaining due to differing pit strategies. Over the course of the final 31 laps, Nemechek chased down Hocevar and regained the lead on the last lap of the race to pick up his 13th career Truck Series win in dramatic fashion.

Nemechek earned an additional seven playoff points throughout the race Friday night that will carry over with him to the next round of the playoffs. When the playoff standings reset for the Round of 8, the second-generation driver will be third on the playoff grid, 11 points above the cutoff line to advance to the Championship 4.

Stage One Recap

· Nemechek earned his sixth Cometic Gasket pole award of the year after putting down a lap time of 30.779 seconds at 175.444 mph in Friday afternoon’s qualifying session.

· As the field took the green flag to start the Kansas Lottery 200, Nemechek took command of the lead as the field exited Turn 2 as he was being pushed by his KBM teammate Corey Heim.

· Nemechek led the first seven laps of the race before surrendering the lead to the No. 66 of Ty Majeski on Lap 7.

· As the opening stanza went on, the second-generation driver was able to chase down Majeski and regained the lead with nine laps left in the stage.

· Nemechek drove away from the field over the final nine laps to claim his fifth stage win of the year and picked up an additional playoff point.

Stage Two Recap:

· At the stage break, Nemechek communicated that his Mobil 1 Tundra TRD Pro “needs to be tighter all around the corner, entry and exit”.

· Veteran crew chief Eric Phillips called his driver down pit road for a four tire and fuel stop along with a wedge adjustment to help with the handling of the No. 4 Tundra.

· Nemechek led the field back to green to begin the middle stanza, but momentarily lost the lead on the opening lap to Majeski before overtaking the No. 66 on the ensuing lap and taking command of the race once again.

· The talented wheelman went on to lead the next 26 laps to the green-and-white checkered, picking up his second stage win of the night and adding another playoff point to his total.

· With the points he scored in the opening two stages, Nemechek locked himself into the Round of 8 before the start of the Final Stage.

Final Stage Recap:

· The No. 4 over the wall crew executed another four tire and fuel stop at the stage break and Nemechek came over the radio as he was exiting pit road to compliment the team saying, “nice job boys!”, as they would line back up in first to begin the final stage.

· Nemechek pulled away to another commanding lead before green flag pit stops started to cycle through with 32 laps remaining in the race.

· A handful of teams, including the No. 42 team of Carson Hocevar, who was in a must win situation to advance to the Round of 8, had elected to pit when the fourth and final caution came out on lap 75 and decided to roll the dice and try to make it the end of the race by conserving fuel with slower lap times.

· As the green flag pit stops cycled through, Nemechek went back out on the track with just 31 laps left to chase down Hocevar who had over a 20-second lead on him.

· The second-generation driver began to chip away at the lead lap-by-lap and had closed to within five seconds back of Hocevar with 10 laps to go.

· As the field took the white flag, Nemechek was still running in second and closing in on Hocevar as they entered Turn 1. The Mobil 1 driver got to the bumper of the No. 42 and regained the lead as they exited Turn 2 and drove away to his second Camping World Truck Series win of 2022.

John Hunter Nemechek, driver of the No. 4 Mobil 1 Tundra TRD Pro:

What does this win say about your team moving into the next round of the Playoffs?

“It’s huge. I just want to say thank you to our entire team here, just everyone. I can’t thank them enough for the truck that they gave me tonight. This Tundra TRD Pro was absolutely on rails. Qualified on the pole, led a ton of laps, won both stages and won the race. We came in here really good points wise, and it flips over and was able to get some more Playoff points going into the next round. Puts us in a good spot and gives us some momentum moving into Bristol. I think this one is even sweeter. It’s been a really tough week for myself mentally, emotionally and things that you can’t control, but it feels good to come out here and cap it off with a win and show who I am.”

How strategic were you in the closing laps to get the win on the final lap?

“I got nervous there for a couple laps actually with all the lapped traffic in front of me and I kept dirtying myself with the dirty air. I had to play it smarter, and I didn’t play it smart there for a couple laps. I got myself a little bit behind but had huge speed and got a huge run off turn four. I knew that the 42 (Carson Hocevar) was saving fuel too and trying to block there. Just proud of all my guys, proud to get back to victory lane for the second time this year. We’re a little behind from last year. But I said I would rather win five races in the Playoffs and win a championship than win five races in the regular season and we’re going to try to do that.”

Kansas Lottery 200 Recap:

Nemechek earned his second NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win of 2022 and will advance to the Round of 8. It was his 13th career victory. Carson Hocevar, Ryan Preece, Zane Smith, and Grant Enfinger rounded out the top-five finishers.
There were four cautions for 25 laps and 11 lead changes among six drivers, including Nemechek who led a race-high 88 laps.

How John Hunter Nemechek's KBM Teammates Fared:

Chandler Smith, driver of the No. 18 Toyota, finish sixth.
Corey Heim, driver of the No. 51 Toyota, finished seventh.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship Standings

With the points reset for the Round of 8, Nemechek is now seeded in the third position, 11 points above the cutoff line to advance to the Championship 4

Next Race

John Hunter Nemechek and the No. 4 Pye-Barker team will have a quick turnaround as they turn their focus to Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway for the opening race in the Round of 8 on Thursday, Sept. 15. Live coverage of the UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics will be on Fs1, Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM at 9 p.m. ET.

by jnemechek

Richmond Photos

by jnemechek

Richmond Post Race Report

John Hunter Nemechek came into Richmond (Va.) Raceway looking to defend his 2021 victory at the 0.75-mile facility and punch his ticket to the Round of 8. After 250 laps, the second-generation driver came up one spot short and took the checkered flag in second, earning an additional 18 stage points along the way.

Coming into Richmond, Nemechek was 24 points above the cutoff line to advance to the Round of 8 but was able to extend that gap to 43 points with one race remaining in the Round of 10.

Stage One Recap

· Nemechek lined up in seventh for Saturday’s 250-lap event at Richmond Raceway after laying down a lap time of 22.799 seconds at 118.426 mph in the qualifying session earlier in the day.

· Just 10 laps into the race, Nemechek broke into the top-five where he would stay for the rest of the night.

· As the laps were winding down in the opening stanza, Nemechek was running in third and was able to track down his KBM teammate Chandler Smith as they were navigating lapped traffic.

· Nemechek completed the pass on Smith with seven laps to go in the stage and would take the green-and-white checkered flag in second, earning nine stage points.

Stage Two Recap:

· At the stage break, the second-generation driver communicated that his Safeway Tundra was “a little snug, but overall, not too bad”.

· The No. 4 team executed a four-tire and fuel stop at the break and sent Nemechek back out on track to restart Stage Two in second.

· As the field went back green, Nemechek was on the inside of Chandler Smith as the two battled into Turn 1. Nemechek was unable to complete the pass for the lead and settled into second as the stage continued.

· Nemechek remained three seconds back of Smith for the entirety of the middle stanza before taking the green-and-white checkered flag in second, adding nine more stage points to his total.

Final Stage Recap:

· Another four-tire and fuel stop by the No. 4 over-the-wall crew at the stage break put Nemechek on the front row to restart the final stage.

· Much like the Stage Two restart, Nemechek and Smith battled for the lead as the field headed down into Turn 1. As they came out of Turn 2 and down the backstretch, the second-generation driver settled back into the second position.

· With 45 laps to go, the leaders were navigating lapped traffic as Chandler Smith got hung up with the No. 62 of Layne Riggs, opening the door for Nemechek to make a move for the lead.

· Nemechek made a three-wide move to the outside heading into Turn 1 but was unable to complete the pass for the lead as they ran into more lapped traffic.

· The third and final caution of the night came out with just 34 laps to go in the race and Nemechek scored in second.

· The No. 4 team executed their final stop of the stop night and set Nemechek up on the front row for the ensuing restart.

· Unable to make the pass for the lead on the restart, Nemechek drove the final 28 laps in second where he would take the checkered flag, earning his eighth top-five finish of the season.

After the race, Nemechek came over the radio and said “I’m sorry. Thank you for a good truck, really appreciate it”.

John Hunter Nemechek, driver of the No. 4 Safewy Tundra TRD PRo:

What did you need to make a run at Chandler Smith for the win tonight?

“We didn’t adjust quite like we needed to from day to night. Partly on me, so I’ll take that one. Overall, solid day for our Safeway Toyota Tundra TRD Pro. Thank you to all of our great partners that are on this Tundra TRD and everyone that helps out and keeps us going here. Just big picture racing I would say. Really good points day. Second, second and second for all three stages. Can’t complain about that, just one spot short. It’s good to be disappointed when you have a run like that with second, second and second. Really good points day, let’s go advance to the next round. Only thing that matters is getting to the final four in Phoenix to compete for a championship.”

What are you going to do in the two weeks before the Kansas race?

“I’m going to run two races for Sam Hunt Racing in the Toyota GR Supra. Excited to go stay in the seat and keep everything that I can sharp and go have some fun racing.”

Worldwide Express 250 Recap

Chandler Smith earned his fifth career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win and will advance to the Round of 8. Nemechek, Ty Majeski, Grant Enfinger, and Corey Heim rounded out the top-five finishers.
There were three cautions for 25 laps and three leads changes among three drivers, including Nemechek who led one lap.

How John Hunter Nemechek's KBM Teammates Fared:

· Chandler Smith, driver of the No. 18 Toyota, finished first.

· Corey Heim, driver of the No. 51 Toyota, finished fifth.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship Standings

After two races in the Round of 10 of the Camping World Truck Series playoffs, Nemechek increased his gap and now sits in fourth 43 points above the cutoff line for advancing to the Round of 8.

Next Race

Nemechek and the No. 4 Mobil 1 team will be off for three weeks before heading to Kansas Speedway for the cutoff race in the Round of 10 on Sept. 9. Live coverage of the Kansas Lottery 200 will be on Fs1, Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM at 7:30 p.m. ET.

by jnemechek

IRP Photos

by jnemechek

IRP Post Race Report

John Hunter Nemechek earned his fifth Cometic Gasket Pole award of the season for Friday’s playoff opener at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. Nemechek took control of the lead at the drop of the green flag and led all 60 laps of the opening stage en route to yhe Stage One win, earning 10 stage points and an additional playoff point.

Nemechek continued his run inside of the top-five throughout the second stage before getting loose underneath the lapped truck of Kris Wright, sending him spinning late in the stage. The second-generation driver was able to rebound and was in contention for the win as he lined up in the lead for NASCAR overtime. When the field took the white flag for the overtime restart, Nemechek was shoved into the outside wall on the exit of Turn 2 by the No. 38 of Zane Smith and fell back to 10^th where he took the checkered flag.

Nemechek and the No. 4 team are now in a tie for fifth in the Truck Series playoff grid, 24 tallies above the cutoff line for advancing to the Round of 8.

Stage One Recap

· Nemechek earned the pole for Friday’s TSport 200 after laying down a lap time of 22.211 seconds at 111.188 mph in Friday afternoon’s qualifying session.

· Nemechek elected the inside lane to start the race and took command of the lead as the field entered Turn 1.

· Throughout the opening stage, the second-generation driver had his KBM teammate Chandler Smith in his rearview mirror, holding a lead of just under a second for the first 40 laps of the race.

· Over the course of the final 20 laps of the opening stanza, Nemechek extended his lead to a second-and-a-half, driving away to the Stage One win, picking up 10 stage points and an additional playoff point.

· At the stage break, Nemechek communicated that his Yahoo! Tundra was “a little free on the right rear”.

Stage Two Recap:

· Nemechek brought his Yahoo! Tundra down pit road at the stage break where the No. 4 team executed a four tire and fuel stop before lining up for the Stage Two restart in third.

· As the second stage went on, Nemechek continued to run within the top five as the leaders started to navigate their way through lapped traffic.

· Nemechek and Chandler Smith were running side-by-side for third as they approached the No. 44 of Kris Wright, Nemechek dove to the inside of the No. 44 as Smith went outside. Nemechek’s Yahoo! Tundra got loose underneath of Wright, sending him spinning and bringing out the fifth caution of the night.

· The second-generation driver brought his No. 4 Tundra down pit road following the spin for four fresh Goodyear tires and went back out for the ensuing restart scored in 20^th.

· With differing pit strategies throughout the field, the fresh tires paid off for the No. 4 team as Nemechek gained nine spots over the last six laps of the stage to take the green-and-white checkered flag in 11^th.

Final Stage Recap:

· As pit stops cycled through at the stage break, Nemechek lined up to restart the final stage in eighth.

· The 25-year-old driver quickly made his way back into the top five and was scored in third when the ninth caution of the night came out on lap 192.

· The first two drivers elected to bring their trucks down pit road under caution while veteran crew chief Eric Phillips called to keep the No. 4 Yahoo! out on the track, taking over the lead for the ensuing restart with two to go.

· On the restart, Nemechek and the No. 17 of Taylor Gray were battling for the lead as the field entered Turn 3. Nemechek got to the bumper of Gray as the No. 17 went spinning, bringing out the 10^th and final caution of the night.

· Nemechek again lined up on the outside of the front row as the control truck for NASCAR overtime. As the field took the white flag on the restart, Zane Smith drove Nemechek up the track as they were exiting Turn 2, putting the No. 4 Yahoo! Tundra into the outside wall, and dropping Nemechek back through the field.

· Once Nemechek was able to regroup his Yahoo! Tundra, he was scored in 10^th as he came across the stripe to take the checkered flag.

John Hunter Nemechek, driver of the No. 4 Yahoo! Tundra TRD PRo:

What were those conversations you were having with the 17 (Taylor Gray) team?

“Those were private, but it is what it is. I had a really fast Yahoo Toyota Tundra TRD Pro tonight. Sometimes you are the bug and sometimes you are the windshield. We were the bug tonight. I made a mistake early on and spun myself. Then, we had a restart there at the end on older tires -- everyone had fresher tires -- I tried driving down the bottom of (turn) three underneath the 17 (Taylor Gray) and it just kept sliding. I accidently got into his left rear – tried to stay off of him. That team has their opinion, I have my opinion. I’m sure we will talk at some point. The final restart I had a really good jump. I thought we were going to have a shot there and then we got run in the fence by the 38 (Zane Smith). That’s a couple of times that he has ran me in the fence. I’m taking notes. Solid points day for us. I don’t know where that puts us above the cut line, but we’ve got some really good tracks coming up for us. Proud of everyone at KBM (Kyle Busch Motorsports). Thank you to Yahoo, Toyota, TRD, everyone that gives me this opportunity. Let’s go win a championship.”

TSport 200 Recap

Enfinger earned his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win of 2022 and will advance to the Round of 8. It was his seventh career victory. Ben Rhodes, Zane Smith, Stewart Friesen and Corey Heim rounded out the top-five finishers.
There were 10 cautions for 78 laps and 12 lead changes among six drivers, including Nemechek who led a race-high 75 laps.

How John Hunter Nemechek's KBM Teammates Fared:

· Corey Heim, driver of the No. 51 Toyota, finished fifth.

· Chandler Smith, driver of the No. 18 Toyota, finish 18^th.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship Standings

After the first race in the Round of 10, Nemechek and the No. 4 team find themselves in a tie for fifth with KBM teammate Chandler Smith in the Camping World Truck series playoff grid. They currently sit 24 tallies above the cutoff line to advance to the Round of 8.

Next Race

The No. 4 Safeway team turns their focus to Richmond (Va.) Raceway when Camping World Truck Series action returns on Saturday, Aug. 13. Live coverage of the Worldwide Express 250 will be on FS1, Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM at 8 p.m. ET.

by jnemechek