jnemechek

aving already locked himself into the playoffs with a win earlier this season at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, John Hunter Nemechek came into the regular season finale at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway looking for a strong run and to build momentum for the playoffs. After starting 12^th per NASCAR’s performance matrix system, the second-generation driver earned 11 stage points in route to a third-place finish at ‘The Tricky Triangle’.

When the Truck Series playoffs start next week at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, Nemechek will be the fourth seed and begin the Round of 10 14 points above the cutoff line to advance to the Round of 8.

Stage One Recap

·        Nemechek lined up in the 12^th position for Saturday’s CRC Brakleen 150 per NASCAR’s performance matrix system after Friday’s qualifying session was rained out.

·        Before the caution came out on the first lap for a single-truck incident, Nemechek had already gained six spots on the initial start of the race and was scored in sixth.

·        When the third caution of the race came out on lap 13, the second-generation driver communicated to the No. 4 team that he “doesn’t need much. Maybe a little bit of security on entry”.

·        That caution would take the field to the end of the opening stage with Nemechek scored in seventh, earning four stage points.

Stage Two Recap:

·        With differing pit strategies throughout the field, veteran crew chief Eric Phillips summoned his driver down pit road for a four tire and fuel stop at the stage break.

·         After electing to pit, Nemechek lined up for the Stage Two restart scored in 14^th.

·        Just five laps into the middle stanza, Nemechek wheeled his Yahoo! Tundra back into the top-10 and was scored in ninth.

·        As the laps wound down in Stage Two, the second-generation driver was running in eighth when the leaders started to hit pit road before the end of Stage Two.

·        The decision to stay out earned the No. 4 team an additional seven stage points as Nemechek took the green-and-white checkered flag in fourth.

Final Stage Recap:

·        Before heading back down pit road at the stage break, Nemechek radioed that his No. 4 Tundra was “getting tighter as the run went on” during the second stage.

·        After a four tire and fuel stop with a wedge adjustment, the No. 4 team lined up for the Final Stage in 11^th.

·        The fifth and final caution of the race came out on lap 43, lining up Nemechek on the inside of the third row for the ensuing restart behind his KBM teammates Chandler Smith and Corey Heim in first and third.

·        Nemechek was able to hold onto his spot in fifth for the next 10 laps before passing the No. 42 of Carson Hocevar for fourth with four to go.

·        The Yahoo! driver caught the No. 51 of Heim just two laps later and took over the third position with two laps remaining and his sights set on the leaders.

·        Nemechek was unable to gain ground over the last two laps and took the checkered flag in third, earning his seventh top-five finish of the season.

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

How tough was the battle in the closing laps with your teammate Corey Heim and what did you tell him post-race?

“Just talked about our race and what went on with his truck and my truck and things like that. Overall, a solid day for our Yahoo Toyota Tundra TRD Pro. Thank you to Yahoo, thank you to Toyota, TRD, Kyle (Busch, team owner) and everybody at KBM. All my crew guys put a lot of work into it. We tried and we gave it a shot. Just didn’t have track position all day and it ended up hurting us at the end. Overall, solid third place after driving back through the field and there weren’t many who could do that so proud of the guys, proud of the truck and it’s time to peak and go win a championship.”

CRC Brakleen 150 Recap

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 fourth.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship Standings

 Nemechek and the No. 4 team finished the regular season third in the Camping World Truck Series standings and will start the playoffs in the fourth seed. With the points reset, Nemechek will open the playoffs 14 points above the cutoff line for advancing to the Round of 8.

Next Race

The No. 4 Yahoo! team will head to Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park as the Camping World Truck Series opens the playoffs on July 29. Live coverage of the TSport 200 will be on FS1, Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM at 9 p.m. ET.

Nemechek started Saturday’s 67-lap event at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in fourth following Friday’s qualifying session that was cut short after one round due to rain. The second-generation driver quickly made his way into third as the field went green and would hold his ground for the remainder of the first stage to pick up eight stage points.

Nemechek continued to run within the top-five as the race went on into the second stage before a transmission issue forced him to bring his Mobil 1 Tundra into the garage. The No. 4 team was able to repair the issue and send Nemechek back out onto the track to finish the race. Despite being 10 laps down, Nemechek was able to gain back a few positions at the end of the race and take the checkered flag in 28^th.

Stage One Recap

 ·        Nemechek lined up for Saturday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 150 in fourth after recording a lap time of 118.738 seconds at 68.460 mph in Friday’s qualifying session.

·        As the field took the green flag to start the race, Nemechek was able to edge out the No. 42 of Carson Hocevar on the opening lap to takeover third.

·        Nemechek continued to hold his third position throughout the opening stage before a caution on lap 18 set up a one-lap shootout to end the stage.

·        As the field made their way through the 2.258-mile road course after the ensuing restart, Nemechek was in a battle for second with KBM teammate Corey Heim and Zane Smith.

·        Once they fell into a line, Nemechek took the green-and-white checkered flag in third, picking up eight stage points.

Stage Two Recap:

·        At the stage break, Nemechek brought his Mobil 1 Tundra down pit road where the No. 4 team executed a four tire and fuel stop under controlled conditions.

·        Halfway through the middle stanza, Nemechek slid his No. 4 Tundra too wide coming out of Turn 9 and fell back to fourth.

·        Just three laps later, Nemechek came over the radio and said he had “something rattling in the driveshaft”.

·        Seconds later, a trail of smoke was coming out of the tail of the Mobil 1 Tundra, forcing the No. 4 team to pull into the garage and repair the transmission.

·        The second-generation driver was scored in 32^nd and five laps down while sitting in the garage as the green-and-white checkered flag came out to end Stage Two.

Final Stage Recap:

 ·        Throughout the stage break and into the final stage, the No. 4 team worked relentlessly to repair the transmission and get Nemechek back out onto the track.

·        With 23 laps remaining in the race, Nemechek made his way back out onto the road course scored in 10 laps down in 32nd.

·        As the laps wound down, veteran crew chief Eric Phillips reminded his driver to “just do what you can and keep it clean. We’re collecting data for next time”.

·        Nemechek was able to gain a few positions back and took the checkered flag in 28^th.

O'Reilly Auto Parts 150 Recap:

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 28th.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship Standings

 With one race remaining in the regular season, Nemechek is tied for second in the Camping World Truck Series standings with KBM teammate Chandler Smith, 58 tallies behind Zane Smith.

Next Race

Nemechek and the No. 4 Yahoo team will return to action on July 23 as the Camping World Truck Series heads to Pocono (Pa.) Raceway. Live coverage of the CRC Brakleen 150 will be on FS1, Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM at 12 p.m. ET.

John Hunter Nemechek and the No. 4 team battled back through adversity on two separate occasions in Friday’s Rackley Roofing 200 at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway to bring home a ninth-place finish.

Midway through the second stage, Nemechek was turned by the No. 42 of Carson Hocevar as the two were battling for position, forcing the No. 4 team to make two unscheduled pit stops under caution. Just after Nemechek worked his way back inside of the top-20 before the stage break, the No. 4 team experienced trouble on pit road and sent Nemechek back out on track to restart the final stage in 30^th and one lap down.

With just 30 laps remaining, Nemechek was finally able to earn the free pass and get back on the lead lap. Over the course of the remaining 26 laps, Nemechek wheeled his Mobil 1 Tundra TRD Pro back into the top-10 to take the checkered flag in ninth.

Stage One Recap

·        Nemechek qualified 11^th for Saturday’s 150-lap event at Nashville Superspeedway after laying down a lap time of 30.295 seconds in Friday’s one-round qualifying session.

·        Midway through the opening stanza, Nemechek had yet to break into the top-10 but was running in 12^th when the second caution of the night came out on lap 21. He then communicated that his Mobil 1 Tundra was “starting to fire off better”.

·        As the green-and-white checkered came out on Lap 45 to end Stage One, Nemechek had gained one position and was scored in 11^th.

Stage Two Recap:

·        At the stage break, the No. 4 team executed a four tire and fuel stop and gained Nemechek three spots on pit road to restart the second stage in eighth.

·        On lap 70, Nemechek and the No. 42 of Carson Hocevar were battling for position when Hocevar got to the inside quarter panel of Nemechek on the exit of Turn 2, sending the Mobil 1 Tundra sliding through the backstretch grass.

·        Nemechek was able to keep his Tundra off the wall and limit damage before coming down pit road to allow the No. 4 team to assess the situation.

·        After two pit stops under caution, Nemechek would restart in 29^th on the lead lap.

·        Over the course of the next 29 laps, the second-generation driver worked his way back up to 14^th before the green-and-white checkered flag came out to end Stage Two.

Final Stage Recap:

·        At the stage break, the No. 4 team experienced more trouble on pit road and were forced to have a prolonged pit stop before sending Nemechek back out on track to restart the final stage in 30^th and one lap down.

·        With 30 laps remaining, Nemechek and the No. 4 team got the break they were looking for as a one-truck incident brought out the sixth caution of the night, earning Nemechek the free pass to get back on the lead lap.

·        As the eighth and final caution of the night came out on lap 136, Nemechek had worked his way back up to 16^th.

·        Over the course of the final 10 laps, the talented wheelman was able to gain seven more spots and took the checkered flag scored in ninth.

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

What did you struggle with in your race tonight?

“We weren’t good to start. We weren’t good in practice, and we weren’t very good in qualifying. We just weren’t good all weekend. Just off on speed and couldn’t get my balance that I wanted correct. I found a racetrack that I suck at. This was my worst race last year and this year I’m not very good. I just have to figure out how to be better. I’m glad we only come here once. Just have to figure it out. Proud of all the guys at KBM (Kyle Busch Motorsports). Never gave up. We got spun. Went down a lap, got a lap back and restarted in the back multiple times and ended up coming home ninth. All in all, a solid day. Lost the points lead again, but we’re within striking distance for the last few weeks and I think we put more of a cushion between the 18 (Chandler Smith) and the 99 (Ben Rhodes) behind us. Hopefully, we can go cap off this regular season championship.”

Rackley Roofing 200 Recap

How John Hunter Nemechek's KBM Teammates Fared:

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship Standings

Nemechek dropped one spot to second in the Camping World Truck Series driver standings and finds himself 21 points behind points leader Zane Smith with two races remaining in the regular season.

Next Race

Nemechek and the No. 4 team will have one week off before returning to action on Saturday, July 9 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. Live coverage will be on FS1, Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM at 1:30 p.m. ET.

John Hunter Nemechek came into Saturday’s Clean Harbors 150 at Knoxville Raceway 14-points back of the lead and fourth in the standings. After securing 16-stage points and a runner-up finish, Nemechek jumped up into first and now holds a five-point lead with only three races remaining in the regular season.

Nemechek lined up for the 150-lap event in sixth and ran within the top-10 for the entirety of the race. After finishing third in each of the first two stages, Nemechek found himself in a battle for the lead with just over 25 laps to go. On the final restart of the night, the second-generation driver lined up on the inside of the front row but was unable to gain control of the race before taking the checkered flag in second.

Stage One Recap

·        Nemechek lined up sixth for the second annual Clean Harbors 150 at Knoxville Raceway after winning his qualifying race from the second position and earning 11 points.

·        Midway through the opening stanza, the second-generation driver made his way into the top-three for the first time of the night.

·        When the second caution of the night came out on lap 32, Nemechek communicated that his Mobil 1 Tundra “needs more drive off”.

·        The field went back green for a one lap shootout to end Stage One where Nemechek was able to hold his position and take the green-and-white checkered flag in third, earning a valuable eight stage points.

Stage Two Recap:

·        Nemechek brought his Mobil 1 Tundra down pit road at the stage break where the No. 4 team executed a four tire and fuel stop under controlled conditions.

·        The Mobil 1 driver was running in fourth when the fifth caution of the night came out for a one truck incident on Lap 68.

·        On the ensuing restart, Nemechek darted up to second before falling back to third when the green-and-white checkered flag came out to end Stage Two.

·        At the stage break, Nemechek communicated that he “needs to roll the center a bit more” through the turns.

Final Stage Recap:

·        Veteran crew chief Eric Phillips elected to bring the No. 4 team down pit road at the stage break while other teams decided to stay out for the remainder of the race. The call resulted in Nemechek restarting the Final Stage in ninth.

·        With just over 50 laps remaining in the Clean Harbors 150, the talented wheelman made a dive to the inside of the No. 19 of Derek Kraus and KBM teammate Buddy Kofoid to gain two positions up to fourth.

·        Just a few laps later, Nemechek had made his way into second with his sights set on chasing down the No. 17 of Todd Gilliland in first.

·        As Nemechek got to the bumper of Gilliland, the seventh caution of the night came out with 35 laps remaining for a slow truck on the track.

·        On the ensuing restart, Nemechek lined up on the outside of the front row and was able to clear the No. 17 as the field came back to the stripe.

·        The second-generation driver led the next 17 laps before Gilliland took the lead back with 11 laps remaining.

·        With seven laps left, the ninth and final caution of the night came out, setting up a four-lap dash to the checkered flag.

·        Nemechek lined up for what would be the final restart on the inside of the front row and was unable to get a good jump to clear the No. 17.

·        Nemechek edged out the No. 38 of Zane Smith for second as they came around to take the checkered flag.

·        Following the race, Nemechek praised his No. 4 team saying “thank you guys for an awesome truck”.

Clean Harbors 150 Recap

How John Hunter Nemechek's KBM Teammates Fared:

·        Buddy Kofoid, driver of the No. 51 Toyota, finished 11th.

·        Chandler Smith, driver of the No. 18 Toyota, finish 13th.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship Standings

Nemechek jumped three spots in the Camping World Truck Series driver standings and now sits in first place with a five-point lead over the No. 38 of Zane Smith.

Next Race

Nemechek and the No. 4 team turn their focus to Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway next weekend for the Rackley Roofing 200. Live coverage will be on FS1, Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM at 8 p.m. ET on Friday, June 24.

After stringing together seven consecutive top-10 finishes, John Hunter Nemechek was relegated to a 35^th-place finish at World Wide Technology Raceway after being caught in a Stage Two incident.

With the finish, Nemechek dropped to fourth place in the Camping World Truck Series championship standings, just 22 tallies behind reigning champion Ben Rhodes.

Stage One Recap

·        Nemechek lined up for Saturday’s scheduled 160-lap event in sixth after laying down a lap time of 32.674 seconds at 137.724 mph in Friday’s one-lap qualifying session.

·        The second-generation driver fired off strong and jumped up to third on the opening lap of the Toyota 200 behind Kyle Busch Motorsports teammates Corey Heim and Chandler Smith.

·        On lap eight, Nemechek communicated that his Mobil 1 Tundra was “a little free here to fire off on the exit of (Turn) 4”.

·        As the green-and-white checkered flag came out at the conclusion of Stage One, Nemechek was scored in third, earning eight stage points.

Stage Two Recap:

·        Nemechek brought his Mobil 1 Tundra down pit road at the stage break where the No. 4 team executed a four-tire and fuel stop with a wedge adjustment.

·        Just 12 laps into the middle stanza, Nemechek was battling for position with the No. 52 of Stewart Friesen when his No. 4 Tundra hit the rumble strips on the exit of Turn 4, getting him loose and sending him up into the No. 52, ultimately causing a six-truck incident.

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

Did the hole just close up on you?

“Yeah, that one is on me. I put myself in a vulnerable position and should have known better. I should have leaned on experience for that. It’s so hard to pass here today. Our Toyota Tundra was fast. I got a run going down the back straightaway, the 51 (Corey Heim) was on the 52’s (Stewart Friesen) door. The 52 got sideways and they both slid up the racetrack. I thought I had a hole and went for it. It’s aero loose underneath. I hit the rumble strips as well. It just closed. It’s on me. I’m sorry to all of my guys at KBM. Thank you to Mobil 1, all of our great partners that help us do this. Looking forward to going to rebound next week in Sonoma.”

Toyota 200 Recap

How John Hunter Nemechek's KBM Teammates Fared:

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

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

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship Standings

Due to the incident, Nemechek fell back three spots in the Camping World Truck Series championship standings and now sits in fourth. Nemechek finds himself just 22 points back of reigning champion Ben Rhodes.

Next Race

Nemechek and the No. 4 team will head west next week as Camping World Truck Series action travels to Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway. Live coverage of the DoorDash 250 will be on FS1, Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM at 7:30pm ET.