COTA Post Race Report

Despite being faced with adversity and sent to the rear of the field twice, John Hunter Nemechek and the No. 4 ROMCO team rebounded to score their first top-five of the 2022 campaign with a second-place finish at Circuit of the Americas.

Nemechek was scheduled to start Saturday’s 42-lap event in 11th before being sent to the rear for unapproved adjustments. It didn’t take long for the talented wheelman to make his way through the field in the first stage before electing to pit early before the stage break and forfeit stage points in exchange for track position later in the race.

During the middle stanza, Nemechek was spun out battling for the lead which forced him to bring his No. 4 Tundra TRD Pro down pit road for an unscheduled stop. During the stop, the No. 4 team was tagged for an uncontrolled tire penalty, forcing them to begin the final stage from the rear of the field.

After making his way through the field once again and taking advantage of mistakes by other drivers, Nemechek was able to wheel his ROMCO Tundra TRD Pro to a second-place finish, earning his first top-five of the season.

Stage One Recap
· Nemechek was scheduled to start 11th in Saturday’s XPEL 225 at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) but was forced to start at the rear of the field for changing a faulty oil pump belt.
· Despite starting in the rear, Nemechek quickly moved up the field as he was scored in 14th-place on the second lap.
· The second-generation driver made his way up to 11th before veteran crew chief Eric Phillips called for the No. 4 team to make a pit stop before the end of the stage.
· After getting four fresh tires and fuel, Nemechek went back out onto the track and finished the opening stanza scored in 20th.

Stage Two Recap:
· With multiple teams electing to pit at the end of Stage One, Nemechek restarted the second stage in ninth.
· As the field made the 133 foot climb up the hill into Turn 1 on the restart, Nemechek made a three-wide move to the inside that would move him into the top five.
· Nemechek made his way up to the front of the field and found himself in a three-way battle for second with the No. 7 of Alex Bowman and No. 75 of Parker Klingerman before being able to make a successful pass on Lap 18.
· On Lap 22, Nemechek took his first and only lead of the race before being spun out by the No. 38 of Zane Smith while battling for the lead.
· This would force the No. 4 team to bring the ROMCO Tundra TRD Pro down pit road for an unscheduled pit stop.
· During the pit stop, the No. 4 team was penalized for an uncontrolled tire that they would serve at the end of Stage Two after being scored in 28th at the stage break.

Final Stage Recap:
· Nemechek and the No. 4 team had their work cut out for them in the final stage as they would start at the rear of the field.
· With just 10-laps remaining in the race, Nemechek still found himself outside of the top 20 in 22nd.
· Just five laps later, the second-generation driver wheeled his ROMCO Tundra TRD Pro into the top-10 and was scored eighth.
· The seventh caution of the day came out on Lap 41, setting up the field for a green-white-checkered overtime finish with Nemechek in fifth.
· The field would make it just six turns in the first overtime before the eighth and final caution of the day came out for the No. 02 truck stuck in the gravel trap.
· Coming up to Turn 1 on the second overtime restart, the leaders found themselves tangled up in a three-wide battle which opened the door for Nemechek to move up to second place.
· Nemechek attempted to gain on race leader Zane Smith during the final turns of the race but was unable to catch him, bringing home a second-place finish and his first top-five of the season.

John Hunter Nemechek, driver of the No. 4 ROMCO Tundra TRD Pro for KBM:
Can you describe those closing laps and how good this run was for you?
“The season has been frustrating for sure. We never give up at KBM. We never give up as an organization. I didn’t have the fastest truck today. We struggled most of the day. I got spun by Zane (Smith). I’m a little ticked off there. That’s two weeks in a row that we’ve got screwed by the 38. On to next week. I’m going to run the Richmond Xfinity race. Thanks to ROMCO Equipment, Toyota, everyone at KBM, TRD for all they do for us. Hopefully, we can keep this ship righted the right way and take this and carry the momentum. It’s way better finishing second than 24th, 25th, 24th in the first three. Still got a lot to go, a lot to learn and a lot to build on, but a long season ahead.”

XPEL 225 Recap
· Zane Smith picked up his second win of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season. John Hunter Nemechek, Kyle Busch, Ben Rhodes, and Chandler Smith rounded out the top-five finishers.
· There were eight cautions for 12 laps. There were 10 lead changes among six drivers, including Nemechek who led once for one lap.

How John Hunter Nemechek's KBM Teammates Fared:
· Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 51 Toyota, finished third.
· Chandler Smith, driver of the No. 18 Toyota, finish fifth.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship Standings
After four events, Nemechek remains in eighth place in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series point standings. He sits 55 points behind his KBM teammate Chandler Smith, who leads the standings.

Next Race
Nemechek and the No. 4 team will resume action as the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series heads to Martinsville (Va.) Speedway on April 7. Live coverage of the Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 200 will be on FS1, Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM at 8 p.m. ET.

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Atlanta Motor Speedway Photos

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Atlanta Post Race Report

John Hunter Nemechek once again showed speed, led laps and ran up front, but his tough start to the 2022 season continued Saturday in the Fr8 208 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. After starting at the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments, Nemechek finished ninth in the opening stage of the race and took his first lead of the race on lap 51.
The second-generation driver would battle with ThorSport Racing driver Ty Majeski with the laps winding down in the second stage. The stage would ultimately end under caution with Nemechek scored in first, picking up 10 stage points and an additional playoff point.
Nemechek and the No. 4 team would be scored eighth as the field took the green flag for the final stage. With just 24 laps remaining and running in the top-10, the No. 4 Pye-Barker Tundra suffered a flat tire after brushing the wall. The damage forced Nemechek to go two-laps down and ultimately finish 24th.
Despite not having the finishes to show for it, the talented wheelman has led double-digit laps in each of the first three races this season and leads the Truck Series with three stage wins.
Stage One Recap
·        Nemechek was scheduled to start 12th in Saturday’s 135-lap event at Atlanta Motor Speedway but was forced to start at the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments.
·        The second-generation driver quickly made his way into the top-20 as he was scored 19th on lap four.
·        Nemechek took advantage of a run on the inside lane as he worked his way up to 12th with just five laps remaining in the opening stanza.
·        As the field took the green-and-white checkered flag to end Stage One, Nemechek was able to gain three more spots, up to ninth and earn two stage points.
Stage Two Recap:
·        Nemechek brought his No. 4 Pye Barker Fire & Safety Tundra TRD Pro down pit road for a fuel-only stop during the stage break and gained four spots, restarting the second stage in fifth.
·        The 24-year-old driver quickly moved up to second behind Halmar Friesen driver Stewart Friesen where the two Toyota Tundra TRD Pro’s would control the top-lane for the next 13 laps.
·        Nemechek took his first lead of the day on lap 51 as he was able to clear the No. 52 of Friesen. As the second stanza continued, Nemechek went back-and-forth with Ty Majeski for the lead before the second caution of the day came out on lap 55.
·        The second stage would ultimately end under caution with Nemechek scored in first, earning an additional 10 stage points and one playoff point.
Final Stage Recap:
·        The No. 4 team elected for four tires and fuel during the Stage Two break and would restart the final stage in eighth as the first six trucks decided to stay out.
·        Nemechek would compete in the top 10 throughout the final stage of the race before having a tire cut down with 24 laps remaining.
·        The damage from the blown tire would send the No. 4 Tundra up into the outside fence, forcing Nemechek to bring his Pye-Barker Tundra down pit road for repairs.
·        The No. 4 assessed the damage and sent Nemechek back out onto the track two laps down, resulting in a 24th-place finish.
John Hunter Nemechek, driver of the No. 4 Pye-Barker Tundra TRD Pro for KBM:
What happened with you getting the damage?
“I got to the outside of the No. 38 and he squeezed me a little bit and I lost air on the right rear and ended up touching the fence and ruined our day.”
Fr8 208 Recap
·        Corey Heim picked up the first win of his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career. Ben Rhodes, Ty Majeski, Chandler Smith, and Zane Smith rounded out the Top-five finishers.
·        There were seven cautions for 40 laps. There were 10 lead changes among 10 drivers, including Nemechek who led twice for 11 laps.
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 fourth
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship Standings
Despite the 24th-place finish, Nemechek remains eighth in the Camping World Truck Series standings, 52 points behind his KBM teammate Chandler Smith.
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Las Vegas Motor Speedway Photos

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Las Vegas Post Race Report

John Hunter Nemechek earned the pole for Friday night’s Victoria’s Voice 200 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway after putting down a lap time of 30.238 in the qualifying session earlier in the day. The Mobil 1 driver battled handling issues throughout much of the first stage but was able to recover for an eighth-place finish in the opening stanza, earning three stage points.
The second-generation driver would battle within the top-five for most of Friday night’s contest including leading three different times for a total of 23 laps. As the race was winding down, Nemechek got shuffled back on the final restart of the night before suffering a flat tire and being caught up in a two-truck incident, relegating him to a 25th-place finish.
Stage One Recap
·        Nemechek earned the pole ahead of KBM teammates Kyle Busch and Chandler Smith earlier in the day after posting a lap time of 30.238 in Friday’s one-round, single-truck qualifying session.
·        The second-generation driver led the opening lap of the race before getting caught in the middle of a three-wide battle with Busch and Smith, forcing him to forfeit the lead and fall back to fourth.
·        During the first caution of the night, the No. 4 team elected to come down pit road while the first five trucks stayed out on track, sending the Mobil 1 Tundra TRD Pro back out on the track in the 11th-position.
·        Nemechek communicated to his No. 4 team that the truck was too loose throughout much of the opening stage and that he was having trouble turning the wheel getting into the corners.
·        Despite the handling issues, Nemechek earned three stage points as the first stage of the race ended under caution.
Stage Two Recap:
·        Nemechek and the No. 4 team would restart the second stage in sixth position on the outside lane behind owner-driver Kyle Busch.
·        Midway through the second stage, Nemechek passed the No. 42 of Carson Hocevar for second with his sights set on chasing down the owner, Kyle Busch.
·        The Mobil 1 driver communicated that his Tundra TRD Pro was handling was better throughout the second stage but still needed more work.
·        As the green-and-white checkered flag flew to end the second stanza of the night, Nemechek was scored fourth, picking up an additional seven stage points.
Final Stage Recap:
·        As the final stage was underway, Nemechek regained the lead on lap 72 for the second time of the night from owner-driver Kyle Busch.
·        Nemechek continued to lead for the next 20 laps of the race and communicated to the No. 4 team that his Mobil 1 Tundra TRD Pro was now “snugged up but way better”.
·        The second-generation driver continued to battle within the top-five for the majority of the final stanza before getting shuffled back in the pack on what would be the final restart of the race on lap 131.
·        As Nemechek was shuffled back into the field, he suffered a flat tire which caused his Mobil 1 Tundra TRD Pro to spin out entering turn 3 on the final lap. As the field was coming around, the No. 3 truck of Jordan Anderson had nowhere to go and collected Nemechek in the incident.
Nemechek limped his No. 4 Mobil 1 Tundra back to the start finish line where he was scored 25th.
John Hunter Nemechek, driver of the No. 4 Pye-Barker Tundra TRD Pro for KBM:
What happened at the end of the race?
“I guess I messed up on one of the final restarts there with Kyle behind me pushing and we didn’t get a good launch and the No. 18 sucked us back and put us back in traffic, and at that point I lost control of the race which sucks to be in that position. Then you just get back there with a bunch of squirrels racing and it’s part of it, I guess. I was running the very top and couldn’t go any higher and got hit in the left rear which ended up cutting a tire down with one to go and kind of ruined our day. I thought our trucks were way better on the long run. When you get pack style racing like that on restarts, anybody can be a hero that’s for sure. KBM went to work over the offseason and put a lot of work into the Toyota Tundra TRD Pro’s and. I’m looking forward to what’s next.”
Victoria's Voice Foundation 200 Recap
·        Chandler Smith picked up the third win of his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career and first of 2022. Busch, Stewart Friesen, Ryan Preece, and Tanner Gray rounded out the top-five finishers.
·        There were 10 cautions for 52 laps. There were 21 lead changes among 10 drivers, including Nemechek who led three times for 23 laps.
How John Hunter Nemechek's KBM Teammates Fared:
·        Chandler Smith, driver of the No. 18 Toyota, finished first.
·        Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 51 Toyota, finished second.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship Standings
Nemechek currently sits 10th in the Camping World Truck Series Driver Standings after the first two races of the season. He sits 32 points behind KBM teammate, Chandler Smith in first place.
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Daytona Photos

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Daytona Post Race Report

John Hunter Nemechek led a race high 50-laps and won the opening two stages of the 2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway but got caught up in “the big one” while challenging for the win in the closing laps and ended the day with a disappointing 24th-place finish.
In addition to two playoff points, with the 20 stage points he earned Nemechek leaves Daytona seventh in the driver point standings despite his finish.
Stage One Recap
·        Nemechek started the NextEra Energy 250 on the front row in the second position beside ThorSport Racing driver Ty Majeski.
·        As the field took the green flag, Nemechek jumped down to the bottom lane to get help from his Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) teammate Chandler Smith who started the race in the third position.
·        On lap eight, Nemechek communicated to the No. 4 team that his Toyota Tundra TRD Pro was “tight all the way around” but still would maintain his second position.
·        Just five laps later, Nemechek came over the radio saying that he had the opposite problem as he was starting to become a little free exiting Turn 4.
·        Despite handling issues, Nemechek took the lead late in Stage One and would go on to win his first stage of the season.
Stage Two Recap:
·        Nemechek brought his Pye-Barker Tundra TRD Pro down pit road at the stage break and received fuel and a chassis adjustment.
·        The second-generation driver led the field to the green in Stage Two and would remain out front until Lap 30 when the top lane started to form and make a run, dropping Nemechek back to third.
·        With just four laps left in Stage Two, Nemechek jumped up to the top lane in front of KBM teammate Chandler Smith with help behind them.
·        As Nemechek and Smith controlled the top lane, Tyler Ankrum and Derek Kraus got loose on the bottom lane, forfeiting the lead back to the No. 4 team.
·        As the field came out of Turn 4, Nemechek was forced to block both lanes as ThorSport Racing driver Ben Rhodes had a run in the top lane.
·        Nemechek and Rhodes raced back to the line, but Nemechek ultimately beat out Rhodes by a narrow margin for his second stage win of the night.
Final Stage Recap:
·        The second-generation driver brought his No. 4 Toyota back down pit road and would restart the final stage in third.
·        Just past the midway point in the race, Nemechek would regain the lead from Halmar Friesen Racing driver Stewart Friesen.
·        On lap 65, the third caution of the race came out for an incident on the backstretch and brought the field back down pit road. Nemechek and the No. 4 team would hold their first position on the restart with just 33 laps remaining in the NextEra Energy 250.
·        As the race was winding down, a four-truck incident in Turn 4 brought out the fifth caution of the night as Nemechek was in front of the field.
·        On the restart, the bottom lane would fall back in the draft, forcing Nemechek to forfeit the lead to Ben Rhodes.
·        As the field was coming to the line on Lap 99, Nemechek was running third but would be involved in a 17-truck incident as the No. 16 would spin out in front of him causing severe right-front damage.
·        The No. 4 team worked to repair the Pye-Barker Tundra and sent Nemechek back out to finish the race two laps down in the 24th-position.
John Hunter Nemechek, driver of the No. 4 Pye-Barker Tundra TRD Pro for KBM:
Talk about your race.
“I felt like I controlled the race. There were times when we were second, third, just kind of riding in line waiting for the right time to make a move. I gained a whole new respect for speedway racing after listening to Denny (Hamlin) and kind of studying some of the things that he’s done, what (Brad) Keselowski has done, what Kyle (Busch) has done, what (Joey) Logano’s done. They are some good guys at speedway racing, and I studied how they are always at the front. I worked my butt off last year studying and I feel like it has paid off. We won both stages and put ourselves in the right positing there at the end. I had Parker (Kligerman) behind me, I was committed to the 16 there for a bit and then Parker I feel like was committed to me and we just wrecked in the tri-oval. It is was it is, we put ourselves into contention and that’s all you can do. The last two superspeedway races I’ve felt like we’ve had the best truck and controlled the race, really.”
NextEra Energy 250 Recap
·        Zane Smith picked up the fourth win of his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career. Ben Rhodes, Christian Eckes, Tanner Gray, and Parker Kligerman rounded out the top-five finishers.
·        There were seven cautions for 27 laps. There were 18 lead changes among 10 drivers, including Nemechek who led a race high 50 laps.
How John Hunter Nemechek's KBM Teammates Fared:
·        Chandler Smith, driver of the No. 18 Toyota, finished 21st.
·        Corey Heim, driver of the No. 51 Toyota, finished 32nd.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship Standings
Despite being caught in “The Big One,” Nemechek still sits in seventh in the Driver Championship Standings, just 13 tallies behind points leader, Zane Smith. Nemechek also collected two playoff points with his stage wins.
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Phoenix Raceway Photos

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Phoenix Post Race Report

John Hunter Nemechek came into Friday night’s championship race looking to capture his first-ever NASCAR championship. After qualifying 16th, Nemechek knew he would have work to do as he started behind the other three Championship 4 contenders. As the field went green, Nemechek sustained damage on the opening lap in Turn One which would eventually lead to a flat tire and more damage to the No. 4 Pye-Barker Tundra.
The damage from the opening lap set Nemechek back the remainder of the race as he battled to get back on the lead lap. With 50 laps remaining, Nemechek finally got the caution flag he was looking for to put him back on the lead lap and a chance to chase down the other championship contenders. The second-generation driver began to work his way through the field and was able to pass Matt Crafton and put himself third in the championship race.
While Nemechek worked his way within three seconds of eventual champion Ben Rhodes, he would ultimately run out of time and cross the finish line in seventh, putting him third in the championship standings behind Ben Rhodes and Zane Smith.
Stage One Recap
·        Nemechek qualified 16th for the Lucas Oil 150 with a lap time of 27.087 seconds and would start behind the other three Championship 4 contenders.
·        Heading into Turn One on the opening lap, Nemechek was pushed up the track and into the wall, damaging the No. 4 Toyota.
·        The damaged sustained from the opening lap would eventually cut down the left front tire and force Nemechek to bring the No. 4 Pye-Barker Tundra down pit road for repairs.
·        After repairs, Nemechek would be put a lap down early in the championship race.
·        With 12 laps remaining in the opening stage, veteran crew chief Eric Phillips communicated to his driver that he was running similar lap times as the drivers out front and reminded him to stay focused that it would be a long race.
·        Nemechek ultimately finished Stage One in the 30th-position one lap down.
Stage Two Recap:
·        After restarting Stage Two in 30th, Nemechek began to work his way back through the field and was scored in the 27th-position on Lap 85, still one lap down.
·        Nemechek was unable to get the caution he needed in the middle stage to get him back on the lead lap.
·        As the green-and-white checkered flag came out to end Stage Two, Nemechek remained in 27th one lap down.
Final Stage Recap:
·        Nemechek and the No. 4 team were able to gain two spots on pit road before the start of the final stage, sending the No. 4 Tundra back out onto the track in 25th.
·        Just 10 laps into the final stage, Nemechek finally got the caution he was looking for as the No. 12 truck came to a stop on the track. This caution would put Nemechek back on the lead lap and give him a shot to chase down the other championship contenders with just 45 laps remaining.
·        After bringing the Pye-Barker Tundra down pit road for what would ultimately be the final pit stop of the race, Nemechek would restart 20th with his sights set on chasing down the other Championship 4 drivers.
·        With 27 laps remaining in the title race, Nemechek passed fellow championship contender Matt Crafton for 11th-place and third in the championship race
·        After completing the pass on the No. 88, crew chief Eric Phillips came over the radio to encourage his driver saying, “let’s go get the next one”.
·        Nemechek continued to gain ground on Ben Rhodes and Zane Smith and was within three seconds of Rhodes with just four laps remaining but would eventually run out of time.
·        Nemechek took the checkered flag in seventh-place, four positions behind Ben Rhodes who would claim the 2021 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series title.
John Hunter Nemechek, driver of the No. 4 Pye-Barker Tundra for KBM:
Lucas Oil 150 Recap
·        Chandler Smith picked up the second win of his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career. Stewart Friesen, Ben Rhodes, Sheldon Creed, and Zane Smith rounded out the top-five finishers.
·        Ben Rhodes of ThorSport Racing captured the 2021 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship.
·        There were 4 cautions for 25 laps. There were 11 lead changes among three drivers.
How John Hunter Nemechek's KBM Teammates Fared:
·        Chandler Smith, driver of the No. 18 Toyota, finished first.
·        Drew Dollar, driver of the No. 51 Toyota, finished 18th.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship Standings
Nemechek finished third overall in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series standing behind Ben Rhodes and Zane Smith.
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Martinsville II

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