NASCAR Camping World Truck Series

Despite not being in the Championship 4, Nemechek came into the final race of the 2022 season looking to play spoiler at Phoenix Raceway. The second-generation driver took the green flag in 10^th and moved his way up the scoring pylon before taking the green-and-white checkered flag in fourth to end the opening stage.

Nemechek found himself in multiple battles for the lead over the course of the final 105 laps which saw the No. 4 truck out in front of the field five different times for 44 laps. When the seventh caution of the night came out on lap 148 setting up NASCAR overtime, Nemechek lined up on the outside of the second row for the restart. As the field came through the dogleg, Nemechek settled into fourth for the final two laps before taking the checkered flag.

Stage One Recap

·        Nemechek lined up for Friday night’s 150 lap event at Phoenix Raceway in 10^th after recording a qualifying effort of 26.469 seconds at 136.008 mph.

·        The second-generation driver methodically moved his way forward during the opening stanza and reported that his No. 4 Tundra was “a little free on exit and a little tight in” as he moved into the fourth position on lap 37.

·        Nemechek settled into fourth over the next eight laps as he crossed the stripe in fourth to end the opening stage.

Stage Two Recap:

·        The No. 4 team executed a near perfect four-tire and fuel stop at the stage break and gained two spots on pit road to restart in second.

·        Nemechek went back and forth with his KBM teammate Corey Heim for the first five laps of the stage before taking control of the lead on lap 55 and leading the next 32 laps.

·        As the field began to navigate lapped traffic towards the end of the middle stanza, Nemechek found himself in a battle for the lead with Zane Smith as the two exchanged the lead back and forth over the final 13 laps of the stage.

·        Despite doing everything he could to hold off the No. 38 of Smith, Nemechek took the green-and-white checkered flag in second.

Final Stage Recap:

·        The No. 4 over the wall crew was solid all night as they performed a fast four tire and fuel stop at the stage break to give Nemechek the lead for the ensuing restart.

·        Nemechek continued to battle within the top-five throughout the course of the final stage as he was going back and forth with the No. 38 of Zane Smith and his KBM teammate Chandler Smith for the lead multiple times throughout the stage.

·        As the laps were winding down, Nemechek was scored in third as the sixth caution came out with 15 laps remaining.

·        Veteran crew chief Eric Phillips ordered up one final pit stop for the final 10 laps of the race. With differing pit strategies throughout the field, Nemechek restarted in seventh.

·        Over the course of the next eight laps, the second-generation driver made his way up to fourth before the caution flag came out again on Lap 148, setting up a NASCAR overtime attempt.

·        Nemechek started on the outside of the second row for overtime and was unable to execute a pass for the lead as the field made their way through the dogleg.

·        Nemechek took the final checkered flag in fourth, earning his 10^th top-five of the year.

Lucas Oil 150 Recap

How John Hunter Nemechek's KBM Teammates Fared:

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

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

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship Standings

John Hunter Nemechek finished the 2022 Camping World Truck season in fifth in the standings.

John Hunter Nemechek came into Saturday’s Baptist Health 200 five points below the cutoff line of advancing to his second consecutive Championship 4 appearance. Nemechek started the race in 13^th based off NASCAR performance matrix system but quickly muscled his way into the top five on Lap 12.

Nemechek was battling for position with Stewart Friesen and Christian Eckes before getting loose and into the outside wall on Lap 14. The damage sustained from the wall cut down a right front tire which ultimately led to two unscheduled pit stops for the No. 4 team, setting them back multiple laps early in the race.

Nemechek and the No. 4 team were unable to rebound from the early damage and took the checkered flag in 35^th. They were unable to advance to the Championship 4 as they finished 49 points below the cutoff line.

Stage One Recap

·        Nemechek lined up in 13^th for Saturday’s 134-lap event at Homestead-Miami based on NASCAR’s performance matrix system after Friday’s qualifying session was cancelled due to weather.

·        The second-generation driver cracked into the top five just before the midway point of the opening stage and was running in fifth before he got into the outside wall on Lap 14.

·        The damage sustained from the outside wall cut down the right front tire on his GEARWRENCH Tundra and forced the No. 4 team to make an unscheduled pit stop.

·        After sending Nemechek back out on track one lap down in 35^th, the No. 4 Tundra once again suffered a flat tire, this time on the right rear due to damage sustained on the initial contact.

·        Crew chief Eric Phillips called his driver back down pit road for another unscheduled pit stop and to repair the damage from the consecutive flat tires. Once the No. 4 team was able to assess the damage and return him to the track, Nemechek was scored three laps down in 36^th, where they would take the green-and-white checkered flag to end Stage One.

Stage Two Recap:

·        The No. 4 team continued to repair Nemechek’s GEARWRENCH Tundra at the stage break before restarting the second stage two laps down.

·        As the laps were winding down in Stage Two, crew chief Eric Phillips encouraged his driver to “keep digging, I know you’re doing all you can”.

·        Once the green-and-white checkered flag came out to end Stage Two, Nemechek was scored three laps down in 36th.

Final Stage Recap:

·        Nemechek continued to do all he could throughout the Final Stage as the No. 4 team was unable to gain laps back and were scored four laps down on Lap 80.

·        With just three laps remaining in the Baptist Health 200, Nemechek suffered yet another flat right rear tire and was forced to bring his GEARWRENCH Tundra back down pit road for another unscheduled pit stop.

·        As the 25-year-old driver got going again to finish out the final laps, he ultimately took the checkered flag in 35^th and failed to advance to the Championship 4 by finishing 49 points below the cutoff line.

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

What happened that took you out of contention to be able to make the final four to contend for the championship in Phoenix?

“Just made a mistake on my end. I got dirtied up behind the 52 (Stewart Friesen) early on in stage on and hit the fence and just trying to make up time and was pushing the issue probably a little too hard. Ultimately pushed it a little too hard, hit the fence again and had the right front go flat. Came in, pitted and ended up not clearing tires good enough and had another tire go down and had to pit again. Then had to play pit strategy and after that it was just damage control. It’s on me. It’s just frustrating for myself for sure to not advance to the final four, but still have a race left to go out and try to win.”

Baptist Health 200 Recap

How John Hunter Nemechek's KBM Teammates Fared:

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship Standings

John Hunter Nemechek has been eliminated from the Camping World Truck Series driver’s championship following Homestead-Miami. After the reseed, Nemechek now sits fifth in the point standings.

Next Race

John Hunter Nemechek and the No. 4 Pye-Barker Fire and Safety team will look to close out the season on a high note at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway as the Camping World Truck Series comes to an end on Friday, Nov. 4. Live coverage of the Lucas Oil 150 will be on FS1, Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM beginning at 10 p.m. ET.

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

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.

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:

How John Hunter Nemechek's KBM Teammates Fared:

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.

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

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.