Watkins Glen

by jnemechek

No. 4 Mobil 1 Tundra Camping World Trucks Watkins Glen Post Race Report

Date:                       Aug. 7, 2021
Event:                     United Rentals 176 (Race 15 of 22)
Series:                    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Location:              Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International (2.45-mile, seven-turn road course)
Format:                Three Stages; 20 laps/25 laps/16 laps
Start/Finish:      6th/2nd (Running, completed 61 of 61 laps)
Winner:               Austin Hill of Hattori Racing Enterprises (Toyota)
Having already clinched the regular season NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship heading into Saturday’s race at Watkins Glen Internationally, John Hunter Nemechek lone goal was to win stages and win the races and add playoff points to his bank. The Mobil 1 driver came up just short, finishing runner-up in Stage 2 and he was also running second when lightning struck in the area and eventually led to NASCAR calling the race complete 11 laps short of the advertised distance.
When the playoffs start Aug. 20 at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway will be the top seed of the 10 drivers who qualified for the seven-race, elimination-style playoff format.
Stage One Recap
·        Nemechek started Saturday’s race in the sixth position based on NASCAR’s performance matrix system.
·        Heading into the first turn on the first lap, the Mobil 1 Tundra wheel-hopped and made contact with another competitor, sending several trucks spinning. After observation from the spotters around the track, it was determined that the damage was minimal, and the No. 4 Toyota remained on track.
·        The second-generation driver ran just inside the top 10 when he made a scheduled pit stop with three laps remaining in the opening stanza.
·        After getting four fresh tires and a full load of fuel, Nemechek would work his way back onto the track and went on to cross the stripe in the 22nd position.
Stage Two Recap:
·        After other competitors hit pit road, the Mobil 1 Tundra lined up 12th when the Second Stage went green.
·        He was running second to Austin Hill, when Hill hit pit road with four laps remaining in the stage. Nemechek would be credited with leading two laps before hitting pit road for the final time on Lap 43.
·        After getting four tires and fuel he returned to the track behind Hill again and would end Stage 2 in the runner-up position.
Final Stage Recap:
·        Throughout the Final Stage he remained in the second position behind Hill. 11 laps into the final stanza, lightning would strike at the track and bring out red-flag conditions.
·        With weather remaining in the area and NASCAR needing to start the NASCAR Xfinity Series race, the Truck Series race was deemed complete with 61 of 72 laps complete.
·        Nemechek ended the regular season with a series-leading five wins, nine top-five finishes and 487 laps led.
John Hunter Nemechek, driver of the No. 4 Mobil 1 Tundra for KBM:
Do you think you may have had something for Austin Hill in the final laps if the race was restarted?
“Possibly, it’s hard to say with the high downforce package that we have on these trucks, dirty air is really bad. You get super aero-tight behind other trucks and it kind of gives you a disadvantage being the second guy compared to being in clean air. Overall, we had a really fast Mobil 1 Toyota Tundra today. I feel like Austin (Hill) had the dominant truck all day. I do feel like we were better in certain spots, and he was better in other spots on the racetrack. Who knows what would have happened, he could have made a mistake, I could have made a mistake. It’s part of racing. I felt like if he would have slipped a little bit or if I could have gotten side-by-side with him, I feel like we probably could have made the pass and possibly drove off. I don’t know how fast, but I felt like we were playing cat and mouse with trading back who was faster on certain laps.”
What happened between you and Ben Rhodes on lap one?
“I wheel-hopped really bad getting into turn one and apologized to Ben (Rhodes). I’ve spoken to Ben and apologized to his team guys as well. That’s not how I want to race and that’s not my intention to take somebody out. I’m better than that and I should have never made that mistake, but wheel-hopped and I was just along for the ride at that point. We’ve raced hard against them all year and we’ve traded paint, but we’ve been respectful about all of it. It sucks that happened here at Watkins Glen.”
Is this your championship to lose or is it too soon to determine that?
“I feel like the race tracks that are coming up are really good for us. I enjoy the race tracks we’re going to for the first round and the second round. It all comes down to Phoenix. You have to make it there, be in the final four and whoever has the better race and plays the strategy right. Cautions may fall, we saw that last year as well. We’re on our ‘A’ Game I feel like, and we’ve been preparing fast trucks all year and we just have to keep the momentum rolling. Have to try to be that one that’s the favorite going into Phoenix.”
United Rentals 176 Recap
·        Austin Hill picked up his second consecutive Camping World Truck Series victory. Nemechek finished in the runner-up position, while Sheldon Creed, Todd Gilliland, and Parker Kligerman rounded out the top-five finishers.
·        There were five cautions for 10 laps. There were seven lead changes among six drivers, including Nemechek who led once for two laps.
How John Hunter Nemechek's KBM Teammates Fared:
·        Corey Heim, driver of the No. 51 Toyota, finished 18th.
·        Chandler Smith, driver of the No. 18 Toyota, finished 39th.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship Standings
Nemechek won the regular season championship and will start the playoffs as the top seed. He opens the playoffs 48 points above the cutoff line for advancing to the Round of 8.
Next Race
The No. 4 Mobil 1 team returns to the track when the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series opens the playoffs on Friday, Aug. 20, at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway. Live coverage will be on FS1, Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM at 9 p.m. ET.

by jnemechek

No. 4 Mobil 1 Tundra Camping World Trucks Watkins Glen Preview

Neme'chek' The Facts:
  • John Hunter Nemechek and the No. 4 Mobil 1 team head into the final regular season race of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season at Watkins Glen International Speedway already having already clinched the regular season championship and the 15-playoff point bonus that comes with it. Nemechek has put together a remarkable season thus far in his first season driving for Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM). The 24-year-old driver leads the Trucks Series regulars in wins (five), stage wins (nine), top fives (eight), laps led (485), fastest laps run (237), driver rating (119.4), average running position (5.906) and average finish (7.4). Including the 15 points earned for the regular season championship, he will enter the post season with at least 49 playoff points, plus any he earns at Watkins Glen Saturday.
  • Nemechek registered his fifth win of 2021 June 26 at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pa. The talented wheelman was able to beat KBM owner-driver Kyle Busch head-to-head for the third time this season. Nemechek also bested his boss at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway in March and at Richmond (Va.) Raceway in April. Busch finished second to his pupil in all three of those events. Busch was victorious at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway in March and Kansas Speedway in May. In addition to beating Busch three times, Nemechek also outdueled reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Chase Elliott to pick up the victory at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth in June. So, he holds a four-to-two advantage this season going heads up against the last two Cup Series champions.
  • Saturday’s race marks the first time that the Truck Series has raced at Watkins Glen since 2000. Nemechek finished 12th in the 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Watkins Glen, his lone National Series start at the 2.45-mile road course. In Truck series action, the second-generation driver has one win (Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, 2016), three top-five and four top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 10.3 across seven road course starts. Earlier this year on the Daytona International Speedway Road Course, Nemechek won the opening stage, but ran out of fuel as he was headed to pit road during the second stage. After going a lap down, the No. 4 team rallied back to score a third-place finish.
  • Nemechek is an 11-time winner in Camping World Truck Series action, winning at least one race each season from 2015 to 2018 for his family-owned team, NEMCO Motorsports, and returning to victory lane this year with KBM. Across 116 career starts in NASCAR’s third division, the second-generation driver has compiled two poles, 1094 laps led, 36 top-five and 61 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 12.5. The North Carolina native qualified for the Camping World Truck Series playoffs in each of his two full-time seasons, finishing eighth in the championship standings in both 2016 and 2017. He was voted the series most popular driver in 2015.
  • Eric Phillips returns to KBM to lead the No. 4 team this season. Phillips led the No. 18 team at KBM in its debut season in 2010 and helped build the organization into one of the premier teams in all of NASCAR before departing at the end of the 2014 season. Under his guidance, the No. 18 team won eight races in its inaugural campaign and became the first team in Truck Series history to capture an owner’s championship in its first season of competition. In 2014, the Illinois native led the No. 51 team to an owner’s championship and his team’s 10 wins spearheaded KBM to a single-season Truck Series record of 14 wins. His 42 career Truck Series victories make him the winningest crew chief in Truck Series history, with 32 of those coming while at KBM. Phillips’s drivers have earned top-five finishes in two of this three road course events in Truck Series action, with Erik Jones finishing third at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in 2014 and Nemechek also finishing third at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course earlier this year.
John Hunter Nemechek, Driver Q&A:
John Hunter Nemechek | Watkins Glen International
What does it mean to have already secured the regular season Truck Series championship?
“Winning the regular season Truck Series championship and kind of locking it up at Knoxville a couple weeks ago allows us to go to Watkins Glen focused on one thing and that’s to get seven more playoff points. We’re excited about winning the regular season championship, when we came into this deal, we were #Here4Wins, so we want to win everything that we can. Winning it also give us a huge bonus for playoff points going into the playoffs which should help us even more and kind of give us a little advantage going into the first round.”
Does having raced at Watkins Glen in an Xfinity car previously give you an advantage heading into Saturday?
“Since I’ve raced Xfinity at Watkins Glen previously, I definitely think that will help me as a driver. There are a lot of drivers in the field this weekend at Watkins Glen that haven’t really run a lot at Watkins Glen, they’ve maybe run some K&N stuff and ARCA stuff there, but no really long races, so hopefully that plays into an advantage with there not being any practice and kind of plays into our favor. There is kind of little tips and tricks of getting around Watkins Glen and things that you kind of have to look out for and places that you can make speed, so hopefully we have all those speed secrets.”
How does racing at Watkins Glen compare to the other road courses that the Truck Series race at?
“There’s nothing like Watkins Glen. It has a lot of elevation change, not as much as Sonoma, but it’s super fast. I feel like the tires don’t wear and the track surface is definitely newer, and you are just running qualifying laps every single lap.”
John Hunter Nemechek Career Highlights:
  • Eleven-time winner in Camping World Truck Series action, winning at least one race each season from 2015 to 2018 for his family-owned team, NEMCO Motorsports. Across 116 career starts in NASCAR’s third division, has compiled two poles, 1,094 laps led, 36 top-five and 61 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 12.5.
  • Qualified for the Camping World Truck Series playoffs in each of his two full-time seasons, finishing eighth in the championship standings in both 2016 and 2017.
  • Produced three top-10 finishes and an average result of 22.4 while competing for rookie of the year honors in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2020. He recorded a career-best eighth-place finish twice, both coming at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, earned the Sunoco Rookie of the Race award four times and finished 23rd in the championship standings.
  • Across 52 career XFINITY Series starts, has totaled one win (Kansas Speedway, 10/20/18), one pole, 225 laps led, 12 top-five and 30 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 12.0.
John Hunter Nemechek's No. 4 Mobil 1 Tundra:
KBM-71: The No. 4 Mobil 1 team will unload a brand new Tundra, KBM-71, for Saturday’s race at Watkins Glen.
KBM Notes of Interest:
  • KBM drivers have earned one win, 85 laps led, nine top-five and 11 top-10 finishes, with an average finish of 12.4 across 29 starts on road courses. Erik Jones collected KBM’s lone road-course victory in 2015 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
  • KBM holds the Camping World Truck Series records for most career wins (88) and most wins in a single season (14 in 2014). With his victory at the Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt Track, Truex Jr. became the 16th different driver to win a Truck Series event for KBM. In addition to collecting a series-record seven Owner's Championships, the organization has produced two championship-winning drivers: Erik Jones (2015) and Christopher Bell (2017).
  • The No. 4 has 16 career victories at KBM and was the number for both of the organization’s driver championships.

by Barry Cantrell

Knoxville Raceway

by jnemechek

No. 4 Mobil 1 Tundra Camping World Trucks Knoxville Post Race Report

Race Information:
Date:                        July 9, 2021
Event:                     Corn Belt 150 (Race 14 of 22)
Series:                    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Location:              Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway (half-mile dirt oval)
Format:                 Three Stages; 40 laps/50 laps/89 laps
Start/Finish:       37th/11th (Running, completed 179 of 179 laps)
Winner:                Austin Hill of Hattori Racing Enterprises (Toyota)
John Hunter Nemechek clinched the 2021 regular season NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship with an 11th-place finish on the dirt at Knoxville Raceway. The driver of the No. 4 Mobil 1 Tundra spun coming to the checkered flag but managed to lose minimal spots and would finish 11th.
On Thursday evening, Nemechek made contact with the outside wall during practice and damaged his primary Tundra enough that crew chief Eric Phillips made the decision to go to a backup truck. On Friday, Nemechek then pulled off during his qualifying race, as he would have to start at the rear of the feature regardless.
Nemechek began the race at the tail of the field, but steadily marched toward the front, arriving in the top-10 by lap 73. After a chaotic final stage, Nemechek was ninth coming to the checkers and spun, but managed to continue, losing only two spots to cross the finish line in 11th.
Stage One Recap
  • After wrecking in practice and going to a backup, Nemechek started the race at the tail end of the field, in 37th position.
  • He quickly began to move forward and reported that the No. 4 Mobil 1 Tundra was a little bit snug in the center of the corner and snappy off the corner.
  • Despite the handling issues, Nemechek entered the top-20 on lap 29.
  • Nemechek finished the first stage in the 17th position.
Stage Two Recap:
  • At the stage break, Phillips called Nemechek to pit road for four tires and fuel during the modified pit stop.
  • The No. 4 began the second stage in 17th.
  • After a caution on lap 66, Nemechek reported that he had right front fender damage from contact with the No. 52 and that he was still having handling issues.
  • By lap 73, Nemechek was in the sixth position, but lost one spot in the closing laps of the stanza and would go on to finish the second stage in seventh.
Final Stage Recap:
  • During the stage break, Nemechek reported that his Tundra was really tight and either had the toe knocked out of it or had a tire going down.
  • Phillips called him to pit road under the modified pit stop period to change four tires, fill up with fuel, make adjustments and repair damage.
  • The final stage was full of cautions and restarts, and Nemechek remained in or near the top-ten.
  • After four overtime attempts for an extra 29 laps, Nemechek was coming to the checkered flag in ninth, but spun. The young driver managed to quickly right the No. 4 Tundra and only lost two spots, crossing the line in 11th and clinching the regular season championship.
John Hunter Nemechek, driver of the No. 4 Mobil 1 Tundra for KBM:
 How was your night?
“It was a fun night overall in the Mobil 1 Tundra. It was fun sliding around, not too great of a result, but driving up from 40th, up to the front, back to the back, back to the front, and coming home 11th is not a bad night. Locking up the regular season championship is good too.”
Corn Belt 150 Recap
  • Austin Hill scored the Camping World Truck Series victory, beating Chandler Smith to the checkered flag by 1.207 seconds. Grant Enfinger, Todd Gilliland, and Derek Kraus rounded out the top-five finishers.
  • There were 14 cautions for 80 laps. There were 20 lead changes among seven drivers.
How John Hunter Nemechek's KBM Teammates Fared:
·        Chandler Smith, driver of the No. 18 Toyota, finished 2nd.
·        Brian Brown, driver of the No. 51 Toyota, finished 8th.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship Standings
After 14 races, Nemechek leads Ben Rhodes in the point standings by 85 points and has clinched the regular season championship with one race remaining.
Next Race
 The No. 4 team returns to the track when the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series resumes action on Saturday, August 7 at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International. Live coverage will be on FS1, Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM at 12:30 p.m. ET.

by jnemechek

John Hunter Nemechek 'Powers Up' to Earn Fifth Win of Season

Race Information:
John Hunter Nemechek picked up his fifth win of the season, beating team owner Kyle Busch on Saturday at Pocono Raceway in the No. 4 Power Up Premium Trail Mix Tundra. Nemechek started the 60-lap event from the seventh position, but fell back on the start, finishing the first stage in the 12th position. After pitting during the stage break, Nemechek rallied, winning the second stage and eventually outdueling Busch for the race win.
Stage One Recap
  • Nemechek began the race from the seventh position. On the initial start, a caution was thrown almost immediately for a wreck.
  • Nemechek restarted on lap 5 in the eighth position but was quickly shuffled back.
  • As the stage progressed, Nemechek informed his team that his No. 4 Tundra was too free off the corner.
  • The 24-year-old driver finished the first stage in 12th position.
Stage Two Recap:
  • At the stage break, crew chief Eric Phillips called Nemechek onto pit road for four tires, fuel, and adjustments. A speedy stop allowed him to leave pit road first, but with five trucks electing to remain on track, he would restart in the sixth position on lap 21.
  • During the 13-lap green flag run in Stage 2, Nemechek worked his way to second, inheriting the lead as several trucks made green-flag pit stops near the end of the stage.
  • When the green-checkered flag flew for the end of Stage 2, Nemechek scored the stage win and the playoff point.
Final Stage Recap:
  • During the stage break, Phillips called Nemechek to pit road for four tires, fuel and adjustments. He started the final stage in the 11th position.
  • While teammate and team owner Busch led the way, Nemechek slowly stalked to the front in the final 25 laps.
  • Under caution with eight laps to go, the driver of the No. 4 reported that his Tundra was pretty good, with no issues except it was a tiny bit snug entering Turn 1.
  • On the final restart, Nemechek lined up side-by-side on the front row with Busch and was able to use the inside lane to pull to the front for the remaining laps and earn his fifth win on the season, besting Busch for the third time in 2021.
John Hunter Nemechek, driver of the No. 4 Power Up Tundra for KBM:
 When you got the caution, what was going through your mind?
“We didn’t have enough time there. We were running him down. We definitely had a really fast Power Up Toyota Tundra. Overall, huge shoutout to all of my guys. They never gave up. We weren’t very good in Stage 1. We kept working on it. Just thankful for the opportunity from Toyota, Jack (Irving), Tyler (Gibbs), David Wilson, Kyle (Busch), Samantha (Busch) that put this whole deal together. I’m proud of everyone at KBM (Kyle Busch Motorsports), all of these guys, I feel like I have the best team in the garage and one of the best pit crews as well. How about all of these fans out here. I’ve never seen so many fans and so many campers here at Pocono. It’s really cool to see.”
CRC Brakleen 150 Recap
  • Nemechek scored the Camping World Truck Series victory, beating Busch to the checkered flag by 1.337 seconds. Sheldon Creed, Tyler Ankrum and Austin Hill rounded out the top-five finishers.
  • There were four cautions for 13 laps. There were eight lead changes among seven drivers.
How John Hunter Nemechek's KBM Teammates Fared:
  • Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 51 Toyota, finished 2nd.
  • Chandler Smith, driver of the No. 18 Toyota, finished 25th.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship Standings
With two races remaining in the regular season, Nemechek and the No. 4 team extended their lead over Ben Rhodes in the point standings to 86 points
Next Race
The No. 4 team returns to the track when the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series resumes action on Friday, July 9 at Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway. Live coverage will be on FS1, Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM at 9 p.m. ET.

by jnemechek

Nashville

by jnemechek

No. 4 Mobil 1 Tundra Camping World Trucks Nashville Post Race Report

Race Information:
Date:                       June 18, 2021
Event:                     Rackley Roofing 200 (Race 12 of 22)
Series:                    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Location:               Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway (1.33-mile D-shaped oval)
Format:                 Three Stages; 45 laps/50 laps/55 laps
Start/Finish:       34th/10th (Running, completed 150 of 150 laps)
Winner:                Ryan Preece of David Gilliland Racing (Ford)
John Hunter Nemechek finished 10th in the Rackley Roofing 200 at Nashville Superspeedway after starting at the rear of the field due to his qualifying time being disallowed by NASCAR. Nemechek was able to work his way to 20th in the opening laps of the first stage. With strategy calls from crew chief Eric Phillips, Nemechek was able to secure his 10th top-1o finish of 2021. Nemechek continues to hold the lead in the point standings, leading Ben Rhodes by 70 points.
Stage One Recap
  • Nemechek started from the 34th position after NASCAR disallowed his lap in qualifying Friday afternoon. Prior to the penalty, Nemechek went around the 1.33-mile facility at an average speed of 156.440 mph,
  • In the opening stint, Nemechek radioed that his Mobil 1 Tundra lacked rear grip.
  • With the stage going from green to green-checkered, Nemechek finished the stage in the 21st position.
Stage Two Recap:
  • At the stage break, Nemechek radioed that his Mobil 1 Tundra tightened up as the run progressed. Phillips summoned Nemechek onto pit road for four tires, fuel, and adjustments. The over-the-wall crew administered a speedy stop to gain three positions. Nemechek started the second stage from 18th.
  • Nemechek worked his way up to 15th by the time the second caution waved on lap 78. Under the caution, Nemechek radioed that he was loose in traffic and continuing to deal with brake issues. Phillips summoned the Mobil 1 driver down pit road for four fresh tires, fuel, and adjustments. Nemechek would restart from the 15th position.
  • When the green-checkered flag flew on lap 95, Nemechek was scored in the 11th position.
Final Stage Recap:
  • At the break, Nemechek radioed that his Mobil 1 Tundra was tight in traffic. Phillips summoned Nemechek back onto pit road for four tires, fuel, and adjustments. Nemechek would start the final stage in the 11th position.
  • After back-to-back cautions, Nemechek settled in the 10th position to score his 10th top-10 finish of 2021.
John Hunter Nemechek, driver of the No. 4 Mobil 1 Tundra for KBM:
Rackley Roofing 200 Recap
  • Ryan Preece scored his first career Camping World Truck Series victory beating Todd Gilliland to the stripe by 0.950 seconds. Grant Enfinger, Zane Smith, and Stewart Friesen rounded out the top-five finishers.
  • There were five cautions for 29 laps. There were eight lead changes among six drivers.
How John Hunter Nemechek's KBM Teammates Fared:
  • Drew Dollar, driver of the No. 51 Toyota, finished 24th.
  • Chandler Smith, driver of the No. 18 Toyota, finished 13th.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship Standings
After 12 races, Nemechek and the No. 4 team continue to lead Ben Rhodes in the point standings by 70 points.
Next Race
The No. 4 team returns to the track when the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series resumes action on Saturday, June 26 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway. Live coverage will be on FS1, Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM at noon ET.

by jnemechek

No. 4 Mobil 1 Tundra Camping World Trucks Nashville Preview

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Overview:
Event:                               Rackley Roofing 200, Race 12 of 22, 150 Laps – 45/50/55; 199.5 Miles
Location:                       Nashville Superspeedway (1.33-mile concrete oval)
Date/Broadcast:         June 18, 2021 at 8 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR 90
Neme'chek' The Facts:
  • Entering the second half of the season, John Hunter Nemechek and the No. 4 Mobil 1 team roll into Nashville Superspeedway riding momentum after capturing the team’s fourth win of the 2021 season at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. So far in 2021, Nemechek leads the series in wins (four), stage wins (eight), top fives (seven), and laps led (473). Nemechek continues to lead Ben Rhodes by 78 points in the driver point standings with four races remaining in the regular season.
  • Friday’s race will mark the first time that the Camping World Truck Series has raced at Nashville Superspeedway, a 1.33-mile concrete oval since July 2011. Across five starts, KBM has collected two wins (Kyle Busch: 2010 & 2011), two top fives, three top tens, 271 laps led and an average finish of 9.2. Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) earned its first-ever Camping World Truck Series victory at the Tennessee track in April 2010 with owner-driver Kyle Busch behind the wheel and Nemechek’s crew chief Eric Phillips on the pit box. Busch also was victorious there in April 2011 with Phillips.
  • While Nemechek has never made a start at Nashville Superspeedway, he was a fixture in the prestigious All-American 400 weekend held at Nashville (Tenn.) Fairgrounds Speedway, a half-mile oval, from 2013 to 2015. In 2014, Nemechek dominated the All-American 400 by leading 294 out of 300 laps en route to his sole victory.
  • Nemechek is a 10-time winner in Camping World Truck Series action, winning at least one race each season from 2015 to 2018 for his family-owned team, NEMCO Motorsports, and returning to victory lane this year with KBM. Across 113 career starts in NASCAR’s third division, the second-generation driver has compiled two poles, 1082 laps led, 35 top-five and 59 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 12.6. The North Carolina native qualified for the Camping World Truck Series playoffs in each of his two full-time seasons, finishing eighth in the championship standings in both 2016 and 2017. He was voted the series most popular driver in 2015.
  • Eric Phillips returns to KBM to lead the No. 4 team this season. Phillips led the No. 18 team at KBM in its debut season in 2010 and helped build the organization into one of the premier teams in all of NASCAR before departing at the end of the 2014 season. Under his guidance, the No. 18 team won eight races in its inaugural campaign and became the first team in Truck Series history to capture an owner’s championship in its first season of competition. In 2014, the Illinois native led the No. 51 team to an owner’s championship and his team’s 10 wins spearheaded KBM to a single-season Truck Series record of 14 wins. His 41 career Truck Series victories make him the winningest crew chief in Truck Series history, with 31 of those coming while at KBM. Across 10 starts at Nashville, Phillips has collected two wins, two top fives, three top 10s, and an average finish of 15.8. Phillips won with Kyle Busch in 2010 and 2011.
John Hunter Nemechek, Driver Q&A:
John Hunter Nemechek | Nashville Preview
We’re halfway through the season. How would you evaluate the first half?
“I feel like our season is going pretty good so far. We have four wins at this point. I wish we had more, but at the same time, having four is a great ordeal for our No. 4 team. I’m excited to see what the next 11 races bring. Hopefully we can score quite a few more.”
With a handful of drivers having experience at Nashville and the success of Eric Phillips there, will it help to have someone that knows what’s going on?
“I think having Eric as a crew chief that knows what to expect when going to Nashville having won there twice, I’m very thankful for that. I can pick his brain. He’s been a huge help to me as well as Kyle. I’m just trying to learn as much as I can. He’s always been super successful and super fast there. I’m trying to pick his brain and learn as much as I possibly can and soak it up like a sponge. The more information the better. Sadly, I was too young to race there before they shut it down, but I’m glad to be going back.”
Nashville gives out the Gibson Guitar trophy. Do you have any trophies that stand out?
“I wouldn’t say that there is one that stands out. I feel like everyone is cool. I will say from Nashville and having won the All American 400 and bringing a guitar home from the Nashville Fairgrounds is awesome. Hopefully we can bring another guitar home to hang from Nashville Superspeedway. Hopefully we can get that done.”
Nashville is the home of country music. If you could trade spots with a country music star or band, who would it be?
 “I would say I would have to swap spots with Eric Church, Kenny Chesney or Jason Aldean. I think that those three guys have a lot of fun. Their concerts are packed. Kenny Chesney is always somewhere on a beach so that’d be a lot of fun. It would just be a fun experience. It’s all about just having fun, smiling and enjoying life.”
John Hunter Nemechek Career Highlights:
  • Ten-time winner in Camping World Truck Series action, winning at least one race each season from 2015 to 2018 for his family-owned team, NEMCO Motorsports. Across 113 career starts in NASCAR’s third division, has compiled two poles, 1,082 laps led, 35 top-five and 59 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 12.6.
  • Qualified for the Camping World Truck Series playoffs in each of his two full-time seasons, finishing eighth in the championship standings in both 2016 and 2017.
  • Produced three top-10 finishes and an average result of 22.4 while competing for rookie of the year honors in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2020. He recorded a career-best eighth-place finish twice, both coming at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, earned the Sunoco Rookie of the Race award four times and finished 23rd in the championship standings.
  • Across 52 career XFINITY Series starts, has totaled one win (Kansas Speedway, 10/20/18), one pole, 225 laps led, 12 top-five and 30 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 12.0.
John Hunter Nemechek's No. 4 Mobil 1 Tundra:
KBM-068: The No. 4 Mobil 1 team will unload KBM-068 Friday at Nashville for its 2021 debut. Last season, Christian Eckes ran the chassis three times with a best finish of fourth in the season finale at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway.
KBM Notes of Interest:
  • KBM drivers have collected two wins, two poles, 271 laps led, two top-five and three top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 9.8 across five starts in the Music City.
  • Owner-driver Kyle Busch’s earned his organization its first-ever NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory in April of 2010 and also was victorious there in April of 2011.
  • KBM holds the Camping World Truck Series records for most career wins (87) and most wins in a single season (14 in 2014). With his victory at the Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt Track, Martin Truex Jr. became the 16th different driver to win a Truck Series event for KBM. In addition to collecting a series-record seven Owner's Championships, the organization has produced two championship-winning drivers: Erik Jones (2015) and Christopher Bell (2017).
  • The No. 4 has 15 career victories at KBM and was the number for both of the organization’s driver championships.

by jnemechek

Texas

by jnemechek