NASCAR Cup Series

Post-Race Report: Indy

• Stage One: 17th
• Stage Two: 17th
• Stage Three: 15th

• After a delayed start due to lightning in the area, John Hunter Nemechek took the green flag in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the 19th position. At the Competition Caution on Lap 12, he radioed to the team that his No. 38 Fire Alarm Services, Inc. (FAS) Ford Mustang was snug in all four corners and that he needed “help with turn center off.” He was on pit road for 4 tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment when a wreck happened on pit road directly in front and alongside Nemechek’s pit box, but he did not sustain any damage. He would stay there for a brief red flag and restarted the race in 21st place. Through the rest of Stage 1, Nemechek tried to experiment with the throttle and his driving line, but still struggled to “keep it turning in traffic.” He would take the green- and-white checkered flag in the 17th position.

• Crew Chief Seth Barbour made the call for Nemechek to stay out at the Stage 1 Caution, allowing him to start Stage 2 in 11th place. He still battled some tightness in traffic with his No. 38 FAS machine but noted that he was good running by himself. By the end of Stage 2, Nemechek radioed to tell the team that previous adjustments had helped and that he could turn better in traffic, but he could still stand to be a tick freer. He would finish Stage 2 in the 17th position.

• Nemechek took the green flag to start the day’s Final Stage in the 18th place. During a caution on Lap 124, Nemechek noted that his No. 38 FAS Ford Mustang was “free to fire off” and “tightened up as the run goes on.” He managed to stay inside of the top 20 for much of the stage. When a caution came out with less than 10 laps to go, Nemechek did not pit and restarted P13. He was involved in a last-lap wreck, but kept it rolling to take the checkered flag in 15th place.

• “It was a hard-fought day for our No. 38 Fire Alarm Services, Inc. Ford Mustang. We were tight in traffic to start and it was difficult to keep the car turning when I was behind another car. Seth and the crew made some good adjustments throughout the day that helped our handling a lot. We got caught up there at the end, but still had a decent top-15 day. I’m proud of our Front Row Motorsports team’s continued effort in the shop and at the track each week. Huge shoutout to FAS and Digital Ally Body Cameras for coming on board with us today. We’ll regroup this week and come back ready for Kentucky."

by jnemechek

John Hunter Nemechek looks for Speed at Indy with Fire Alarm Services, Inc.

by jnemechek

Post-Race Report: Pocono II

• Stage One: 20th
• Stage Two: 23rd
• Stage Three: 19th

• John Hunter Nemechek started the second of this weekend's doubleheader races at Pocono Raceway in 24th place. Shortly after taking the green flag, the race was paused for 50 minutes due to rain. Once the engines refired and the race restarted, Nemechek pitted for 4 tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment after noting that his No. 38 Death With Coffee Ford Mustang was tight in traffic, but otherwise fired off free. He said the handling improved as the run went on, and finished Stage 1 in the 20th position.

• Nemechek continued to battle a tight car in traffic through Stage 2. By the end of the stage, he said his No. 38 Death Wish Coffee machine had been a little free to fire off, but then it started getting tighter. Nemechek would take the green- and-white checkered flag to end Stage 2 in 23rd place. He would stay out under the Stage Break Caution.

• As the sun set over Pocono Raceway during the Final Stage, strategy played a factor as uncertainty over the amount of daylight remaining continued to build. Nemechek was still noting that he was tight in traffic by Lap 104. With less than 20 laps remaining, Crew Chief Seth Barbour made the call for Nemechek to pit for 2 tires (only) and fuel. He would work his way into the top 20 and finished in the 19th position.

• “Wasn't quite the day we were hoping for at Pocono Raceway, but we finished better than we did in yesterday's race, and that's an accomplishment for us. Our No. 38 Death Wish Coffee Ford Mustang was decent in clean air, but we just couldn't make it work in traffic. I was too tight whenever I got behind another car and we couldn't quite get the handling right in order to really make the kind of gains we wanted to on track. I'm proud of my team and thankful for their effort. Really appreciate Death Wish Coffee and Rich Mar Florist coming aboard with us again today. We'll regroup this week and head to Indy."

by jnemechek

Post-Race Report: Pocono

• Stage One: 26th
• Stage Two: 27th
• Stage Three: 24th

• Following a short weather delay, John Hunter Nemechek took the green flag in Saturday's race at Pocono Raceway in the 20th position. He noted early on that his No. 38 Death Wish Coffee Ford Mustang was tight in all corners, and particularly rough going over the bumps in Turn 2. At the competition caution, Nemechek took 4 tires, fuel and a significant track bar adjustment to try and free up his racecar. By the time he finished Stage 1 in 26th place, he said the adjustments helped but he still needed to be freer.

• Nemechek stayed out under the Stage Break Caution. Despite needing to be freer, Nemechek managed to crack his way into the top 10 as Stage 2 got underway. During a cycle of green flag pit stops, Crew Chief Seth Barbour made the call for 4 tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment to continue freeing up Nemechek's No. 38 Death Wish Coffee machine. On Lap 64, Nemechek got loose underneath while passing the No. 27 car and made contact, bringing out a caution for debris. Luckily, Nemechek sustained only minor damage. After a round of repairs, he took the green- and-white checkered flag in the 27th position.

• Nemechek had a quiet Final Stage in his No. 38 Death Wish Coffee Ford Mustang. He radioed on Lap 90 that his handling was "possibly still a touch tight." He continued to struggle with that tightness through the rest of the race, crossing the finish line in 24th place.

• “We fired off pretty tight in our No. 38 Death Wish Coffee Ford Mustang today at Pocono. We made some adjustments to try and free it up and made some progress, but I just got loose under the 27 at one point, and slid up into him a little. We still struggled toward the end of the race and needed to be freer on our runs, but we made some good notes for tomorrow. Really appreciate our partners at Death Wish Coffee and Rich Mar Florist for coming on board with us this weekend and I'm glad we have another chance tomorrow for a great finish."

by jnemechek

John Hunter Nemechek Doubles Down with Death Wish Coffee at Pocono

by jnemechek

Nemechek Earns Career-Best Finish, Rookie of the Race at Talladega

• Stage One: 16th
• Stage Two: 14th
• Stage Three: 8th

• John Hunter Nemechek started Monday's rain-delayed race at Talladega Superspeedway in the 22nd position following a random draw to determine the starting lineup. The handling on his No. 38 Death Wish Coffee Ford Mustang was "kind of all over the place" in the early parts of the race and the team made a wedge adjustment and added grille tape during the Competition Caution to try to give him more stability. Towards the end of Stage 1, Nemechek reported that he was a bit tight, particularly off of Turn 2, where the wind had picked up. Shortly after reporting that, the skies opened up and the race was paused for nearly an hour under Red Flag conditions. Once the cars refired, Nemechek finished Stage 1 in 16th place.

• As Stage 2 got underway, Nemechek noted that his No. 38 Death Wish Coffee Ford Mustang was "tight running the bottom in traffic." On Lap 94, he had a tire going down, which caused him to spin on the frontstretch, bringing out a caution. Nemechek would pit several times for the crew to change tires and assess (minimal) damage. Once the race restarted, Nemechek managed to battle his way into the top 10 at times, reporting that he was still "a little snug, but not bad." He would go on to finish Stage 2 in the 14th position.

• With rain no longer a factor, John Hunter Nemechek settled in for the Final Stage. By Lap 134, Nemechek did not have any issues to note with his No. 38 Death Wish Coffee machine. He radioed that the car was pretty good and that he was "just trying not to be in the middle of the mess" with about 50 laps to go in the race. It was going to be a close call on fuel, but with a caution on Lap 185, Nemechek was able to pit to top up on fuel. In a thrilling final lap, Nemechek made contact with another car just before the start-finish line, but still took the checkered flag in the 8th position, his career-best finish thus far. He also finished highest among the Sunoco Rookie-of-the-Year candidates, earning him the "Rookie of the Race" award.

• “We had a really great run in our No. 38 Death Wish Coffee Ford Mustang today. I really thought we had a shot at it at the end there, but I'm still proud of our entire team's efforts. When we fired off, we were kind of tight, and then we had that tire go down in the second stage, but we managed to come back from it and battled into the top 10 by the end. I wish we would have won that thing, but a P8 finish at Talladega is still good for us and I want to thank everyone on the team for their support. I'm looking forward to giving Death Wish Coffee another chance at the checkered flag at Pocono."

by jnemechek