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Nemechek Ready for Another Talladega Top-10 with Speedy Cash

by jnemechek

Post-Race Report: Las Vegas

• Stage One: 18th
• Stage Two: 15th
• Stage Three: 20th

• Driving the No. 38 Speedy Cash Ford Mustang for the first time in 2020, John Hunter Nemechek took the green flag for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the 25th position. Shortly after the start of the race, Nemechek noted that he “needed more front turn on corner entry” and was complaining of splitter bounce. At the Competition Caution, Crew Chief Seth Barbour made the call for 4 tires and fuel with wedge and packer adjustments. Throughout the rest of Stage 1, Nemechek said his handling got better as the run went on, but he needed to be tightened up. After taking the green- and white-checkered flag in 18th place, Nemechek took 4 tires, fuel and packer and track bar adjustments.

• As Stage 2 got underway, Nemechek noted that his No. 38 Speedy Cash Ford Mustang was “snug to fire off, center off but not terrible.” On Lap 116, he radioed that he was “a little snug center off running the top... decent in [Turns] 1 and 2.” He would pit under green on Lap 120 for 4 tires and fuel with no other adjustments. Making his way into the top 15 by the end of the Stage, Nemechek said he was “decent on entry; snug over the bumps in [Turn] 1” and “pretty good running the top” in Turns 3 and 4. He would pit at the Stage Break Caution for 4 tires with an air pressure adjustment and fuel.

• After a swift stop on pit road, Nemechek would take the green flag for the evening’s final stage in 13th place. He made a competitive charge towards the front in the early laps, trying to find the best line to run. When a caution came out on Lap 189 for debris, Nemechek radioed that his No. 38 Speedy Cash Ford Mustang was “starting to get snug center off” as the track was getting into the shade and the sun was setting over Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He pitted under caution for 4 tires with an air pressure adjustment and fuel. After making another strong charge to the front, Nemechek had a tire go down on Lap 249, causing him to spin and bringing out a caution. He would make contact a few laps later trying to avoid a wreck and sustained right rear damage. Nemechek would go on to finish the race in 20th place.

• “Man, that was a heartbreaker. Our No. 38 Speedy Cash Ford Mustang was on the free side to fire off and we were bouncing on the splitter pretty bad. Seth [Barbour] and the crew did a fantastic job on pit road getting the handling to where we were comfortable, and we fought our way up into the top 5. Unfortunately, we had a tire go down towards the end of the final stage and then made contact a few laps later trying to avoid a wreck. Definitely not the finish my guys deserved today. We have Speedy Cash back with us again next week, so hopefully we can be ‘speedy fast’ again at Talladega.”

by jnemechek

Nemechek Looks to Cash in on Success at Las Vegas with Speedy Cash

by jnemechek

Post-Race Report: Bristol

• Stage One: 17th
• Stage Two: 18th
• Stage Three: 20th

• John Hunter Nemechek started Saturday’s event at Bristol Motor Speedway in the 31st position. At the Competition Caution, he radioed to the team that his No. 38 Mystik Lubricants Ford Mustang was “free to start… lacking a little drive” and that he “felt like it was starting to come to” as his run went on. Crew Chief Seth Barbour called him to pit road for 4 tires, fuel and track bar and packer adjustments. By the time Nemechek finished Stage 1 in 17th place, he said he “started off free; built tighter.” Expecting the track to tighten up as the race went into the evening, Nemechek would pit at the Stage Break Caution for 4 tires and fuel.

• Nemechek drove his way towards the top 20 throughout most of Stage 2. When a caution came out on Lap 232, he noted that his No. 38 Mystik Lubricants machine was a “little free off, snug center… I get tight off the bottom.” After going a lap down in the previous run, he stayed out to take the wave-around and would go on to finish Stage 2 in 18th place.

• Partway through the Final Stage of the night at Bristol Motor Speedway, Nemechek reported that he was picking up a slight vibration in his No. 38 Mystik Lubricants Ford Mustang. He was able to stay out on track until a caution came on Lap 406, where he noted that he was “free center, struggling with drive off.” Barbour called him to pit road for 4 tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment. Nemechek would go on to take the checkered flag in 20th place.

• “The crew put together a solid top-15, maybe even top-10 car tonight at Bristol. Our No. 38 Mystik Lubricants Ford Mustang was decent on the long run, but we struggled a little with drive off. After the first stage, it was looking like we were going to have a decent night. We tried a couple of different adjustments on pit road tonight – some of them helped, some not as much. Overall, we wanted to be able to finish a few spots higher. Thanks to our partners at Mystik Lubricants for coming on board with us this season. We'll debrief this week and come back ready for Las Vegas.”

by jnemechek

Mystik Lubricants Returns to Power John Hunter Nemechek at Bristol

by jnemechek

Post-Race Report: Richmond

• Stage One: 30th
• Stage Two: 26th
• Stage Three: 30th

• John Hunter Nemechek took the green flag to start Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series event at Richmond Raceway in 31st place. After a few laps, Nemechek reported an issue with the steering wheel in his No. 38 Ford Mustang, as well as a “pretty bad brake shake.” At the Competition Caution on Lap 30, Nemechek pitted for 4 tires, fuel, and track bar and packer adjustments. By the time he finished Stage 1 in 30th place, Nemechek said that he “needed to be able to wrap the bottom better… feels a little tight center but free off.” Crew Chief Seth Barbour called him to pit road for 4 tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment.

• Nemechek would start Stage 2 at the rear of the field, due to an uncontrolled tire penalty. Throughout the caution-less run, Nemechek’s No. 38 machine was “a tick snug center, little free off” and “struggled on power.” Nemechek dabbled in the top 20 while green flag pit stops cycled through, and by the time he took the green- and white-checkered flag in 26th place, he said his last adjustment helped and the balance wasn’t bad. He pitted at the Stage Break Caution for 4 tires with a slight air pressure adjustment, fuel and a wedge adjustment.

• Nemechek would start the Final Stage of the night at Richmond Raceway in 23rd place. Shortly after Lap 280, he made contact with the wall off of Turn 4 but sustained minimal damage and would pit under green for 4 tires and fuel several laps later. Nemechek would continue to battle through the remainder of the all-green Final Stage, crossing the finish line in 30th place.

• “It was a tough night for our No. 38 team. We had an issue with the steering wheel from the start, and just couldn’t really catch that much of a break throughout the race. We were free for the most part, and just struggled on power. But the great thing about this Front Row Motorsports team is that we never give up. My guys still do everything they can to set us up for a good finish. We have some notes to add to our short track notebook, so we’ll hit the reset button at the shop this week and move on to Bristol.”

by jnemechek

Post Race Report: Darlington

• Stage One: 27th
• Stage Two: 23rd
• Stage Three: 36th (out)

• Driving the No. 38 CITGARD Ford Mustang in tribute to Elliott Sadler’s 1999 paint scheme with CITGO Petroleum Corporation, John Hunter Nemechek took the green flag in Sunday’s “Southern 500” in 18th place. By Lap 12 of the 367-lap event, Nemechek radioed that he was “snug to fire off through the center.” At the Competition Caution, he noted that his CITGARD Throwback machine was “trending freer as the run goes on,” but that he needed more overall grip. He would pit under caution for 4 tires with an air pressure adjustment, fuel and a packer adjustment. Throughout the remainder of Stage 1, the handling on Nemechek’s No. 38 CITGARD car continued to free up, but by the time he took the green- and white-checkered flag in 27th place, he radioed that he lacked speed to fire off, especially in dirty air. He would pit at the Stage Break Caution for 4 tires, fuel, track bar and packer adjustments.

• Nemechek would restart the race in the 26th position. As the sun set over Darlington Raceway, he noted that his No. 38 CITGARD Ford Mustang was free and “lacking rear lateral grip center and off.” He would pit under green on Lap 172 for 4 tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment. When a caution came out a few laps later, Nemechek radioed that he could still be tightened up a bit more, and pitted again for 4 tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment. By the end of Stage 2, Nemechek’s No. 38 CITGARD Throwback machine was getting “really free.” He took the green- and white-checkered flag in 23rd place and pitted for 4 tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment.

• Shortly after the start of the Final Stage of the night at Darlington Raceway, Nemechek was involved in an incident on the frontstretch due to a miscommunication on track. His No. 38 CITGARD machine sustained heavy damage, forcing Nemechek to the garage and ending his day early.

• “That definitely wasn’t the way we wanted to end our night driving Elliott Sadler’s CITGARD throwback scheme. Our No. 38 Ford Mustang fired off pretty tight but then I got looser as the run went on and the sun set. We had some really good pit stops tonight and Seth [Barbour] and the crew made some good adjustments so that we had a good balance by the end of Stage 2. Unfortunately, we had a miscommunication on track early in the Final Stage and that ended our day. I hate it for my guys because they’ve worked so hard all year and they never give up. We’ll reset this week at the shop and get ready for Richmond. Thanks to CITGARD for all of their support and for helping us put together a great car to honor Elliott Sadler.”

by jnemechek

CITGARD® Honors Elliott Sadler with Darlington Throwback Scheme

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (August 31, 2020) - The No. 38 Front Row Motorsports (FRM) Ford Mustang, driven by Rookie-of-the-Year Contender John Hunter Nemechek, will run a special paint scheme for the NASCAR throwback weekend at Darlington Raceway, paying tribute to 2017 Xfinity Series regular season champion Elliott Sadler. Nemechek will race a scheme similar to the No. 21 CITGO® Ford Taurus that Sadler raced during his own rookie season with Wood Brothers Racing in 1999 and again in 2000.

by jnemechek

Post-Race Report: Daytona II

• Stage One: 11th
• Stage Two: 16th
• Stage Three: 11th

• John Hunter Nemechek took the green flag in the final race of the NASCAR Cup Series regular season on Saturday night in 24th place. After the first 20 laps, Nemechek said his No. 38 Fire Alarm Services, Inc. (FAS) Ford Mustang was a little free on exit, but the balance wasn’t bad. At the Competition Caution, he came to pit road for fuel only and a piece of grille tape. Restarting P8, Nemechek battled within the top 15 for the remainder of the stage, taking the green- and white-checkered flag in the 11th position. Under caution for the Stage 1 Break, Nemechek radioed that he started losing front grip and probably needed to be a little tighter. He would pit for 4 tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment.

• Nemechek restarted the race for Stage 2 in the 8th place. His No. 38 FAS Ford Mustang ran inside the top 10 for much of the all-green segment, running as high as 3rd before dropping back to save fuel towards the end. Nemechek would finish Stage 2 in the 16th position. Under caution, he noted that he was “a little free on the bottom, a little snug up top… might need to tighten me up a little more.” Crew Chief Seth Barbour made the call for Nemechek to take 4 tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment at the Stage Break Caution.

• Nemechek would start the Final Stage of the night in 15th place. On Lap 124, he radioed to the crew that it felt like the previous pit stop adjustment might have made the balance worse on his No. 38 FAS Ford Mustang. He made a quick trip to pit road for fuel only with 30 laps to go, and when a caution came out with less than 20 laps to go, Nemechek pitted again for 4 tires, fuel and a packer adjustment. After a wild wreck that took out several cars with less than 10 laps remaining, Nemechek restarted P16. Not long after taking the green flag, Nemechek was involved in another wreck and sustained heavy right rear damage. After pitting for repairs, Nemechek would restart at the tail end of the field and battle his way up to an 11th-place finish, earning Sunoco “Rookie of the Race” honors.

• “I’ll take P11 for our No. 38 FAS Ford Mustang after all that. It was a wild end to the day, but I’m super proud of my guys for all of their effort and hard work. We had a pretty decent setup and made a few adjustments during the night that helped get us in a position to have a good result. We got caught up at the end in a wreck with some heavy right side damage, but my guys on pit road rallied and we were able to keep rolling to get a good finish for our partners at FAS. Overall it was a good points day for us, so we'll take what notes we can and move on to the next one."

by jnemechek

FAS Joins Nemechek in Daytona for Last Chance at the Playoffs

by jnemechek