John Hunter Nemechek came into Saturday’s Clean Harbors 150 at Knoxville Raceway 14-points back of the lead and fourth in the standings. After securing 16-stage points and a runner-up finish, Nemechek jumped up into first and now holds a five-point lead with only three races remaining in the regular season.
Nemechek lined up for the 150-lap event in sixth and ran within the top-10 for the entirety of the race. After finishing third in each of the first two stages, Nemechek found himself in a battle for the lead with just over 25 laps to go. On the final restart of the night, the second-generation driver lined up on the inside of the front row but was unable to gain control of the race before taking the checkered flag in second.
Stage One Recap
·        Nemechek lined up sixth for the second annual Clean Harbors 150 at Knoxville Raceway after winning his qualifying race from the second position and earning 11 points.
·        Midway through the opening stanza, the second-generation driver made his way into the top-three for the first time of the night.
·        When the second caution of the night came out on lap 32, Nemechek communicated that his Mobil 1 Tundra “needs more drive off”.
·        The field went back green for a one lap shootout to end Stage One where Nemechek was able to hold his position and take the green-and-white checkered flag in third, earning a valuable eight stage points.
Stage Two Recap:
·        Nemechek brought his Mobil 1 Tundra down pit road at the stage break where the No. 4 team executed a four tire and fuel stop under controlled conditions.
·        The Mobil 1 driver was running in fourth when the fifth caution of the night came out for a one truck incident on Lap 68.
·        On the ensuing restart, Nemechek darted up to second before falling back to third when the green-and-white checkered flag came out to end Stage Two.
·        At the stage break, Nemechek communicated that he “needs to roll the center a bit more” through the turns.
Final Stage Recap:
·        Veteran crew chief Eric Phillips elected to bring the No. 4 team down pit road at the stage break while other teams decided to stay out for the remainder of the race. The call resulted in Nemechek restarting the Final Stage in ninth.
·        With just over 50 laps remaining in the Clean Harbors 150, the talented wheelman made a dive to the inside of the No. 19 of Derek Kraus and KBM teammate Buddy Kofoid to gain two positions up to fourth.
·        Just a few laps later, Nemechek had made his way into second with his sights set on chasing down the No. 17 of Todd Gilliland in first.
·        As Nemechek got to the bumper of Gilliland, the seventh caution of the night came out with 35 laps remaining for a slow truck on the track.
·        On the ensuing restart, Nemechek lined up on the outside of the front row and was able to clear the No. 17 as the field came back to the stripe.
·        The second-generation driver led the next 17 laps before Gilliland took the lead back with 11 laps remaining.
·        With seven laps left, the ninth and final caution of the night came out, setting up a four-lap dash to the checkered flag.
·        Nemechek lined up for what would be the final restart on the inside of the front row and was unable to get a good jump to clear the No. 17.
·        Nemechek edged out the No. 38 of Zane Smith for second as they came around to take the checkered flag.
·        Following the race, Nemechek praised his No. 4 team saying “thank you guys for an awesome truck”.
Clean Harbors 150 Recap
  • Todd Gilliland earned his third career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win. John Hunter Nemechek, Zane Smith, Ty Majeski, and Stewart Friesen rounded out the top-five finishers.
  • There were nine cautions for 45 laps and six lead changes among four drivers, including Nemechek who lead once for 17 laps.
How John Hunter Nemechek’s KBM Teammates Fared:
·        Buddy Kofoid, driver of the No. 51 Toyota, finished 11th.
·        Chandler Smith, driver of the No. 18 Toyota, finish 13th.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship Standings
Nemechek jumped three spots in the Camping World Truck Series driver standings and now sits in first place with a five-point lead over the No. 38 of Zane Smith.
Next Race
Nemechek and the No. 4 team turn their focus to Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway next weekend for the Rackley Roofing 200. Live coverage will be on FS1, Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM at 8 p.m. ET on Friday, June 24.