John Hunter Nemechek and the No. 4 team battled back through adversity on two separate occasions in Friday’s Rackley Roofing 200 at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway to bring home a ninth-place finish.
Midway through the second stage, Nemechek was turned by the No. 42 of Carson Hocevar as the two were battling for position, forcing the No. 4 team to make two unscheduled pit stops under caution. Just after Nemechek worked his way back inside of the top-20 before the stage break, the No. 4 team experienced trouble on pit road and sent Nemechek back out on track to restart the final stage in 30th and one lap down.
With just 30 laps remaining, Nemechek was finally able to earn the free pass and get back on the lead lap. Over the course of the remaining 26 laps, Nemechek wheeled his Mobil 1 Tundra TRD Pro back into the top-10 to take the checkered flag in ninth.
Stage One Recap
·        Nemechek qualified 11th for Saturday’s 150-lap event at Nashville Superspeedway after laying down a lap time of 30.295 seconds in Friday’s one-round qualifying session.
·        Midway through the opening stanza, Nemechek had yet to break into the top-10 but was running in 12th when the second caution of the night came out on lap 21. He then communicated that his Mobil 1 Tundra was “starting to fire off better”.
·        As the green-and-white checkered came out on Lap 45 to end Stage One, Nemechek had gained one position and was scored in 11th.
Stage Two Recap:
·        At the stage break, the No. 4 team executed a four tire and fuel stop and gained Nemechek three spots on pit road to restart the second stage in eighth.
·        On lap 70, Nemechek and the No. 42 of Carson Hocevar were battling for position when Hocevar got to the inside quarter panel of Nemechek on the exit of Turn 2, sending the Mobil 1 Tundra sliding through the backstretch grass.
·        Nemechek was able to keep his Tundra off the wall and limit damage before coming down pit road to allow the No. 4 team to assess the situation.
·        After two pit stops under caution, Nemechek would restart in 29th on the lead lap.
·        Over the course of the next 29 laps, the second-generation driver worked his way back up to 14th before the green-and-white checkered flag came out to end Stage Two.
Final Stage Recap:
·        At the stage break, the No. 4 team experienced more trouble on pit road and were forced to have a prolonged pit stop before sending Nemechek back out on track to restart the final stage in 30th and one lap down.
·        With 30 laps remaining, Nemechek and the No. 4 team got the break they were looking for as a one-truck incident brought out the sixth caution of the night, earning Nemechek the free pass to get back on the lead lap.
·        As the eighth and final caution of the night came out on lap 136, Nemechek had worked his way back up to 16th.
·        Over the course of the final 10 laps, the talented wheelman was able to gain seven more spots and took the checkered flag scored in ninth.
John Hunter Nemechek, driver of the No. 4 Mobil 1 Tundra TRD PRo:
What did you struggle with in your race tonight?
“We weren’t good to start. We weren’t good in practice, and we weren’t very good in qualifying. We just weren’t good all weekend. Just off on speed and couldn’t get my balance that I wanted correct. I found a racetrack that I suck at. This was my worst race last year and this year I’m not very good. I just have to figure out how to be better. I’m glad we only come here once. Just have to figure it out. Proud of all the guys at KBM (Kyle Busch Motorsports). Never gave up. We got spun. Went down a lap, got a lap back and restarted in the back multiple times and ended up coming home ninth. All in all, a solid day. Lost the points lead again, but we’re within striking distance for the last few weeks and I think we put more of a cushion between the 18 (Chandler Smith) and the 99 (Ben Rhodes) behind us. Hopefully, we can go cap off this regular season championship.”
Rackley Roofing 200 Recap
  • Ryan Preece earned his second career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win. Zane Smith, Carson Hocevar, Ty Majeski, and Stewart Friesen rounded out the top-five finishers.
  • There were eight cautions for 43 laps and six lead changes among four drivers.
How John Hunter Nemechek’s KBM Teammates Fared:
  • Ryan Preece earned his second career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win. Zane Smith, Carson Hocevar, Ty Majeski, and Stewart Friesen rounded out the top-five finishers.
  • There were eight cautions for 43 laps and six lead changes among four drivers.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship Standings
Nemechek dropped one spot to second in the Camping World Truck Series driver standings and finds himself 21 points behind points leader Zane Smith with two races remaining in the regular season.
Next Race
Nemechek and the No. 4 team will have one week off before returning to action on Saturday, July 9 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. Live coverage will be on FS1, Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM at 1:30 p.m. ET.