John Hunter Nemechek Beats the Boss to Win At Las Vegas
John Hunter Nemechek was able to hold off KBM team owner Kyle Busch over the final seven laps of the Bucked Up 200 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to score his first victory of 2021 and the seventh of his Camping World Truck Series career.
Nemechek led a race-high 94 laps. With his victory at Las Vegas, the 23-year-old driver secured the Camping World Trucks points lead. The talented driver and his father are the first father-son duo to have a NASCAR national series victory at Las Vegas.
Stage One Recap
Nemechek started in the third position after a performance matrix based on based off of finishing position from the previous race, the No. 4 team’s ranking in the 2020 owner points standings and the fastest lap from the previous race on the Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway Road Course. Nemechek was able to capture the race lead on the first restart of the night on Lap 7 and would remain out front for the remainder of the stanza to score the stage victory, his third of the season.
Stage Two Recap:
Under the stage caution, Nemechek radioed to his crew that he was free during the run and needed more lateral grip. Veteran crew chief Eric Phillips summoned his driver to pit road for four tires and fuel. After a speedy pit stop by the Mobil 1 crew, Nemechek would restart the stage from the race lead.
The second-generation driver would hold the lead until Busch maneuvered around him with 12 laps remaining in the stage.
Nemechek would finish the second stage in the second position.
Final Stage Recap:
Under the break, Nemechek radioed to his crew that his Mobil 1 Tundra felt free and that lateral stability was needed. Phillips brought his driver to pit road for four tires, fuel, and adjustments. Nemechek would restart the final stage from second. Nemechek would garner the race lead on Lap 68. At the sixth caution of the evening on Lap 90, Nemechek radioed that his Mobil 1 Tundra needed to be a little bit tighter. Phillips summoned his driver to pit road for four tires, fuel and adjustments. Nemechek would restart in the seventh position. Before the race resumed under green flag conditions, Nemechek was asked to take care of his equipment. After three green flag laps, Nemechek worked his way back up to the second position. After the seventh caution, Nemechek was able to secure the race lead again on the restart on Lap 104.
Over the next two cautions, Nemechek was asked to save fuel and take care of his tires. Nemechek was able to hold off team owner Kyle Busch in the closing seven laps of the race to score his first victory of 2021.
You won the race and beat the boss. How was that finish for you?
“I just can’t thank everyone at Toyota, Jack Irving (TRD), Kyle Busch, Uncle Eric (Phillips, crew chief) for this opportunity. It means a lot to me. Mobil 1 on board, coming back to the Truck Series, that was the plan, that was the goal. We came into this year with the hashtag here for wins and we are here for wins. I definitely think experience paid off tonight. We did an amazing job. I can’t thank Fire Alarm Services, ROMCO, all of our partners for all of their help. Thank you fans for being here. It’s awesome to have you guys back. I can’t wait to go celebrate.”
Once you were clear, what were you thinking?
“He was faster than me in stage two, so I really didn’t know. It was all about using our truck to the best we could possibly do, wrapping the bottom and taking the dirty air away. He had to run up and it created more lap time for him. Overall, it was an awesome victory. I wish my wife Taylor was here. Thank you for all of the support, my family, everyone involved. She had to stay home because we are about to be on baby watch. It’s awesome.”
How crazy were the restarts during the race?
“They definitely were. Overall, it was an amazing day. Our restarts were on point all day. Just a lot of fun and that’s all we can ask for. We’re here to have fun, we’re here for wins and we’re doing it.”
No. 4 Mobil 1 Tundra Camping World Trucks Daytona RC Post Race Report
John Hunter Nemechek finished third in the BrakeBest Brake Pads 159 at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course. Nemechek was able to score his second stage win of the season in the opening stanza of the event. Prior to coming to pit road for the first time in the second stage, Nemechek ran out of fuel. The Mobil 1 driver was able to rebound and get a lap back in the final stage to finish third.
With his stage win, Nemechek now sits second in the Camping World Trucks driver’s standings just nine points behind leader Ben Rhodes.
Stage One Recap
Nemechek started in the fourth position after a performance matrix based off the No. 4 team’s final ranking in the 2020 owner points standings, as well as his finishing position and the fastest lap he turned during the Camping World Truck Series’ previous race at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. Nemechek was able to garner the race lead on the opening lap of the race after NASCAR deemed the race to be run under “wet” conditions. When the first caution fell on Lap 10, Nemechek radioed to his Mobil 1 crew that he was having slight trouble with the drive off the corners. Veteran crew chief Eric Phillips kept his driver on the racetrack. Nemechek would win Stage One.
Stage Two Recap:
At the stage break, Phillips would keep his driver out on the racetrack. Nemechek would start the stage from the lead. As the Mobil 1 crew was about to come to pit road to put on slicks, Nemechek would run out of fuel coming out of the bus stop on the backstretch. Nemechek would receive a push to pit road and lose one lap. Nemechek would finish the final stage in the 36th position.
Final Stage Recap:
Under the break, Nemechek was told to take care of his Mobil 1 Tundra and to get in the free pass position as the No. 4 team believed more cautions would be imminent. Nemechek would restart the stage from the 35th position. The break for the Mobil 1 team came on Lap 40 when the fourth caution of the night came. Nemechek was able to take the free pass. Under the caution, Nemechek was reassured that he had a fast Toyota Tundra when he was told that if he would have been on the lead lap, he would have worked his way up to the 14th position from the back of the pack. Nemechek would restart at the rear of the field in the 26th position. After a couple of green flag laps before the fifth caution, Nemechek would restart from the 15th position and be asked to make smart decisions. In the restart coming out of the sixth caution period, Nemechek went through the grass entering Turn One. Nemechek would work his way up to the ninth position before the seventh caution came out on Lap 43. Because he went through the grass on the restart, the No. 4 crew made sure there was no grass on the grille of his Tundra. On the restart on Lap 45, Nemechek worked the inside lane to work his way up to third before the eighth caution of the night on Lap 46. Nemechek was able to work his way to the second position before the ninth caution flew on Lap 49. After the third attempt at NASCAR Overtime, Nemechek would finish the race in the third position.
How do you describe this race and the last few laps?
“Very frustrating day. Had a really fast Tundra and led most of the race. Second stage, we thought we were good on mileage with the wet conditions and how slow we were. Ended up running out of gas. Just a mistake. Honest mistake. We win and lose as a team. Fought hard, got our lap back and got back to the front, made some moves and we did some things there on strategy that hurt us, but put us in a good position for that last restart. I just messed up. Go back and study and be better next time.”
No. 4 Fire Alarm Services Tundra Camping World Trucks Daytona Post Race Report
Despite being involved in a late-race incident in the NextEra Energy 250 at Daytona International Speedway, John Hunter Nemechek was able to bring the Fire Alarm Services Tundra home in the seventh position. Nemechek was able to lead 14 laps in his Kyle Busch Motorsports debut (KBM), score 17 stage points and earn one playoff point via his win in Stage Two.
Stage One Recap
Nemechek started in the seventh position after laying down a speed of 179.344 mph in a qualifying session held Friday afternoon. After one caution in the opening stanza, Nemechek was able to work his Fire Alarm Services Tundra up to the fourth position to score seven stage points to kick off the 2021 campaign.
Stage Two Recap:
At the stage break, Nemechek radioed to his No. 4 crew that his Tundra was tight in traffic. Veteran crew chief Eric Phillips summoned his driver to pit road for a fuel-only stop. Nemechek would start the second stage from the second position. On Lap 27, Nemechek was able to get the race lead. He would lose the lead for one lap before garnering it back for the next 10 laps. On Lap 36, the third caution of the night flew as Nemechek was leading. With the stage break approaching, Nemechek radioed to his Fire Alarm Services crew that he was tight throughout the corner. Phillips elected to keep Nemechek out on the racetrack for a two-lap dash to the stage end.
Nemechek would hold off the field to score the stage victory garnering 10 championship points and one playoff point.
Final Stage Recap:
Under the break, Phillips summoned his driver to pit road for tires, fuel and adjustments for the final stage. Nemechek would restart 15th.
When the fifth caution of the night flew on Lap 51, Nemechek was running in the 18th position. Phillips summoned his driver down pit road for a full load of fuel with the Fire Alarm Services Tundra returning to pit road with one lap remaining before green to top off with fuel. He would restart in the 25th position. At the sixth caution on Lap 62, Nemechek worked his way up to 20th. During the caution, Nemechek radioed to his crew that he may have slid his tires trying to avoid the incident. Phillips summoned his driver to pit road for fresh tires and fuel. Nemechek would restart in the 11th position. At the Lap 66 caution, Nemechek worked his way up to 15th and was told to stay out and to begin conserving fuel. He would restart 13th.
At the eighth caution on Lap 73, Nemechek radioed to his crew that he may have some damage to the nose of his Fire Alarm Services Tundra after making contact with the bumper of the No. 88 Tundra. After an assessment, Nemechek stayed out and would restart in the 10th position. While running in the middle of the lead draft on Lap 96, calamity ensued off Turn 2. Nemechek running on the outside line was pinched and made contact with the outside SAFER barrier. Nemechek brought his Tundra to pit road for the Fire Alarm Services crew to assess and repair the damage. Nemechek would restart in the 20th position. When the checkered flag flew on Lap 101, Nemechek was scored in the seventh position.
John Hunter Nemechek, driver of the No. 4 Fire Alarm Services Tundra for KBM:
Solid start to your season, John Hunter. How was your race as a whole?
“I felt like our race was okay – or decent at least. I feel like we had a really fast Fire Alarm Services Toyota Tundra. We made gains through the weekend. I felt like we were pretty good right off of the truck. Eric (Phillips, crew chief) and all of the guys at KBM (Kyle Busch Motorsports) gave us a really good truck that we could contend with. I felt good about our chances overall tonight. We stayed up there in Stage One and ended up winning Stage Two. In stage three, we did a strategy call. We took tires and it put us behind a little bit and never could get back to the front. I felt like we got trapped back there. We were making our way back up there towards the end and then we ended up getting caught up in the second-to-last wreck. It kind of sandwiched the truck, and I got tagged in the left rear and spun out. We had tires go down and damage. We started in the back on the final restart on the green-white-checkered. I was able to somehow get a pretty good suck going down the back and made it to the bottom lane in (turns) three and four. I got down and they all started wrecking almost to the tri-oval. They wrecked a bunch of them, somehow, we managed to make it through that without getting in the grass and wrecking and came home seventh. Overall, really solid points day. I’m looking forward to the rest of the year, and this is just a start of what we can do.”
No. 4 Fire Alarm Services Tundra Camping World Trucks Daytona Preview
John Hunter Nemechek will make his much anticipated Kyle Busch Motorsports debut driving the No. 4 Fire Alarm Services Tundra Friday night in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season-opening event at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.
Nemechek is a six-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 102 career starts in NASCAR’s third division, the second-generation driver has compiled two poles, 609 laps led, 28 top-five and 50 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 13.2. 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.
The second-generation driver has made three starts in Camping World Truck Series action at Daytona, with a best result of seventh coming in the 2017 event. He finished 11th last year in his first career Daytona 500 and equaled that finish in the August Cup Series event at the 2.5-mile tri-oval. Nemechek also has two NASCAR XFINITY Series starts at the World Center of Racing, with an eighth-place finish in the 2019 season-opening event being his best result.
The 23-year-old driver 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.
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 37 career Truck Series victories make him the winningest crew chief in Truck Series history, with 27 of those coming while at KBM. Owner-driver Kyle Busch collected his organization’s lone Truck Series victory at Daytona with Phillips atop the pit box in 2014.
Fire Alarm Services, a one-stop shop safety company with a proven track record of providing excellent service for over 20 years, will adorn the hood of Nemechek’s No. 4 Tundra for eight events on Camping World Truck Series schedule in 2021. Mobil 1, the world’s leading synthetic motor oil brand, will be the primary sponsor for the No. 4 team next week when teams return to Florida take on the road course at Daytona.
Post-Race Report: Phoenix
No. 38 Fire Alarm Services, Inc. (FAS) Ford Mustang
Started: 27th
Finished: 26th
- Stage One: 26th
- Stage Two: 28th
- Stage Three: 26th
For the final race of the 2020 season, John Hunter Nemechek took the green flag at Phoenix Raceway in the 27th position. After the first few laps, he radioed to the team that his No. 38 FAS Ford Mustang was very loose and needed lateral drive. At the Competition Caution on Lap 30, he would pit for 4 tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment before receiving a speeding penalty, which forced him to restart at the tail end of the field. By Lap 46, Nemechek noted that he was still “too loose running the top.” He would go on to finish Stage 1 in the 26th position and pitted at the Stage Break Caution for another track bar adjustment, 4 tires and fuel.
John Hunter Nemechek restarted Stage 2 in 24th place. On Lap 119, his No. 38 FAS Ford Mustang brushed the outside wall after an on-track incident with another car. With minimal damage, he pitted under green for the crew to make repairs, change out the tires, add fuel and make a track bar adjustment. When a caution came out on Lap 161, Nemechek said the balance had been better but was still lacking overall grip. Crew Chief Seth Barbour made the call for Nemechek to stay out under caution to take the wave around so that he would restart on the lead lap. By the time he took the green- and white-checkered flag to end Stage 2 in 28th place, Nemechek noted that he was “snug center, free off on old tires.” He pitted at the Stage Break Caution for 4 tires, fuel, a track bar adjustment and grille tape.
John Hunter Nemechek was able to settle into a rhythm as the Final Stage of the final race of 2020 got underway, noting on Lap 214 that the handling on his No. 38 FAS Ford Mustang was “not bad… little snug, little loose.” He managed to make his way into the top 20 with just over 50 laps to go before pitting under green for 4 tires with a slight air pressure adjustment and fuel. Nemechek would cross the finish line in 26th place.
Nemechek finished the season 27th in the driver point standings with three top-10 and eight top-15 finishes.
Nemechek on Phoenix:
“Not quite how we would have liked to finish out the season today. We would have loved to get a top-15 or a top-10 finish for our partners at FAS, but we made what adjustments we could throughout the race. Thank you to Seth [Barbour] and my No. 38 crew for an awesome year. Thank you to Bob [Jenkins] and Jerry [Freeze], the entire Front Row Motorsports team and each of our partners for all the support in my rookie season in the Cup Series. It's been an amazing opportunity to drive this No. 38 Ford Mustang this year.”
FAS Joins John Hunter Nemechek for Season Finale at Phoenix
Nemechek on Phoenix:
"I'm looking forward to closing out the season in Phoenix. I've gotten a few Cup races there under my belt and I think we have a great opportunity to finish the year on a high note. Even if we're not in the Championship 4, we still want to do everything we can to be in contention at the end of the race and go for the win. Our Front Row Motorsports team has continued to grow and we've shown a lot of promising speed this year. We want to be able to deliver a great finish for our last race of 2020.
"I'm excited to have FAS on board our No. 38 Ford Mustang for the final race of the season. They've been a loyal partner of mine and my family's for several years and I'm happy to have them with us this weekend. Hopefully we have a good set of notes for Phoenix that we can go out and make them proud."
Post-Race Report: Martinsville
- Stage One: 22nd
- Stage Two: 25th
- Stage Three: 26th
John Hunter Nemechek started Sunday’s race at Martinsville Speedway in the 23rd position. His No. 38 Death Wish Coffee Ford Mustang struggled at the beginning, losing a lap before the Competition Caution on Lap 60. He radioed to the team that he was “loose in, loose off, tight center… hard to get power down.” He would take 4 tires, fuel and a packer adjustment on pit road. By the time a caution came out on Lap 73, Nemechek was in the Lucky Dog spot and would regain his lap after pitting for a track bar adjustment. Finishing Stage 1 in the 22nd position, Nemechek noted, “drive off is decent, roll is okay, still snug center.” He would pit for 4 tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment.
Nemechek restarted the race in 23rd place. When another caution came on Lap 145, it appeared as though Nemechek had made contact with another car, but there were no issues with his No. 38 Death Wish Coffee machine. On Lap 186, he noted that he was still “tight center” and struggling to roll, and would pit for 4 tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment. By the time he took the green- and white-checkered flag to finish Stage 2 in 25th place, Nemechek felt that the balance was getting worse and the car bounced a lot, particularly in the turns. He pitted at the Stage 2 Caution for 4 tires, fuel, an air pressure adjustment, packer and track bar adjustments.
Nemechek would take the green flag to start the Final Stage of the day at Martinsville Speedway in 23rd place. He noted on Lap 294 that he needed “more drive” in his No. 38 Death Wish Coffee Ford Mustang. When the tenth caution of the day came on Lap 352, Nemechek radioed that he was “free off, tight center… no lateral or forward drive.” He pitted under caution for 4 tires, fuel and added spring rubber. By Lap 401, Nemechek said, “center was better, but super free.” His handling did not improve much throughout the remainder of the race, and Nemechek would cross the finish line in 26th place, two laps down.
Nemechek on Martinsville:
“Not exactly the day we were hoping for in our No. 38 Death Wish Coffee Ford Mustang. We struggled pretty much from the start. We were pretty tight and bouncing a lot on entry [into the turns]. We kept trying different adjustments throughout the race but couldn’t quite get it to where we needed the handling in order to make a strong push towards the front. I’m thankful for my team for always sticking with me. A huge thanks to Death Wish Coffee for coming on board this weekend. It was great to recognize our ‘Thank A Trucker’ contest winner, Jason Griffith, with them at Martinsville. Thank you to all the truck drivers out there who have worked tirelessly all year long to keep us going.”
Post-Race Report: Texas II
- Stage One: 11th
- Stage Two: 16th
- Stage Three: 22nd
- John Hunter Nemechek started in the 24th position in Sunday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway. Shortly after taking the green flag, Nemechek noted that his No. 38 ROMCO Equipment Ford Mustang “fired off on the snug side.” At the competition caution, Crew Chief Seth Barbour called Nemechek to pit road for 4 tires and fuel with no other adjustments. Racing would resume for less than 20 laps before the misty Texas weather would bring out a three-day red flag pause. Once racing resumed on Wednesday, Nemechek narrowly avoided a wreck on Lap 61, noting to the team that he may have slid his tires and sustained front end damage. He pitted under caution for 4 tires, fuel and for the crew to assess damage. Nemechek would go on to finish Stage 1 in 11th place.
- Continuing his strong run towards the front, Nemechek stayed within the top 12 positions for the first half of Stage 2. On Lap 179, Nemechek noted that he picked up a vibration in his No. 38 ROMCO Equipment Ford Mustang that did not improve as the stage progressed. By the time he took the green- and white-checkered flag in 16th place, Nemechek told the team that he was snug through the corner, but he couldn’t get into a rhythm once he picked up the vibration. He would pit at the Stage Break Caution for 4 tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment.
- Nemechek struggled a bit in the Final Stage at Texas Motor Speedway in his No. 38 ROMCO Equipment Ford Mustang. He noted over the radio shortly after restarting the race that track position was key, and that it was difficult to pass. After running dangerously low on fuel, he would pit on Lap 273 for 4 tires and fuel but was otherwise content with the handling of his racecar. Unable to find enough clean air to move up in track position, Nemechek would take the checkered flag in the 22nd position.
Nemechek on Texas:
John Hunter Nemechek Thanks a Trucker with Death Wish Coffee
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (October 27, 2020) - During the summer months, Front Row Motorsports (FRM) teamed up with partner Death Wish Coffee for a new cause marketing campaign aimed at showing appreciation for truck drivers on the front lines who are working hard to deliver goods during the COVID-19 pandemic. The winning truck driver's name will be featured on John Hunter Nemechek's No. 38 Ford Mustang this weekend at Martinsville Speedway.
After receiving over 3,000 entries as part of the "Thank A Trucker" contest, FRM and Death Wish Coffee chose Jason Griffith as the winner. Based in Las Vegas, Nev., Griffith is on the road full-time, spending just a few days each month at home with his wife and twin six-year-old girls.
"It was a lot of fun to be involved in this campaign," said Nemechek. "We received a lot of entries and our team really loved Jason's story. We want to extend our sincere gratitude to Jason and all other truck drivers across the country who are working hard and making difficult sacrifices - not just for their families, but for us as a nation as we grapple with the pandemic."
"We could not be more thrilled with our winner and this contest," said Mike Brown, CEO of Death Wish Coffee. "Jason is a model driver and we are proud to honor him on the No. 38 Death Wish Coffee car. We are also excited to give a nod to 100 other drivers who entered the contest whom will be receiving a pound of Death Wish Coffee and a $100 visa gift card from us as a thank you for being on the front lines during this pandemic. We are very grateful to all of our truckers and haulers for keeping the country moving during this time!"
The No. 38 Death Wish Coffee "Thank A Trucker" Ford Mustang will make its debut at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday, November 1 for the "Xfinity 500." The race will be broadcast on NBC and MRN at 2 p.m. ET.
About Death Wish Coffee Company
In 2012, Death Wish Coffee Co. was started in a small coffee shop in Saratoga Springs, NY. Founder Mike Brown saw a need for coffee that was both strong and delicious to serve his groggy, morning customers. After creating the perfect blend of beans and combining it with his unique roasting technique, the World's Strongest Coffee was born. Today, millions of people trust Death Wish Coffee to wake them up and keep them going every day. For more information, visit DeathWishCoffee.com/JHN and follow Death Wish Coffee Co. on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
About Front Row Motorsports
Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by successful entrepreneur, Bob Jenkins. FRM fields two full-time entries - the No. 34 of Michael McDowell and the No. 38 of John Hunter Nemechek - from its Mooresville, N.C., headquarters just outside of Charlotte. In 2020, the team announced an expansion to include the No. 38 Ford F-150 in the NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series, driven by Todd Gilliland. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on social media: Twitter at @Team_FRM, Instagram at @team_frm and Facebook at facebook.com/