No. 20 Safeway / ACME Toyota GR Supra News and Notes

  • RICHMOND REDEMPTION: John Hunter Nemechek heads to Richmond Raceway eyeing his first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory at the .75-mile track. Last season, Nemechek started second, won stage one, and led a race-high 135 laps. In the closing laps, he and teammate Ty Gibbs waged a fierce back-and-forth battle for the lead before Gibbs eventually bumped Nemechek out of the way in turns 3 and 4 on the final lap to win the race with Nemechek finishing second. For Nemechek, it was his second consecutive top-three result at Richmond after finishing third in September 2021.
  • RICHMOND WINNER: Nemechek is a former Richmond winner in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. In 2021, he led 114 of 250 laps and won a stage on the way to a victory at the Virginia short track. Last season, he started seventh and finished second in both stages before ultimately ending up second in the Truck Series race at Richmond.
  • STARTING UP FRONT: Nemechek leads all Xfinity Series regulars with a 4.7-average starting position so far this season.
  • COTA RECAP: Nemechek ran solidly inside the top 10 for most of last weekend’s race at Circuit of the Americas before being spun out in the closing laps. Prior to the misfortune that left him with a 27th-place finish, Nemechek was running sixth and in position to qualify for the Dash 4 Cash.
  • SAFEWAY / ACME: Nemechek’s No. 20 Toyota GR Supra will feature Safeway and ACME as the primary sponsors this weekend at Richmond Raceway. Both companies are supermarket chains operating as banners of Albertsons Companies, one of the largest food and drug retailers in the United States and the District of Columbia.
  • JGR AT RICHMOND: Joe Gibbs Racing owns 11 Xfinity Series victories at Richmond Raceway. In 116 combined starts at the track, the organization has racked up 31 top-five finishes, 60 top-10s, nine pole awards, and 2,539 laps led. Christopher Bell, Kyle Busch, Ty Gibbs, and Denny Hamlin have all driven JGR entries to victory lane in Richmond.
  • TUNE IN: Coverage of this weekend’s Xfinity Series race at Richmond Raceway is scheduled for Saturday, April 1, at 1 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

 

John Hunter Nemechek, Driver of the No. 20 Safeway / ACME Toyota GR Supra

What makes you so good at Richmond?

“I think it’s a place that fits my style. It’s a short track, but with the worn out surface, you also have to take care of your stuff because we typically see some long runs at Richmond. I’ve also been very fortunate to have driven for some great teams the past few years with JGR, KBM and also Sam Hunt Racing. It’s definitely a place that allows the driver to come into play, so I like that aspect to be able to manage the car and the tires. This is a race I really want to win. After how last year ended, there’s definitely a redemption factor and I want to make the most of the opportunity we have this weekend.”

Nemechek NASCAR Xfinity Series Stats at Richmond Raceway

Starts Wins Top 5 Top 10 Poles Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
5 0 2 3 0 171 16.6 8.0

Nemechek 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series Season Stats

Starts Wins Top 5 Top 10 Poles Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
6 1 2 5 0 131 4.7 8.3

Nemechek NASCAR Xfinity Series Career Stats

Starts Wins Top 5 Top 10 Poles Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
73 3 19 42 1 701 12.1 12.2