After stringing together seven consecutive top-10 finishes, John Hunter Nemechek was relegated to a 35th-place finish at World Wide Technology Raceway after being caught in a Stage Two incident.
With the finish, Nemechek dropped to fourth place in the Camping World Truck Series championship standings, just 22 tallies behind reigning champion Ben Rhodes.
Stage One Recap
· Nemechek lined up for Saturday’s scheduled 160-lap event in sixth after laying down a lap time of 32.674 seconds at 137.724 mph in Friday’s one-lap qualifying session.
· The second-generation driver fired off strong and jumped up to third on the opening lap of the Toyota 200 behind Kyle Busch Motorsports teammates Corey Heim and Chandler Smith.
· On lap eight, Nemechek communicated that his Mobil 1 Tundra was “a little free here to fire off on the exit of (Turn) 4”.
· As the green-and-white checkered flag came out at the conclusion of Stage One, Nemechek was scored in third, earning 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 with a wedge adjustment.
· Just 12 laps into the middle stanza, Nemechek was battling for position with the No. 52 of Stewart Friesen when his No. 4 Tundra hit the rumble strips on the exit of Turn 4, getting him loose and sending him up into the No. 52, ultimately causing a six-truck incident.
John Hunter Nemechek, driver of the No. 4 Mobil 1 Tundra TRD Pro for KBM:
Did the hole just close up on you?
“Yeah, that one is on me. I put myself in a vulnerable position and should have known better. I should have leaned on experience for that. It’s so hard to pass here today. Our Toyota Tundra was fast. I got a run going down the back straightaway, the 51 (Corey Heim) was on the 52’s (Stewart Friesen) door. The 52 got sideways and they both slid up the racetrack. I thought I had a hole and went for it. It’s aero loose underneath. I hit the rumble strips as well. It just closed. It’s on me. I’m sorry to all of my guys at KBM. Thank you to Mobil 1, all of our great partners that help us do this. Looking forward to going to rebound next week in Sonoma.”
Toyota 200 Recap
Corey Heim earned his second career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win. Christian Eckes, Chandler Smith, Stewart Friesen and Johnny Sauter rounded out the top-five finishers.
There were 11 cautions for 54 laps and 11 lead changes among nine drivers.
How John Hunter Nemechek’s KBM Teammates Fared:
· Corey Heim, driver of the No. 51 Toyota, finished first.
· Chandler Smith, driver of the No. 18 Toyota, finish third.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship Standings
Due to the incident, Nemechek fell back three spots in the Camping World Truck Series championship standings and now sits in fourth. Nemechek finds himself just 22 points back of reigning champion Ben Rhodes.
Next Race
Nemechek and the No. 4 team will head west next week as Camping World Truck Series action travels to Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway. Live coverage of the DoorDash 250 will be on FS1, Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM at 7:30pm ET.
