John Hunter Nemechek

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For his namesake, the brother of Joe Nemechek, see John Nemechek.
John Hunter Nemechek
John hunter nemechek (45277725104).jpg
Nemechek at Homestead–Miami Speedway in 2018
Born (1997-06-11) June 11, 1997 (age 24)
Mooresville, North Carolina
Achievements2015, 2016 Master of the Pros 144 Winner
2014, 2015, 2016 SpeedFest 125 Winner
2015 Snowflake 100 Winner
2014 All American 400 Winner
2014 Snowball Derby Winner
2012 Allison Legacy Series Champion
Awards2015 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Most Popular Driver
2021 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Regular Season Champion
NASCAR Cup Series career
39 races run over 2 years
2020 position27th
Best finish27th (2020)
First race2019 AAA Texas 500 (Texas)
Last race2020 Season Finale 500 (Phoenix)
Wins Top tens Poles
0 3 0
NASCAR Xfinity Series career
56 races run over 2 years
Car no., teamNo.26 (Sam Hunt Racing)
2021 position74th
Best finish7th (2019)
First race2018 Rinnai 250 (Atlanta)
Last race2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race (Phoenix)
First win2018 Kansas Lottery 300 (Kansas)
Last win2021 Andy's Frozen Custard 335 (Texas)
Wins Top tens Poles
2 33 1
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career
124 races run over 9 years
Truck no., teamNo. 4 (Kyle Busch Motorsports)
2020 position82nd
Best finish3rd (2021)
First race2013 Kroger 200 (Martinsville)
Last race2021 Lucas Oil 150 (Phoenix)
First win2015 American Ethanol E15 225 (Chicagoland)
Last win2021 CRC Brakleen 150 (Pocono)
Wins Top tens Poles
11 66 2
Statistics current as of December 28, 2021.

John Hunter Nemechek (born June 11, 1997) is an American professional stock car racing driver. Son of NASCAR competitor Joe Nemechek, he was the 2012 champion in the Allison Legacy Series. A member of Drivers Edge Development, Nemechek competes full-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, driving the No. 4 Toyota Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports and part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 26 Toyota Supra for Sam Hunt Racing.

Early life[]

A young Nemechek in the pits at Infineon Raceway in 2005

Born June 11, 1997, Nemechek is a native of Mooresville, North Carolina;[1] he was named after his uncle, John Nemechek, who had been killed in a racing accident earlier that year in a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event at Homestead-Miami Speedway.[2] He was a student at the Davidson Day School in Davidson, North Carolina.[3] Nemechek was born the oldest of three full siblings. Nemechek also has one older half-brother.

Nemechek was the subject of a children's book on racing, Racin' Buddies, written by his father in 2001.[4]

Racing career[]

Nemechek's 2013 K&N Pro Series car

Nemechek began his racing career at the age of 5, competing in go-karts, quarter midget cars and in dirt bike competition.[3] He moved up to stock car competition in 2010, competing in the Allison Legacy Series with sponsorship from England Stove Works.[3][5]

In 2012, Nemechek moved up to late model and super late model competition,[6] competing in the Champion Racing Association Super Series and American Speed Association Midwest Tour; he also competed in the World Series of Asphalt at New Smyrna Speedway during Speedweeks.[7] Nemechek won praise from Sprint Cup Series driver Kyle Busch following a CRA Super Series race in which both drivers competed.[7]

In June 2012, Nemechek won the pole for the , an ASA Midwest Tour event, at the Milwaukee Mile; he was scheduled to take a driver's education course the following week as he had just passed his fifteenth birthday.[8] He finished 23rd in the event.[9]

After competing in the 2012 Snowball Derby,[10] starting second and finishing tenth, Nemechek won the 2012 Allison Legacy Series championship, winning 15 of the season's 18 races.[11][12]

In 2013, Nemechek moved to competing in the as well as in selected races in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East,[12] starting with the UNOH Battle at the Beach at Daytona International Speedway in February.[13] In late 2013, he made his debut in the Camping World Truck Series, driving the No. 22 Toyota for SWM-NEMCO Racing.[14] He competed in two events, with a best finish of 16th.[15]

In January 2014, Nemechek announced he would be competing in ten Camping World Truck Series events during the 2014 season.[15] After the season ended, he won the 300-lap Snowball Derby.[16]

On September 19, 2015, 16 years to the day his father won his first Cup race, Nemechek won his first Truck Series race at Chicagoland. On November 29, Nemechek has voted the Most Popular Driver for the 2015 season in the Truck Series.

Nemechek's truck in 2015

In 2016, Nemechek won in Atlanta. At Canadian Tire Motorsport Park during the 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 250, Nemechek and Cole Custer were battling for the lead when Nemechek bumped Custer which led to Nemechek losing control and intentionally sending both Custer and himself off-road, pinning Custer to the wall. Before the winner was declared, Nemechek was tackled by Custer; Nemechek would be named the winner.[17]

In 2017, Nemechek won back-to-back races at Gateway and Iowa. Nemechek missed the Championship Four after finishing 2nd at Phoenix.

For the 2018 season, Nemechek joined Chip Ganassi Racing to drive the No. 42 NASCAR Xfinity Series car on a part-time basis. He also would continue to run select Camping World Truck Series races for his father's team NEMCO Motorsports. He would win at Martinsville in March. He suffered heartbreaking losses at Chicago and Bristol, after running out of fuel on the final lap in Chicago, handing the win to Brett Moffitt, and suffered fuel pickup issues with 5 laps remaining and a 2-second lead in Bristol, allowing Johnny Sauter to take the lead and eventual win. Nemechek would go on to finish 7th and 3rd in those races, respectively.[18] In his Xfinity Series debut, Nemechek finished an impressive 4th-place finish at Atlanta, though he was involved in an early race wreck involving Elliott Sadler and Cole Custer resulting in Custer's car wrecking. Nemechek followed up the 4th-place run with a 29th-place finish at Auto Club after a tire failure ruined his chances of a good run. His next Xfinity Series races were the four Dash 4 Cash races, where he had one top ten finish at Talladega. On October 20, 2018, after dominating the race and winning stage 2, Nemechek won his first career Xfinity race at Kansas Speedway in the 2018 Kansas Lottery 300.

Nemechek's No. 23 in 2019

In 2019, Nemechek signed with GMS Racing for the full Xfinity schedule in the No. 23 Chevrolet.[19] On October 29, Front Row Motorsports announced that Nemechek would fill in for Matt Tifft in the No. 36 Ford for the final three races of the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series after medical issues forced Tifft from the ride.[20] Nemechek and his father Joe made motorsports history at ISM Raceway in early November 2019 by being the first father-son duo to race in all three main series in one weekend.[21] He finished the 2019 season seventh in points after finishing sixth at Homestead.[22]

Nemechek's No. 38 at Michigan International Speedway in 2020

On December 12, 2019, Front Row Motorsports announced that Nemechek would replace David Ragan as the driver of the No. 38 Ford for the 2020 season, competing for the 2020 NASCAR Rookie of the Year honors.[23] Nemechek started the season with an 11th-place finish in the 2020 Daytona 500. After a two-month break, four races into the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Nemechek would get the first top-10 of his Cup career in the first race in the double-header at Darlington. This would also be the first top-10 for Front Row Motorsports at a track other than Talladega or Daytona since 2016.[24] However, in the second Darlington race, Nemechek would bring out the first two cautions of the night, eventually finishing 35th. Nemechek wouldn't get another top-10 until the GEICO 500 at Talladega, where he would finish eighth.[25]

John Hunter Nemechek celebrating after winning at Pocono.

On November 16, 2020, Nemechek parted ways with Front Row Motorsports.[26] A week later, he signed with Kyle Busch Motorsports for the 2021 Truck Series season.[27] Shortly after the start of the 2021 Xfinity season, Sam Hunt Racing added Nemechek for a part-time schedule.[28] As of the Pocono race, Nemechek has had an exceptional season, recording 5 wins and recording a top 10 for every race, with the exception of the Bristol Dirt Race. After the Knoxville race, Nemechek clinched the regular season's championship.

On June 11, 2021, Joe Gibbs Racing announced that Nemechek will run three races with them in the No. 54 Toyota Supra at Talladega Super Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway, and the season finale at Phoenix Raceway. Nemechek would win at Texas, finish 22nd at Talladega, and 4th at Phoenix Raceway

Motorsports career results[]

NASCAR[]

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings. * – Most laps led.)

Cup Series[]

NASCAR Cup Series results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 NCSC Pts Ref
2019 Front Row Motorsports 36 Ford DAY ATL LVS PHO CAL MAR TEX BRI RCH TAL DOV KAN CLT POC MCH SON CHI DAY KEN NHA POC GLN MCH BRI DAR IND LVS RCH CLT DOV TAL KAN MAR TEX
21 		PHO
27 		HOM
23 		49th 01 [29]
2020 38 DAY
11 		LVS
24 		CAL
25 		PHO
25 		DAR
9 		DAR
35 		CLT
16 		CLT
13 		BRI
13 		ATL
23 		MAR
25 		HOM
19 		TAL
8 		POC
24 		POC
19 		IND
15 		KEN
36 		TEX
22 		KAN
19 		NHA
36 		MCH
36 		MCH
23 		DAY
35 		DOV
24 		DOV
20 		DAY
11 		DAR
36 		RCH
30 		BRI
20 		LVS
20 		TAL
8 		CLT
36 		KAN
17 		TEX
22 		MAR
26 		PHO
26 		27th 534 [30]
Daytona 500[]
Year Team Manufacturer Start Finish
2020 Front Row Motorsports Ford 23 11

Xfinity Series[]

NASCAR Xfinity Series results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 NXSC Pts Ref
2018 Chip Ganassi Racing 42 Chevy DAY ATL
4 		LVS PHO CAL
29 		TEX BRI
13 		RCH
13 		TAL
7 		DOV
14 		CLT POC
7 		MCH
13 		IOW
15 		CHI DAY KEN
7 		NHA
4 		IOW
5 		GLN MOH BRI ROA DAR IND
25 		LVS RCH CLT DOV
9 		KAN
1 		TEX
4 		PHO
9 		HOM
3 		13th 643 [31]
2019 GMS Racing 23 Chevy DAY
8 		ATL
20 		LVS
2 		PHO
9 		CAL
28 		TEX
9 		BRI
5 		RCH
7 		TAL
6 		DOV
8 		CLT
12 		POC
12 		MCH
8 		IOW
8 		CHI
11 		DAY
22 		KEN
12 		NHA
36 		IOW
3 		GLN
12 		MOH
31 		BRI
3 		ROA
26 		DAR
21 		IND
31 		LVS
8 		RCH
15 		CLT
7 		DOV
8 		KAN
8 		TEX
5 		PHO
4 		HOM
6 		7th 2253 [32]
2021 Sam Hunt Racing 26 Toyota DAY DAY HOM LVS PHO ATL MAR TAL DAR DOV
32 		COA CLT MOH TEX NSH POC ROA ATL NHA GLN IND MCH DAY DAR RCH
3 		BRI LVS 74th 01 [33]
Joe Gibbs Racing 54 Toyota TAL
22 		CLT TEX
1* 		KAN MAR PHO
6
2022 Sam Hunt Racing 26 Toyota DAY CAL LVS PHO ATL COA RCH MAR TAL DOV DAR TEX CLT PIR NSH ROA ATL NHA POC IND MCH GLN DAY DAR KAN BRI TEX TAL CLT LVS HOM MAR PHO -* -*

Camping World Truck Series[]

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 NCWTC Pts Ref
2013 SWM-NEMCO Motorsports 22 Toyota DAY MAR CAR KAN CLT DOV TEX KEN IOW ELD POC MCH BRI MSP IOW CHI LVS TAL MAR
19 		TEX PHO
21 		HOM 45th 51 [34]
2014 8 DAY MAR
12 		KAN CLT DOV
6 		TEX GTW
15 		KEN IOW
10 		ELD
6 		POC MCH BRI
27 		MSP
25 		CHI NHA
5 		LVS TAL MAR
13 		TEX PHO
7 		HOM 23rd 337 [35]
2015 Chevy DAY ATL MAR
29 		KAN CLT DOV
22 		TEX GTW
4 		IOW
23 		KEN
11 		ELD
7 		POC
13 		MCH
12 		BRI
3 		MSP
9 		CHI
1 		NHA
5 		LVS
4 		TAL
11 		MAR
2 		TEX
11 		PHO
2 		HOM
2 		12th 630 [36]
2016 NEMCO Motorsports DAY
17 		ATL
1 		MAR
2 		KAN
28 		DOV
15 		CLT
12 		TEX
7 		IOW
12 		GTW
6 		KEN
2 		ELD
24 		POC
9 		BRI
8 		MCH
26 		MSP
1 		CHI
14 		NHA
9 		LVS
16 		TAL
32 		MAR
3 		TEX
18 		PHO
6 		HOM
11 		8th 2133 [37]
2017 DAY
4 		ATL
29 		MAR
28 		KAN
3 		CLT
22 		DOV
22 		TEX
21 		GTW
1 		IOW
1 		KEN
18 		ELD
5 		POC
4 		MCH
29 		BRI
3 		MSP
20 		CHI
7 		NHA
20 		LVS
8 		TAL
6 		MAR
30 		TEX
19 		PHO
2 		HOM
15 		8th 2206 [38]
2018 DAY
25 		ATL LVS
21 		MAR
1 		DOV KAN
4 		CLT
9 		TEX IOW
27 		GTW
25 		CHI
7* 		KEN
5 		ELD
7 		POC MCH
3 		BRI
3* 		MSP
2 		LVS
22 		TAL
27 		MAR
30 		TEX PHO
29 		HOM
7 		90th 01 [39]
2019 DAY ATL LVS MAR TEX DOV KAN CLT TEX IOW GTW CHI KEN POC ELD MCH BRI
29 		MSP LVS
32 		TAL
30 		MAR
7 		PHO
29 		HOM 99th 01 [40]
2020 Ford DAY
DNQ 		LVS CLT
6 		ATL
24 		HOM POC KEN TEX KAN KAN MCH
25 		DAY DOV GTW DAR RCH BRI LVS TAL KAN TEX MAR PHO 82nd 01 [41]
2021 Kyle Busch Motorsports 4 Toyota DAY
7 		DAY
3 		LVS
1* 		ATL
3 		BRI
39 		RCH
1* 		KAN
5 		DAR
8* 		COA
12 		CLT
1* 		TEX
1* 		NSH
10 		POC
1 		KNX
11 		GLN
2 		GTW
22 		DAR
2 		BRI
3 		LVS
33 		TAL
4 		MAR
39 		PHO
7 		3rd 4030 [42]
2022 DAY LVS ATL COA MAR BRI DAR KAN TEX CLT GTW SON KNO NSH MOH POC IRP RCH KAN BRI TAL HOM PHO -* -*

K&N Pro Series East[]

NASCAR K&N Pro Series East results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 NKNPSEC Pts Ref
Spraker Racing 37 Chevy BRI GRE PEN
12 		48th 46 [43]
SWM-NEMCO Motorsports 8 Chevy RCH
30 		BGS IOW LGY COL IOW VIR GRE NHA DOV RAL
2014 Toyota NSM DAY BRI GRE RCH IOW BGS FFL LGY NHA COL IOW GLN
25 		VIR GRE DOV 65th 19 [44]

* Season still in progress
1 Ineligible for series points

References[]

  1. ^ "Davidson Day School honor roll – 2nd Trimester". Davidson News. Davidson, N.C. April 16, 2012. Archived from the original on May 13, 2012. Retrieved September 5, 2012.
  2. ^ "Nemecheks face their pain, find pure joy". The Miami Herald. November 10, 1997. p. 9D. Retrieved September 5, 2012.
  3. ^ a b c Terrell, Katherine (June 22, 2011). "14-year-old racer looks to follow in dad's steps". Lake Norman News. Charlotte, N.C.: The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on January 19, 2013. Retrieved September 5, 2012.
  4. ^ Kurz, Hank, Jr. (May 4, 2001). "Rusty Wallace is looking forwards to racing at Richmond International". The Gadsden Times. Gadsden, Alabama. p. B3. Retrieved September 5, 2012.
  5. ^ Mills, Jeremy (March 22, 2001). "Amherst Co. Charity Hoping to Fetch $25,000 for 'NASCAR Guitar'". Lynchburg, Va.: WSET-TV. Archived from the original on February 9, 2013. Retrieved September 5, 2012.
  6. ^ "Joe Nemechek". NASCAR. Archived from the original on June 9, 2012. Retrieved September 5, 2012.
  7. ^ a b Rodman, Dave (February 3, 2012). "Another Nemechek on the horizon". NASCAR. Retrieved September 5, 2012.
  8. ^ Lada, Jen (June 15, 2012). "14-year-old turning heads at the Milwaukee Mile". Milwaukee: WITI. Retrieved September 5, 2012.
  9. ^ Madsen, Tamira (June 12, 2012). "John Hunter Nemechek, 15, gets an early start on family business". Wisconsin State Journal. Madison, Wis. Retrieved September 5, 2012.
  10. ^ Vilona, Bill (December 1, 2012). "Racing's next generation on display at Five Flags Speedway". Pensacola News Journal. Pensacola, Fla. Retrieved December 7, 2012.
  11. ^ "John Hunter Nemecheck-The Allison Legacy Race Series 2012 Champion". Allison Legacy Series. Archived from the original on May 22, 2012. Retrieved December 7, 2012.
  12. ^ a b Cunningham, Jason (February 4, 2013). "Nemechek to Make Debut at Daytona". NASCAR. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
  13. ^ Albert, Zack (February 28, 2013). "John Hunter Nemechek, 15, carries family tradition". NASCAR. Retrieved August 19, 2013.
  14. ^ "Young Nemechek To Try Hand In Trucks". National Speed Sport News. October 18, 2013. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
  15. ^ a b Adamczyk, Jay (January 13, 2014). "John Hunter Nemechek to run 10 Truck Series races in 2014". Jayski's Silly Season Site. ESPN. Archived from the original on October 12, 2014. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  16. ^ Bonkowski, Jerry. "John Hunter Nemechek rallies to win 47th Snowball Derby". NBC Sports. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
  17. ^ "John Hunter Nemechek Battles Custer till End for Win at Canada". NASCAR. September 4, 2016. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  18. ^ Ruffin, Jessica (December 12, 2017). "John Hunter Nemechek to drive No. 42 Xfinity Chevrolet part-time in 2018". NASCAR. Retrieved February 12, 2018.
  19. ^ "John Hunter Nemechek joins GMS Racing full time in Xfinity Series". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. December 6, 2018. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  20. ^ Albert, Zack (October 29, 2019). "Matt Tifft sidelined for remainder of 2019 season; Nemechek to fill seat". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  21. ^ Waack, Terrin (November 7, 2019). "Nemecheks to make NASCAR history at ISM Raceway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  22. ^ Spencer, Reid (November 16, 2019). "Reddick wins Xfinity race at Miami, locks up second championship". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  23. ^ Page, Scott (December 12, 2019). "Front Row Motorsports fielding two cars in 2020 with Michael McDowell and John Hunter Nemecheck". Jayski's Silly Season Site. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  24. ^ Weaver, Matt (May 18, 2020). "John Hunter Nemechek: It's the Big 3 and Me ... but What about Me?". Autoweek. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  25. ^ Velat, Frank (June 24, 2020). "The Underdog House ⁠— Talladega Monday: The Ballad of John Hunter Nemechek". Frontstretch. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  26. ^ "Front Row Motorsports: John Hunter Nemechek informs team he will not return in 2021". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. November 16, 2020. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  27. ^ Estrada, Chris (November 23, 2020). "John Hunter Nemechek goes to Truck Series, joins Kyle Busch Motorsports". NBC Sports. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  28. ^ Estrada, Chris (February 17, 2021). "John Hunter Nemechek to run select Xfinity races for Sam Hunt Racing". NBC Sports. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
  29. ^ "John Hunter Nemechek – 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
  30. ^ "John Hunter Nemechek – 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  31. ^ "John Hunter Nemechek – 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
  32. ^ "John Hunter Nemechek – 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  33. ^ "John Hunter Nemechek – 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  34. ^ "John Hunter Nemechek – 2013 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
  35. ^ "John Hunter Nemechek – 2014 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
  36. ^ "John Hunter Nemechek – 2015 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
  37. ^ "John Hunter Nemechek – 2016 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
  38. ^ "John Hunter Nemechek – 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
  39. ^ "John Hunter Nemechek – 2018 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
  40. ^ "John Hunter Nemechek – 2019 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
  41. ^ "John Hunter Nemechek – 2020 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  42. ^ "John Hunter Nemechek – 2021 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
  43. ^ "John Hunter Nemechek – 2013 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
  44. ^ "John Hunter Nemechek – 2014 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 25, 2018.

External links[]

Sporting positions
Preceded by
Tyler Hill
 Allison Legacy Series Champion
2012 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Erik Jones
 Snowball Derby Winner
2014 		Succeeded by
Chase Elliott
Retrieved from ""