John Hunter Nemechek takes a moment during pre-race at Bristol Motor Speedway. (Photo: Josh James | The Podium Finish)
BRISTOL, Tenn. — 2024 marked the return to full-time racing in the NASCAR Cup Series for John Hunter Nemechek as he joined LEGACY MOTOR CLUB.
After starting the season strong finishing in seventh place in the season opener at Daytona International Speedway, Nemechek has finished outside the top 20 in all three of the races of the following races.
Coming into race five of the season at Bristol Motor Speedway for the Food City 500, Nemechek was in search of a good day to get back on track in 2024.
The weekend did not get off to a great start as Nemechek struggled during qualifying on Saturday and would start today’s race in 26th.
An early caution on Lap 23 for debris after William Byron got into the wall allowed for teams to bring their drivers down pit road on Lap 25 under caution. Eight drivers only took two tires, with Nemechek and the rest of the field putting on four, besides Tyler Reddick who stayed out.
The race restarted on Lap 31, and not even a whole lap later, Reddick spun around after making contact with Josh Berry, Bubba Wallace and Michael McDowell while trying to hold onto the lead. Nemechek was able to make it up to 19th before the caution came out.
This was the first sign of what was to come with tire wear during the race.
On Lap 38, the race went green but was halted quickly again on Lap 71 for debris that came from Zane Smith’s car, which was heavily damaged during the Reddick incident.
All of the lead lap cars took this caution as an opportunity to put fresh tires on before the race went back green on Lap 80.
Nemechek continued to manage his tires and work his way up through the field, even making it into the top five. On Lap 124, just one lap before the end of Stage 1, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch had separate tire problems forcing a caution to come out ending the stage. Nemechek finished the stage in fifth place.
John Hunter Nemechek (42) racing Todd Gilliland (38) at Bristol Motor Speedway. (Photo: Wayne Riegle | The Podium Finish)
The lead lap cars came back down pit road under caution after the end of Stage 1. Nemechek lost one position on pit road, coming out in sixth.
As soon as Stage 2 went green Nemechek flexed his muscles once again, making up three positions around the outside lane in one lap, finding himself in third. The aggression didn’t play out great for Nemechek as not even 10 laps later he fell back to seventh, but with the leaders managing their tires, Nemechek remained close behind.
While running inside the top 10, Joey Logano made contact with Nemechek, which forced Hamlin to check up, causing an accordion effect throughout the field. This led to a caution on Lap 176 for Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Under caution, the leaders all came down pit road once again and Nemechek came off pit road in ninth.
Nemechek once again took off on the restart, making it back to the top five quickly before Busch spun out once again on Lap 228, bringing out another caution. Nemechek, along with everyone besides the Spire Motorsports teammates of Carson Hocevar and Corey Lajoie, came back down pit road under the caution, with many teams electing to put scuff tires on for the short run ahead to end Stage 2.
The race went back green on Lap 240 with Nemechek in fourth. Nemechek was able to get around Hocevar quickly to move up into third. The battle for position heated up in the closing laps of the stage and Nemechek would go on to finish Stage 2 inside the top five once again, this time in fourth.
Under caution on pit road, Nemechek had a close call, as Brad Keselowski and Austin Cindric made contact right next to Nemechek as he was leaving his stall. This resulted in Nemechek coming off pit road in the sixth position.
John Hunter Nemechek racing at Bristol Motor Speedway. (Photo: Josh James | The Podium Finish)
Once again, Nemechek started quick on the restart, making it back inside the top five and running as high as third. However, after a caution on Lap 311 for Berry who spun, Nemechek began falling back through the pack. By Lap 368, Nemechek was running in 14th when a caution came out for Cindric and Stenhouse, who made contact causing both to spin out.
This caution helped Nemechek, who gained positions on pit road under the yellow and restarted in 10th on Lap 380.
The remainder of the race went green, which helped Nemechek as he was able to continue fighting inside the top 10 with the newfound track position.
Nemechek made his final pit stop on Lap 446, coming in from the sixth position during the green flag cycle. Despite losing a few positions once the cycle was completed, Nemechek was able to get back up to sixth where he would go on to finish.
It was all about managing the tires today, something Nemechek was able to do well.
“I was joking with the guys that it’s just an oversized Pensacola with tire wear.” Nemechek said after the race, “I grew up short-track late-model racing – places that you had to manage tire wear till the end of the run.”
“My guys gave me a great Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE all day, and everyone at LEGACY MOTOR CLUB worked hard.”
The sixth-place result marks a new career high for Nemechek in the NASCAR Cup Series and was much much-needed good run.
“Great points day.” Nemechek shared. “We definitely needed that as a team.”
That “great points day” helps Nemechek move up six spots in the point standings to 15th as the series heads to Circuit of the Americas for race six in the 2024 season.
