John Hunter Nemechek’s top four streak continued with a Darlington victory on Friday evening. (Photo: Luis Torres | The Podium Finish)
Following three rough weeks to kick off the 2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season, John Hunter Nemechek is finding his consistent, front of the pack ways.
Nemechek, on the heels of a runner-up at COTA, fourth at Martinsville and third at the Bristol Dirt Truck race, tallied his first Truck win of 2022 on Friday night at Darlington Raceway.
Starting from the pole for Friday night’s Dead On Tools 200, Nemechek placed sixth in stage 1 and fifth in stage 2, tallying 11 critical stage points. During the race’s waning moments, Nemechek took the lead from Christian Eckes on lap 123 and never looked back.
Leading 69 of the 149 laps run at the 1.366-mile speedway in Darlington, South Carolina, Nemechek showcased why he and his No. 4 Mobil 1 Toyota Tundra team, fielded by Kyle Busch Motorsports, are among the top championship contenders.
The 24-year-old Mooresville, North Carolina native gave his kudos to his team at the track and shop while taking in his latest Truck victory.
“Huge shout out to all the guys that work on this No. 4 KBM (Kyle Busch Motorsports) Mobil 1 Toyota Tundra TRD PRO, just Mobil 1 and everyone that puts their heart and soul into what’s going on — this is huge,” Nemechek said. “Just thank you to everyone. Thank you to the fans. This place is packed. Awesome crowd.”
The 10th year Truck racer, who earned his 12th career series victory, noted the team’s resiliency at one of the toughest speedways in the circuit.
Nemechek has showcased race winning speed throughout the Truck Series season. (Photo: Luis Torres | The Podium Finish)
“I thought we gave it away early honestly and we’re able to rebound and battle back, so it’s cool,” he observed. “Aspen (daughter), I think, is sleeping so hopefully Taylor (wife) gets her up and brings her to victory lane so we can celebrate.
“Learned a lot tonight and was finally able to bring home the first one of the year. I’m just thankful for the opportunity I have from Kyle (Busch, team owner), Toyota and TRD (Toyota Racing Development) for putting me in this truck. Let’s go celebrate.”
There’s plentiful reasons for Nemechek to celebrate when considering his five win, third place points finish last year. Despite the stellar season, Nemechek knows there’s plentiful progress ahead for his No. 4 team.
Moreover, Nemechek and crew chief, Eric Phillips, seem to be improving on chemistry and qualifying, two aspects he noted ahead of the spring races.
“I think looking back at last year, we were pretty much the favorite all year to win the title,” Nemechek recalled. “I think coming into this year we definitely had some great momentum on our side from 2021. I feel like we added a lot of value to our notebook last year. I became familiar with my crew chief and my engineer talking on the radio and communicating.
“What’s going to be different is the practice and qualifying – we’ve got to figure that out again. We didn’t qualify so great in Phoenix and one thing led to another. I definitely think we have a little work to do there, but I feel good. We just have to go out here and continue to do our job.”
It shouldn’t be any surprise that Nemechek and his No. 4 team will contend for the Truck championship after a memorable campaign in 2021. Still, it’s a bit of a suspense considering the talented driver’s future in NASCAR after this season.
After a win and runner-up this weekend at Darlington, Nemechek is showcasing his talents in front of the NASCAR world. (Photo: Ryan Daley | The Podium Finish)
“I don’t know,” he shared, when asked about his plans in the near future. “I’m focused on this year at this point. Only time will tell. I just have to go out there and perform and do my job and that is to win races and perform to the best of my ability.
“Hopefully, we can go out there and win this championship. That is the number one goals, as well as win races. Hopefully, we can do that. #Here4Wins.”
