(Photo: Trish McCormack | The Podium Finish)
RICHMOND, Va. — John Hunter Nemechek echoed a message Saturday after finishing second in the ToyotaCare 250.
“You’re never out of the fight,” he said.
Nemechek’s outlook looked bleak after a pit strategy went wrong in Stage 1 at Richmond Raceway. When inclement weather led to the cancelation of practice and qualifying Saturday morning, NASCAR implemented a competition caution on Lap 35.
Nemechek and teammate Sammy Smith tried to take advantage of that. Instead of pitting alongside most other lead-lap cars, the Joe Gibbs Racing duo elected to stay out and save a set of tires for later in the race.
That backfired.
By the end of Stage 1, both drivers were a lap down. Fortunately for Nemechek, he immediately got back on the lead lap with the Lucky Dog. Smith stayed a lap down until the final caution of the race.
“We thought more people would stay out there during that [competition] caution, and Sammy [Smith] and I were the only two,” Nemechek said. “Fortunately, we were able to get the [Lucky] Dog and drive back through the field.”
Nemechek restarted the second stage in 32nd and drove his way to the front, cracking the top 10 in just 26 laps. He finished the stage in seventh and back in the mix.
“I’ve seen it done multiple times, cars drive through the field and get back out there to race,” Nemechek said. “I knew we had a good car, it was just a matter of putting ourselves in the right position.”
(Photo: Mitchell Richtmyre | The Podium Finish)
Nemechek took the lead from Josh Berry on a restart with 32 laps remaining and kept ahead as Brandon Jones and Riley Herbst crashed behind them. On the following restart, Chandler Smith struck back and raced Nemechek as another caution came out two laps later.
The two cars were close together at the time of the caution and NASCAR ruled Chandler Smith the leader. Nemechek believed he may have been out in front, but declined further comment after the race.
In a six-lap dash to the finish, Chandler Smith cleared Nemechek and held him off for his first Xfinity Series victory.
“I felt like [Berry] and I were the two best cars for a long run and [Chandler Smith] was the best short-run car,” Nemechek said. “Definitely didn’t need those cautions, but proud of the effort by this whole team.”
Nemechek maintained his third-place points position with his sixth top 10 in seven races. His worst result of the season came last weekend at Circuit of the Americas — where he finished 27th. Nemechek won the second race of the season at Auto Club Speedway.
After an off-week for the Easter holiday, the Xfinity Series heads to Martinsville Speedway on April 15. Nemechek is already looking forward to it.
“Ready to go onto Martinsville,” Nemechek said. “Just got to keep clicking off these top fives, top twos, whatever they are, and we’ll stay in the fight.”
