Early-Race Accident Relegates John Hunter Nemechek To 39th At Bristol

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In: NASCAR Truck Series News
John Hunter Nemechek was relegated to a 39th-place finish on the dirt at Bristol Motor Speedway due to another competitor making contact with the nose of the No. 4 Mobil 1 Tundra after he spun at the front of the field on lap 48. Prior to spinning, Nemechek was running in fifth position.
 
Nemechek’s lead in the point standings shrinks to six tallies over Toyota teammate Ben Rhodes.
 
Stage One Recap
 
  • With the qualifying races rained out on Saturday, Nemechek started from the pole position after a performance matrix based on based off of finishing position from the previous race, ranking in owner points standings and the fastest lap from the previous race at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway.
  • When the field went green, Nemechek fell back through the field to the ninth position. Nemechek radioed to his Mobil 1 crew that his Tundra was tight.
  • After a slow start, Nemechek was able to recover to finish the opening stanza in the fifth position.
 
Stage Two Recap:
 
  • Under the stage caution, Nemechek radioed to his crew that there was enough drive in his Tundra. Crew chief Eric Phillips elected to keep Nemechek out on the racetrack under the controlled caution, due to track position being key. Nemechek restarted in the second position. 
  • While Nemechek was running in the fifth position, Matt Crafton tapped the bumper of the Mobil 1 Tundra and sent the No. 4for a spin. As he waited for traffic to clear, Derek Kraus spun, hitting Nemechek to knock the radiator out.
  • Nemechek was relegated to a 39th-place finish.
 
 
John Hunter Nemechek, driver of the No. 4 Mobil 1 Tundra for KBM:
 
What exactly happened there?
“I don’t know. Matt (Crafton) just flat-out ran over me, so that one will be in the memory bank, but we were fine. We didn’t hit anything and then towards the end of that whole deal, the 19 (Derek Kraus) – I guess him and his spotter both need a set of glasses, so I will have those for them at Richmond.”
 
Pinty’s Truck Race on Dirt Recap
 
  • Martin Truex Jr. scored his first career victory in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Bristol, beating Ben Rhodes by 1.149 seconds. Raphael Lessard, Todd Gilliland and Chase Briscoe rounded out the top five.
  • There were 12 cautions for 54 laps. There were 11 lead changes among six drivers.
 
How John Hunter Nemechek’s KBM Teammates Fared:
 
  • Chandler Smith, driver of the No. 18 Toyota, finished 34th.
  • Martin Truex Jr., driver of the No. 51 Toyota, finished first.    
 
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship Standings
 
After five races, Nemechek and the No. 4 team continue to lead in the Camping World Trucks points standings by six points over Ben Rhodes.
 
Next Race
 
Nemechek will be back behind the wheel of the No. 4 Tundra when the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series resumes action on Saturday, April 17 at Richmond (Va.) Raceway. Live coverage will be on FS1, Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM at 1:30 p.m. ET.

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