Nemechek Earns Sixth-Place Finish at Kansas

Sunday, May 15 489

NK Photography Photo

John Hunter Nemechek earned the pole for the second straight week, putting down a lap time of 30.570 seconds in Saturday’s qualifying session at Kansas Speedway. The talented wheelman competed within the top five for the first 60 laps of the race before restarting the Final Stage of the night in seventh.

On the restart, Nemechek powered his Mobil 1 Tundra up to third and was running in second before the final caution of the night came out on Lap 123. Nemechek lined up on the outside lane for what would be the final restart of the night but was unable to fire off strong and fell back to sixth where he would take the checkered flag.

Stage One Recap

· Nemechek earned the pole for Saturday’s Heart of America 200 at Kansas Speedway by laying down a lap time of 30.570 seconds in the qualifying session earlier in the day.

· Nemechek controlled the lead for the first three laps of the race before forfeiting the lead to the No. 38 of Zane Smith.

· As the laps were winding down in the opening stanza, Nemechek communicated that his No. 4 Tundra TRD Pro “needs to be tighter all the way around”.

· The second-generation driver never wavered outside of the top-five throughout Stage One and took the green-and-white checkered flag in fifth, earning six stage points.

Stage Two Recap:

· Nemechek brought his Mobil 1 Tundra down pit road at the stage break for four tires and fuel. A strong pit stop by the No. 4 team sent Nemechek back out on the track to restart the second stage from third.

· Much like the opening stanza, Nemechek never fell outside of the top-five before coming to the stripe to take the green-and-white checkered flag in third.

Final Stage Recap:

· Nemechek once again brought his No. 4 Tundra TRD Pro down pit road at the stage break for four tires, fuel, and a wedge adjustment.

· On the restart, the talented wheelman made a three-wide move to the middle and made his way from seventh to third before the field came back around to the start-finish line.

· Midway through the Final Stage, Nemechek communicated that his Mobil 1 Tundra was “two-thirds of the way where I need it to be” while running in third.

· As the fourth and final caution of the night came out on Lap 123, Nemechek was scored in second, putting him on the front row of the ensuing restart.

· Race leader Zane Smith took the inside lane for the restart, as Nemechek elected the outside with Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) Chandler Smith lined up behind him.

· As the field came through the restart zone, Nemechek was unable to get a good jump and spun his tires, ultimately falling back sixth as the field came back around.

· Nemechek got loose and into the wall during the closing laps but was able to keep his position on the track, taking the checkered flag scored in sixth.

John Hunter Nemechek, driver of the No. 4 Mobil 1 Tundra TRD Pro for KBM:

It came down to that final restart. What happened?

“Spun the tires, didn’t get a good push from behind. It’s on me. I spun the tires and that was pretty much it. I had a decently fast Mobil 1 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro tonight. We missed it. The 38 (Zane Smith) had the dominant truck. He should have won the race. I feel like we should have finished second or third. We’ve got to work on restarts and come back. We know what we need to do here coming back for the Playoff race. We just debriefed right there. Proud of my guys – proud of the effort. I’m still on a top-six streak here, so we just have to continue on.”

Heart of America 200 Recap

Zane Smith picked up his third win of the season and sixth career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win. Ty Majeski, Grant Enfinger, Chandler Smith and Christian Eckes rounded out the top-five finishers.
There were four cautions for 19 laps and nine lead changes among five drivers, including Nemechek who led for three laps.

How John Hunter Nemechek's KBM Teammates Fared:

· Chandler Smith, driver of the No. 18 Toyota, finished sixth.

· Corey Heim, driver of the No. 51 Toyota, finished 33rd.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship Standings

Nemechek maintained the second position in the Camping World Truck Series championship standings and cut his deficit from 30 points down to 20 behind reigning champion Ben Rhodes.

Next Race

Nemechek and the No. 4 team head to Texas Motor Speedway next Friday, May 20 for the SpeedyCash.com 200. Live coverage will be on FS1, Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM at 8:30pm ET.

KBM PR

Rate this item

(0 votes)

font size decrease font size increase font size
Print
Email

« Chandler Smith Charges Back to Fourth-Place Finish Late Race Flat Tire Spoils Strong Run for Heim »

Nemechek Earns Sixth-Place Finish at Kansas

Speedway Digest Staff

Latest from Speedway Digest Staff

No right click