John Hunter Nemechek
John Hunter Nemechek (born June 11, 1997) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 20 Toyota Supra for Joe Gibbs Racing and part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 17 Toyota Tundra for TRICON Garage. He is the son of NASCAR driver Joe Nemechek and was the 2012 champion in the Allison Legacy Series.
John Hunter Nemechek | |||||||
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![]() Nemechek at Dover Motor Speedway in 2023 | |||||||
Born | Mooresville, North Carolina, U.S. | June 11, 1997||||||
Achievements | 2015, 2016 Master of the Pros 144 Winner 2014, 2015, 2016 SpeedFest 125 Winner 2015 Snowflake 100 Winner 2014 All American 400 Winner 2014 Snowball Derby Winner 2012 Allison Legacy Series Champion | ||||||
Awards | 2015 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Most Popular Driver 2021 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Regular Season Champion | ||||||
NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
40 races run over 3 years | |||||||
2022 position | 56th | ||||||
Best finish | 27th (2020) | ||||||
First race | 2019 AAA Texas 500 (Texas) | ||||||
Last race | 2022 Dixie Vodka 400 (Homestead) | ||||||
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NASCAR Xfinity Series career | |||||||
71 races run over 5 years | |||||||
Car no., team | No. 20 (Joe Gibbs Racing) | ||||||
2022 position | 77th | ||||||
Best finish | 7th (2019) | ||||||
First race | 2018 Rinnai 250 (Atlanta) | ||||||
Last race | 2023 Shiners Children's 200 (Darlington) | ||||||
First win | 2018 Kansas Lottery 300 (Kansas) | ||||||
Last win | 2023 Call 811.com Before You Dig 250 (Martinsville) | ||||||
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NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career | |||||||
148 races run over 11 years | |||||||
Truck no., team | No. 17 (TRICON Garage) | ||||||
2022 position | 5th | ||||||
Best finish | 3rd (2021) | ||||||
First race | 2013 Kroger 200 (Martinsville) | ||||||
Last race | 2023 Victoria's Voice Foundation 200 (Las Vegas) | ||||||
First win | 2015 American Ethanol E15 225 (Chicagoland) | ||||||
Last win | 2022 Kansas Lottery 200 (Kansas) | ||||||
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ARCA Menards Series career | |||||||
1 race run over 1 year | |||||||
Best finish | 72nd (2022) | ||||||
First race | 2022 Dawn 150 (Mid-Ohio) | ||||||
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ARCA Menards Series East career | |||||||
3 races run over 2 years | |||||||
Best finish | 48th (2013) | ||||||
First race | 2013 NAPA Auto Parts 150 (Pensacola) | ||||||
Last race | 2014 Bully Hill Vineyards 125 (Watkins Glen) | ||||||
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Statistics current as of March 11, 2023. |
Early life

Nemechek was born on June 11, 1997, Nemechek is a native of Mooresville, North Carolina;[1] he was named after his uncle, John Nemechek, who had been killed in a racing accident earlier that year in a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event at Homestead-Miami Speedway.[2] He was a student at the Davidson Day School in Davidson, North Carolina.[3] Nemechek was born the oldest of three full siblings. Nemechek also has one older half-brother.
Nemechek was the subject of a children's book on racing, Racin' Buddies, written by his father in 2001.[4]
Racing career

Nemechek began his racing career at the age of 5, competing in go-karts, quarter midget cars and in dirt bike competition.[3] He moved up to stock car competition in 2010, competing in the Allison Legacy Series with sponsorship from England Stove Works.[3][5]
In 2012, Nemechek moved up to late model and super late model competition,[6] competing in the Champion Racing Association Super Series and American Speed Association Midwest Tour; he also competed in the World Series of Asphalt at New Smyrna Speedway during Speedweeks.[7] Nemechek won praise from Sprint Cup Series driver Kyle Busch following a CRA Super Series race in which both drivers competed.[7]
In June 2012, Nemechek won the pole for the Howie Lettow Memorial 150, an ASA Midwest Tour event, at the Milwaukee Mile; he was scheduled to take a driver's education course the following week as he had just passed his fifteenth birthday.[8] He finished 23rd in the event.[9]
After competing in the 2012 Snowball Derby,[10] starting second and finishing tenth, Nemechek won the 2012 Allison Legacy Series championship, winning 15 of the season's 18 races.[11][12]
In 2013, Nemechek moved to competing in the Southern Super Series as well as in selected races in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East,[12] starting with the UNOH Battle at the Beach at Daytona International Speedway in February.[13] In late 2013, he made his debut in the Camping World Truck Series, driving the No. 22 Toyota for SWM-NEMCO Racing.[14] He competed in two events, with a best finish of 16th.[15]
In January 2014, Nemechek announced he would be competing in ten Camping World Truck Series events during the 2014 season.[15] After the season ended, he won the 300-lap Snowball Derby.[16]
On September 19, 2015, 16 years to the day his father won his first Cup race, Nemechek won his first Truck Series race at Chicagoland. On November 29, Nemechek has voted the Most Popular Driver for the 2015 season in the Truck Series.
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In 2016, Nemechek won in Atlanta. At Canadian Tire Motorsport Park during the 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 250, Nemechek and Cole Custer were battling for the lead when Nemechek bumped Custer which led to Nemechek losing control and intentionally sending both Custer and himself off-road, pinning Custer to the wall. Before the winner was declared, Nemechek was tackled by Custer; Nemechek would be named the winner.[17]
In 2017, Nemechek won back-to-back races at Gateway and Iowa. Nemechek missed the Championship Four after finishing 2nd at Phoenix.
For the 2018 season, Nemechek joined Chip Ganassi Racing to drive the No. 42 NASCAR Xfinity Series car on a part-time basis. He also would continue to run select Camping World Truck Series races for his father's team NEMCO Motorsports. He would win at Martinsville in March. He suffered heartbreaking losses at Chicago and Bristol, after running out of fuel on the final lap in Chicago, handing the win to Brett Moffitt, and suffered fuel pickup issues with 5 laps remaining and a 2-second lead in Bristol, allowing Johnny Sauter to take the lead and eventual win. Nemechek would go on to finish 7th and 3rd in those races, respectively.[18] In his Xfinity Series debut, Nemechek finished an impressive 4th-place finish at Atlanta, though he was involved in an early race wreck involving Elliott Sadler and Cole Custer resulting in Custer's car wrecking. Nemechek followed up the 4th-place run with a 29th-place finish at Auto Club after a tire failure ruined his chances of a good run. His next Xfinity Series races were the four Dash 4 Cash races, where he had one top ten finish at Talladega. On October 20, 2018, after dominating the race and winning stage 2, Nemechek won his first career Xfinity race at Kansas Speedway in the 2018 Kansas Lottery 300.

In 2019, Nemechek signed with GMS Racing for the full Xfinity schedule in the No. 23 Chevrolet.[19] On October 29, 2019, Front Row Motorsports announced that Nemechek would fill in for Matt Tifft in the No. 36 Ford for the final three races of the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series after medical issues forced Tifft from the ride.[20] Nemechek and his father Joe made motorsports history at ISM Raceway in early November 2019 by being the first father-son duo to race in all three main series in one weekend.[21] He finished the 2019 season seventh in points after finishing sixth at Homestead.[22]
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On December 12, 2019, Front Row Motorsports announced that Nemechek would replace David Ragan as the driver of the No. 38 Ford for the 2020 season, competing for the 2020 NASCAR Rookie of the Year honors.[23] Nemechek started the season with an 11th-place finish in the 2020 Daytona 500. After a two-month break, four races into the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Nemechek would get the first top-10 of his Cup career in the first race in the double-header at Darlington. This would also be the first top-10 for Front Row Motorsports at a track other than Talladega or Daytona since 2016.[24] However, in the second Darlington race, Nemechek would bring out the first two cautions of the night, eventually finishing 35th. Nemechek would not get another top-10 until the GEICO 500 at Talladega, where he would finish eighth.[25]


On November 16, 2020, Nemechek parted ways with Front Row Motorsports.[26] A week later, he signed with Kyle Busch Motorsports for the 2021 Truck Series season.[27] Shortly after the start of the 2021 Xfinity season, Sam Hunt Racing added Nemechek for a part-time schedule.[28] As of the Pocono race, Nemechek has had an exceptional season, recording 5 wins and recording a top 10 for every race, with the exception of the Bristol Dirt Race. After the Knoxville race, Nemechek clinched the regular season's championship.
On June 11, 2021, Joe Gibbs Racing announced that Nemechek will run three races with them in the No. 54 Toyota Supra at Talladega Super Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway, and the season finale at Phoenix Raceway. Nemechek would win at Texas, finish 22nd at Talladega, and 4th at Phoenix.
On July 5, 2022, it was announced that Nemechek would run the main ARCA Menards Series race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in the No. 55 car for Venturini Motorsports in preparation for the Truck Series race there on the same weekend. It was his debut in the series.[29]
On October 18, 2022, it was announced that Nemechek would return to the Cup Series for the race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, filling in for Bubba Wallace in the 23XI Racing No. 45 car after Wallace was suspended for the race after he intentionally retaliated against, crashed and fought Kyle Larson in the previous week's race at Las Vegas.[30] Nemechek actually had a chance to drive that car earlier in the season after Kurt Busch's concussion although 23XI decided to instead put Ty Gibbs in the car despite Nemechek being selected as the team's reserve driver at the start of the season. (Wallace, the driver of the team's No. 23 car, would switch cars with Gibbs during the playoffs to compete for the owners' championship.)[31]

In December, Joe Gibbs Racing announced that Nemechek would pilot the returning No. 20 Toyota Supra full-time for the 2023 season in the Xfinity Series. Nemechek began the 2023 Xfinity season with a second-place finish at Daytona. Throughout the season, he scored wins at Fontana and Martinsville.[32][33]
Personal Life
He is married to Taylor Nemechek and the two have a daughter Aspen and are currently expecting their second child in August 2023.
Motorsports career results
NASCAR
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings. * – Most laps led.)
Cup Series
NASCAR Cup Series results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | NCSC | Pts | Ref |
2019 | Front Row Motorsports | 36 | Ford | DAY | ATL | LVS | PHO | CAL | MAR | TEX | BRI | RCH | TAL | DOV | KAN | CLT | POC | MCH | SON | CHI | DAY | KEN | NHA | POC | GLN | MCH | BRI | DAR | IND | LVS | RCH | ROV | DOV | TAL | KAN | MAR | TEX 21 |
PHO 27 |
HOM 23 |
49th | 01 | [34] |
2020 | 38 | DAY 11 |
LVS 24 |
CAL 25 |
PHO 25 |
DAR 9 |
DAR 35 |
CLT 16 |
CLT 13 |
BRI 13 |
ATL 23 |
MAR 25 |
HOM 19 |
TAL 8 |
POC 24 |
POC 19 |
IND 15 |
KEN 36 |
TEX 22 |
KAN 19 |
NHA 36 |
MCH 36 |
MCH 23 |
DAY 35 |
DOV 24 |
DOV 20 |
DAY 11 |
DAR 36 |
RCH 30 |
BRI 20 |
LVS 20 |
TAL 8 |
ROV 36 |
KAN 17 |
TEX 22 |
MAR 26 |
PHO 26 |
27th | 534 | [35] | ||
2022 | 23XI Racing | 45 | Toyota | DAY | CAL | LVS | PHO | ATL | COA | RCH | MAR | BRD | TAL | DOV | DAR | KAN | CLT | GTW | SON | NSH | ROA | ATL | NHA | POC | IRC | MCH | RCH | GLN | DAY | DAR | KAN | BRI | TEX | TAL | ROV | LVS | HOM 27 |
MAR | PHO | 56th | 01 | [36] |
Daytona 500
Year | Team | Manufacturer | Start | Finish |
---|---|---|---|---|
2020 | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 23 | 11 |
Xfinity Series
Craftsman Truck Series
* Season still in progress
1 Ineligible for series points
K&N Pro Series East
NASCAR K&N Pro Series East results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | NKNPSEC | Pts | Ref | ||||||||||||||||||||||
2013 | Spraker Racing | 37 | Chevy | BRI | GRE | FIF 12 |
48th | 46 | [53] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SWM-NEMCO Motorsports | 8 | Chevy | RCH 30 |
BGS | IOW | LGY | COL | IOW | VIR | GRE | NHA | DOV | RAL | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2014 | Toyota | NSM | DAY | BRI | GRE | RCH | IOW | BGS | FIF | LGY | NHA | COL | IOW | GLN 25 |
VIR | GRE | DOV | 65th | 19 | [54] |
ARCA Menards Series
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
ARCA Menards Series results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | AMSC | Pts | Ref |
2022 | Venturini Motorsports | 55 | Toyota | DAY | PHO | TAL | KAN | CLT | IOW | BLN | ELK | MOH 4* |
POC | IRP | MCH | GLN | ISF | MLW | DSF | KAN | BRI | SLM | TOL | 72nd | 42 | [55] |
References
- "Davidson Day School honor roll – 2nd Trimester". Davidson News. Davidson, N.C. April 16, 2012. Archived from the original on May 13, 2012. Retrieved September 5, 2012.
- "Nemecheks face their pain, find pure joy". The Miami Herald. November 10, 1997. p. 9D. Retrieved September 5, 2012.
- Terrell, Katherine (June 22, 2011). "14-year-old racer looks to follow in dad's steps". Lake Norman News. Charlotte, N.C.: The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on January 19, 2013. Retrieved September 5, 2012.
- Kurz, Hank Jr. (May 4, 2001). "Rusty Wallace is looking forwards to racing at Richmond International". The Gadsden Times. Gadsden, Alabama. p. B3. Retrieved September 5, 2012.
- Mills, Jeremy (March 22, 2001). "Amherst Co. Charity Hoping to Fetch $25,000 for 'NASCAR Guitar'". Lynchburg, Va.: WSET-TV. Archived from the original on February 9, 2013. Retrieved September 5, 2012.
- "Joe Nemechek". NASCAR. Archived from the original on June 9, 2012. Retrieved September 5, 2012.
- Rodman, Dave (February 3, 2012). "Another Nemechek on the horizon". NASCAR. Retrieved September 5, 2012.
- Lada, Jen (June 15, 2012). "14-year-old turning heads at the Milwaukee Mile". Milwaukee: WITI. Retrieved September 5, 2012.
- Madsen, Tamira (June 12, 2012). "John Hunter Nemechek, 15, gets an early start on family business". Wisconsin State Journal. Madison, Wis. Retrieved September 5, 2012.
- Vilona, Bill (December 1, 2012). "Racing's next generation on display at Five Flags Speedway". Pensacola News Journal. Pensacola, Fla. Retrieved December 7, 2012.
- "John Hunter Nemecheck-The Allison Legacy Race Series 2012 Champion". Allison Legacy Series. Archived from the original on May 22, 2012. Retrieved December 7, 2012.
- Cunningham, Jason (February 4, 2013). "Nemechek to Make Debut at Daytona". NASCAR. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
- Albert, Zack (February 28, 2013). "John Hunter Nemechek, 15, carries family tradition". NASCAR. Retrieved August 19, 2013.
- "Young Nemechek To Try Hand In Trucks". National Speed Sport News. October 18, 2013. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
- Adamczyk, Jay (January 13, 2014). "John Hunter Nemechek to run 10 Truck Series races in 2014". Jayski's Silly Season Site. ESPN. Archived from the original on October 12, 2014. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
- Bonkowski, Jerry (December 8, 2014). "John Hunter Nemechek rallies to win 47th Snowball Derby". NBC Sports. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
- "John Hunter Nemechek Battles Custer till End for Win at Canada". NASCAR. September 4, 2016. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
- Ruffin, Jessica (December 12, 2017). "John Hunter Nemechek to drive No. 42 Xfinity Chevrolet part-time in 2018". NASCAR. Retrieved February 12, 2018.
- "John Hunter Nemechek joins GMS Racing full time in Xfinity Series". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. December 6, 2018. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
- Albert, Zack (October 29, 2019). "Matt Tifft sidelined for remainder of 2019 season; Nemechek to fill seat". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
- Waack, Terrin (November 7, 2019). "Nemecheks to make NASCAR history at ISM Raceway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
- Spencer, Reid (November 16, 2019). "Reddick wins Xfinity race at Miami, locks up second championship". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
- Page, Scott (December 12, 2019). "Front Row Motorsports fielding two cars in 2020 with Michael McDowell and John Hunter Nemecheck". Jayski's Silly Season Site. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
- Weaver, Matt (May 18, 2020). "John Hunter Nemechek: It's the Big 3 and Me ... but What about Me?". Autoweek. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
- Velat, Frank (June 24, 2020). "The Underdog House — Talladega Monday: The Ballad of John Hunter Nemechek". Frontstretch. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
- "Front Row Motorsports: John Hunter Nemechek informs team he will not return in 2021". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. November 16, 2020. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
- Estrada, Chris (November 23, 2020). "John Hunter Nemechek goes to Truck Series, joins Kyle Busch Motorsports". NBC Sports. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
- Estrada, Chris (February 17, 2021). "John Hunter Nemechek to run select Xfinity races for Sam Hunt Racing". NBC Sports. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
- Starcevic, R. J. (July 5, 2022). "John Hunter Nemechek Joining Venturini Motorsports for ARCA Race at Mid-Ohio". TobyChristie.com.
- Srigley, Joseph (October 18, 2022). "John Hunter Nemechek Tapped to Replace Suspended Bubba Wallace at Homestead". TobyChristie.com.
- Newby, John (August 3, 2022). "Denny Hamlin Reveals 23XI Racing's Initial Kurt Busch Fill-In". Heavy.com. WordPress. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
- Spencer, Reid (February 26, 2023). "John Hunter Nemechek scoots to Xfinity win at Auto Club". NASCAR. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
- Cain, Holly (April 15, 2023). "John Hunter Nemechek dominates Xfinity Series race at Martinsville". NASCAR. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
- "John Hunter Nemechek – 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
- "John Hunter Nemechek – 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- "John Hunter Nemechek – 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
- "John Hunter Nemechek – 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
- "John Hunter Nemechek – 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- "John Hunter Nemechek – 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
- "John Hunter Nemechek – 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
- "John Hunter Nemechek – 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
- "John Hunter Nemechek – 2013 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
- "John Hunter Nemechek – 2014 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
- "John Hunter Nemechek – 2015 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
- "John Hunter Nemechek – 2016 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
- "John Hunter Nemechek – 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
- "John Hunter Nemechek – 2018 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
- "John Hunter Nemechek – 2019 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
- "John Hunter Nemechek – 2020 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
- "John Hunter Nemechek – 2021 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
- "John Hunter Nemechek – 2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
- "John Hunter Nemechek – 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
- "John Hunter Nemechek – 2013 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
- "John Hunter Nemechek – 2014 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
- "John Hunter Nemechek – 2022 ARCA Menards Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
External links

- Official website
- John Hunter Nemechek driver statistics at Racing-Reference
- John Hunter Nemechek career summary at DriverDB.com
- John Hunter Nemechek crew chief statistics at Racing-Reference