Track: Charlotte Motor Speedway, 1.5 Mile Oval
Race: 7 of 38
Event: Coca-Cola 600 (600 miles, 400 laps)
John Hunter Nemechek
No. 38 YANMAR Ford Mustang
Started: 25th
Finished: 17th
Stage One: 24th
Stage Two: 20th
Stage Three: 17th
Stage Four: 17th
Driving in memory of Staff Sergeant Nicholas Carnes, John Hunter Nemechek started Sunday’s race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the 25th position. Nemechek reported difficulty finding a comfortable balance in his No. 38 YANMAR Ford Mustang early on and the crew made a wedge adjustment and added some grille tape during the competition caution on Lap 20. Mother Nature forced the race to come to a pause after almost 50 laps and engines refired a little over an hour later. Nemechek continued to struggle with the car’s handling for the remainder of Stage 1 and would finish P24.
Throughout the second stage, Nemechek continued to struggle with the handling of his No. 38 YANMAR machine. He reported his biggest issue being tight in traffic. Nemechek opted not to pit under the Stage 2 caution in order to regain a lap he had lost earlier in the stage. He took the green- and white-checkered flag in 20th position.
Optimistic at the start of the third stage, Nemechek said the previous run had been his best of the night thus far. Running low on fuel, Nemechek would pit on Lap 235 under green, putting him two laps behind the leader. He was able to regain a lap once green flag pit stops cycled through and made his way back inside the top 20 towards the end of the stage. The car was still tight in traffic and Nemechek finished the stage in 17th.
To start the final stage, Nemechek pitted for tires, fuel, a wedge adjustment and grille tape in hopes of loosening up his YANMAR Ford Mustang. The team called him back to pit road to correct an adjustment, and he would restart in 20th position. Despite the car continuing to be tight in traffic, Nemechek managed to stay inside the top 20 for much of the final stage. He would finish the race in 17th position.
Nemechek on Charlotte:
“It was kind of an up and down day, but overall, we had a good run in our No. 38 YANMAR Ford Mustang. We started off the night pretty free. Once we refired after the rain delay, we had a pretty tight racecar for most of the night. Seth [Barbour] and the crew kept trying different adjustments to get our handling better and we managed to run in the top 20 for most of the last stage. We never gave up and got some good notes to come back on Wednesday. Thanks to our partners at YANMAR for coming on board with us this weekend and thank you especially to all the men and women who serve our country. It’s an amazing privilege to have the freedom to race because of their sacrifices.”
