Track: Bristol Motor Speedway, 0.5 Mile Oval
Race: 9 of 38
Event: Supermarket Heroes 500 (266.5 miles, 500 laps)
John Hunter Nemechek
No. 38 Scag Power Equipment Ford Mustang
Started: 18th
Finished: 13th
Stage One: 19th
Stage Two: 11th
Stage Three: 13th
John Hunter Nemechek started Sunday’s “Supermarket Heroes 500” at Bristol Motor Speedway in the 18th position. The balance of his No. 38 Scag Power Equipment Ford Mustang was decent, but Nemechek radioed multiple times that he needed to be freer, noting that track position was a challenge at Bristol. Crew Chief Seth Barbour and the team made adjustments to the track bar and tire pressure as Stage 1 progressed. Nemechek took the green- and white-checkered flag in 19th place.
Stage 2 was mired with caution after caution, including one on-track incident that briefly brought out the red flag for cleanup. Nemechek’s No. 38 Scag Power Equipment Ford was on both sides of balance at various points, namely free at the end of a run, but “still a tick snug center.” While running 13th towards the end of the stage, he told the team that he felt faster than the cars in front of him, but it was too difficult to pass. Nemechek would finish Stage 2 in the 11th position.
Nemechek drove inside the top 20 through the majority of the final stage, cracking the top 10 with a little over 120 laps remaining. An issue with the car overheating led Nemechek down pit road multiple times under caution late in the race, but he still managed to stay on the lead lap. The No. 38 team continued their battle at “The Last Great Colosseum,” never giving up. Nemechek’s Scag Power Equipment Mustang crossed the finish line in 13th place.
Nemechek on Bristol:
“It was a tough day, but we still fought to have a good finish under the circumstances. Seth and the crew put together a super fast Scag Power Equipment Ford Mustang. We started off the day a little tight, needing more turn. In that last stage though, we had some issues with overheating and that cost us some precious track position. It’s a challenge at Bristol to stay on the lead lap, let alone finish top-15 after the day we had. I’m so proud of my team for sticking with me and never giving up. We fought hard and still came out of it P13. Thanks to Scag Power Equipment for coming on board with us again. I’m looking forward to getting back after it at Atlanta next weekend.”
