Track: Pocono Raceway, 2.5 Mile Tri-Oval
Race: 14 of 38
Event: Pocono Organics 325 (325 miles, 130 laps)
John Hunter Nemechek
No. 38 Death Wish Coffee Ford Mustang
Started: 20th
Finished: 24th
Stage One: 26th
Stage Two: 27th
Stage Three: 24th
Following a short weather delay, John Hunter Nemechek took the green flag in Saturday’s race at Pocono Raceway in the 20th position. He noted early on that his No. 38 Death Wish Coffee Ford Mustang was tight in all corners, and particularly rough going over the bumps in Turn 2.
Nemechek stayed out under the Stage Break Caution. Despite needing to be freer, Nemechek managed to crack his way into the top 10 as Stage 2 got underway. During a cycle of green flag pit stops, Crew Chief Seth Barbour made the call for 4 tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment to continue freeing up Nemechek’s No. 38 Death Wish Coffee machine. On Lap 64, Nemechek got loose underneath while passing the No. 27 car and made contact, bringing out a caution for debris. Luckily, Nemechek sustained only minor damage. After a round of repairs, he took the green- and-white checkered flag in the 27th position.
Nemechek had a quiet Final Stage in his No. 38 Death Wish Coffee Ford Mustang. He radioed on Lap 90 that his handling was “possibly still a touch tight.” He continued to struggle with that tightness through the rest of the race, crossing the finish line in 24th place.
Nemechek on Pocono:
“We fired off pretty tight in our No. 38 Death Wish Coffee Ford Mustang today at Pocono. We made some adjustments to try and free it up and made some progress, but I just got loose under the 27 at one point, and slid up into him a little. We still struggled toward the end of the race and needed to be freer on our runs, but we made some good notes for tomorrow. Really appreciate our partners at Death Wish Coffee and Rich Mar Florist for coming on board with us this weekend and I’m glad we have another chance tomorrow for a great finish.”
