Track: Pocono Raceway, 2.5 Mile Tri-Oval
Race: 15 of 38
Event: Pocono 350 (350 miles, 140 laps)
John Hunter Nemechek
No. 38 Death Wish Coffee Ford Mustang
Started: 24th
Finished: 19th
Stage One: 20th
Stage Two: 23rd
Stage Three: 19th
John Hunter Nemechek started the second of this weekend’s doubleheader races at Pocono Raceway in 24th place. Shortly after taking the green flag, the race was paused for 50 minutes due to rain. Once the engines refired and the race restarted, Nemechek pitted for 4 tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment after noting that his No. 38 Death With Coffee Ford Mustang was tight in traffic, but otherwise fired off free. He said the handling improved as the run went on, and finished Stage 1 in the 20th position.
Nemechek continued to battle a tight car in traffic through Stage 2. By the end of the stage, he said his No. 38 Death Wish Coffee machine had been a little free to fire off, but then it started getting tighter. Nemechek would take the green- and-white checkered flag to end Stage 2 in 23rd place. He would stay out under the Stage Break Caution.
As the sun set over Pocono Raceway during the Final Stage, strategy played a factor as uncertainty over the amount of daylight remaining continued to build. Nemechek was still noting that he was tight in traffic by Lap 104. With less than 20 laps remaining, Crew Chief Seth Barbour made the call for Nemechek to pit for 2 tires (only) and fuel. He would work his way into the top 20 and finished in the 19th position.
Nemechek on Pocono:
“Wasn’t quite the day we were hoping for at Pocono Raceway, but we finished better than we did in yesterday’s race, and that’s an accomplishment for us. Our No. 38 Death Wish Coffee Ford Mustang was decent in clean air, but we just couldn’t make it work in traffic. I was too tight whenever I got behind another car and we couldn’t quite get the handling right in order to really make the kind of gains we wanted to on track. I’m proud of my team and thankful for their effort. Really appreciate Death Wish Coffee and Rich Mar Florist coming aboard with us again today. We’ll regroup this week and head to Indy.”
