Track: Phoenix Raceway, 1 Mile Tri-Oval
Race: 36 of 36
Event: Season Finale 500 (312 miles, 312 laps)
John Hunter Nemechek
No. 38 Fire Alarm Services, Inc. (FAS) Ford Mustang
Started: 27th
Finished: 26th
Stage One: 26th
Stage Two: 28th
Stage Three: 26th
For the final race of the 2020 season, John Hunter Nemechek took the green flag at Phoenix Raceway in the 27th position. After the first few laps, he radioed to the team that his No. 38 FAS Ford Mustang was very loose and needed lateral drive. At the Competition Caution on Lap 30, he would pit for 4 tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment before receiving a speeding penalty, which forced him to restart at the tail end of the field. By Lap 46, Nemechek noted that he was still “too loose running the top.” He would go on to finish Stage 1 in the 26th position and pitted at the Stage Break Caution for another track bar adjustment, 4 tires and fuel.
John Hunter Nemechek restarted Stage 2 in 24th place. On Lap 119, his No. 38 FAS Ford Mustang brushed the outside wall after an on-track incident with another car. With minimal damage, he pitted under green for the crew to make repairs, change out the tires, add fuel and make a track bar adjustment. When a caution came out on Lap 161, Nemechek said the balance had been better but was still lacking overall grip. Crew Chief Seth Barbour made the call for Nemechek to stay out under caution to take the wave around so that he would restart on the lead lap. By the time he took the green- and white-checkered flag to end Stage 2 in 28th place, Nemechek noted that he was “snug center, free off on old tires.” He pitted at the Stage Break Caution for 4 tires, fuel, a track bar adjustment and grille tape.
John Hunter Nemechek was able to settle into a rhythm as the Final Stage of the final race of 2020 got underway, noting on Lap 214 that the handling on his No. 38 FAS Ford Mustang was “not bad… little snug, little loose.” He managed to make his way into the top 20 with just over 50 laps to go before pitting under green for 4 tires with a slight air pressure adjustment and fuel. Nemechek would cross the finish line in 26th place.
Nemechek finished the season 27th in the driver point standings with three top-10 and eight top-15 finishes.
Nemechek on Phoenix:
“Not quite how we would have liked to finish out the season today. We would have loved to get a top-15 or a top-10 finish for our partners at FAS, but we made what adjustments we could throughout the race. Thank you to Seth [Barbour] and my No. 38 crew for an awesome year. Thank you to Bob [Jenkins] and Jerry [Freeze], the entire Front Row Motorsports team and each of our partners for all the support in my rookie season in the Cup Series. It’s been an amazing opportunity to drive this No. 38 Ford Mustang this year.”
