John Hunter Nemechek Camping World Trucks Atlanta Preview (printable)
John Hunter Nemechek: Driver, No. 4 Mobil 1 Toyota
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Overview:
Event: Fr8 Auctions 200, Race 4 of 22, 130 Laps – 30/30/70; 200.02 Miles
Location: Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga. (1.54-mile quad-oval)
Date/Broadcast: March 20, 2021 at 2:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR 90
Neme’chek’ The Facts:
- After capturing the checkered flag at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway, John Hunter Nemechek and the No. 4 Mobil 1 team return to action Saturday afternoon in the second1.5-mile race of the 2021 season at Atlanta Motor Speedway. After three races, Nemechek sits at the top of the Camping World Trucks championship standings, 14 tallies ahead of Ben Rhodes. The North Carolina native also leads the Camping World Truck Series in stage wins (three), average finish (3.7), laps led (122), driver rating (128) and fastest laps run (41).
- The second-generation driver has made three starts in Camping World Truck Series action at Atlanta, including his victory in the 2016 event. Last season, Nemechek raced at Atlanta in the Camping World Truck Series, where he finished 24th and the NASCAR Cup Series, where he finished in the 23rd position.
- Nemechek is a seven-time winner in Camping World Truck Series action, winning at least one race each season from 2015 to 2018 for his family-owned team, NEMCO Motorsports, and returning to victory lane this year with KBM. Across 105 career starts in NASCAR’s third division, the second-generation driver has compiled two poles, 731 laps led, 30 top-five and 53 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 12.9. The North Carolina native qualified for the Camping World Truck Series playoffs in each of his two full-time seasons, finishing eighth in the championship standings in both 2016 and 2017. He was voted the series most popular driver in 2015.
- The 23-year-old driver produced three top-10 finishes and an average result of 22.4 while competing for rookie of the year honors in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2020. He recorded a career-best eighth-place finish twice, both coming at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, earned the Sunoco Rookie of the Race award four times and finished 23rd in the championship standings.
- Eric Phillips returns to KBM to lead the No. 4 team this season. Phillips led the No. 18 team at KBM in its debut season in 2010 and helped build the organization into one of the premier teams in all of NASCAR before departing at the end of the 2014 season. Under his guidance, the No. 18 team won eight races in its inaugural campaign and became the first team in Truck Series history to capture an owner’s championship in its first season of competition. In 2014, the Illinois native led the No. 51 team to an owner’s championship and his team’s 10 wins spearheaded KBM to a single-season Truck Series record of 14 wins. His 38 career Truck Series victories make him the winningest crew chief in Truck Series history, with 28 of those coming while at KBM. At Atlanta, Phillips has 12 starts in Camping World Trucks competition. In 2014, He has collected six top-fives, six top-10s, and an average finish of 11.7.
- The world’s leading synthetic motor oil brand, Mobil 1, features anti-wear technology that provides performance beyond our conventional motor oils. This technology allows Mobil 1 to meet or exceed the toughest standards of car builders and to provide exceptional protection against engine wear, under normal or even some of the most extreme conditions. Mobil 1 flows quickly in extreme temperatures to protect critical engine parts and is designed to maximize engine performance and help extend engine life.
John Hunter Nemechek, Driver Q&A:
What did it mean for you to get back into victory lane at Las Vegas?
“It meant a lot to get back to victory lane. Leaving the Cup series to come back to the trucks. Overall, I felt like Kyle Busch Motorsports was a winning organization. It’s proven to be that way year after year. To be able to have speed like we’ve had and to be able to get to the point where we ended up in victory lane at Las Vegas for the first one of the year in just our third start with a new crew chief, myself getting back into the flow of the truck series, and with Kyle Busch Motorsports, it’s nice to be able to get back. It’s validating. Hopefully we can go check off more wins this year.”
With the victory and stage wins, how will that change the way you and Eric (Phillips) approach the remainder of the season?
“I don’t think we are going to change our plan of attack whatsoever. We are here to win races. #Here4Wins is what we’ve been using since the announcement of myself coming to Kyle Busch Motorsports. Eric and I are on the same page. Kyle, Toyota and all of our partners want to win, and that’s why we’re here. We are going to go try and win everything we can from poles to stages to practice to races. Anything and everything that we can win, we want to.
How does Atlanta compare to the other 1.5-mile tracks? What does it take to be successful there?
“I like Atlanta. Atlanta is a really fun racetrack. The surface is worn out. You slip and slide around. There are multiple grooves. There are multiple lines that you can run. I won there in a truck in 2016. I am looking forward to going back and being competitive. We start on the pole. That’s a good spot to start. I know Kyle starts on the outside in second. Hopefully, we can have a one-two duo again all race long and battle for the win at the end.”
John Hunter Nemechek Career Highlights:
- Seven-time winner in Camping World Truck Series action, winning at least one race each season from 2015 to 2018 for his family-owned team, NEMCO Motorsports. Across 105 career starts in NASCAR’s third division, has compiled two poles, 731 laps led, 30 top-five and 53 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 12.9.
- Qualified for the Camping World Truck Series playoffs in each of his two full-time seasons, finishing eighth in the championship standings in both 2016 and 2017.
- Produced three top-10 finishes and an average result of 22.4 while competing for rookie of the year honors in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2020. He recorded a career-best eighth-place finish twice, both coming at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, earned the Sunoco Rookie of the Race award four times and finished 23rd in the championship standings.
- Across 51 career XFINITY Series starts, has totaled one win (Kansas Speedway, 10/20/18), one pole, 225 laps led, 12 top-five and 30 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 11.6.
- John Hunter Nemechek’s No. 4 Mobil 1 Tundra:
- KBM-053: The No. 4 Mobil 1 team will unload KBM-053 Saturday in Atlanta. Christian Eckes ran the chassis at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in September 2020, where he finished in the eighth position.
KBM Notes of Interest:
- KBM drivers have collected two wins, two poles, 566 laps led, eight top-five and 11 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 12.8 across 23 starts at Atlanta. Christopher Bell won the 2017 event while owner-driver Kyle Busch won in 2019.
- KBM holds the Camping World Truck Series records for most career wins (81) and most wins in a single season (14 in 2014). In addition to collecting a series-record seven Owner’s Championships, the organization has produced two championship-winning drivers: Erik Jones (2015) and Christopher Bell (2017).
- The No. 4 has 12 career victories at KBM and was the number for both of the organization’s driver championships.
