NEMECHEK EARNS SECOND WIN OF THE SEASON
Sammy Smith follows him to the line to give Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing a 1-2 sweep
MARTINSVILLE, Va. (April 15, 2023) – John Hunter Nemechek earned his second win of the season in a dominating performance at Martinsville Speedway. Nemechek won both stages and led 198 of 250 laps to earn his fourth NASCAR Xfinity Series win of his career. With the win, Nemechek earned the $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus. Nemechek led his teammate Sammy Smith to the line, as the 18-year-old scored his third top-five finish of the season. Both Nemechek and Smith are eligible for the Dash 4 Cash bonus in Talladega. Nemechek’s spotter, Tony Hirschman, has now won both races this weekend, as he also guided Corey Heim to the Truck Series victory on Friday night.
Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Martinsville Speedway
Race 8 of 33 – 131.5 miles, 250 laps
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
2nd, SAMMY SMITH
3rd, Cole Custer*
4th, Josh Berry*
5th, Brandon Jones*
12th, RYAN TRUEX
15th, KAZ GRALA
21st, PATRICK EMERLING
33rd, CONNOR MOSACK
*non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK, No. 20 Pye Barker Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 1st
How good was this car?
“It was amazing. This car wasn’t very good in practice yesterday – I thought we were like a 10th-to-12th place car. I’ll tell you what – everyone went to work on this 20 team for qualifying and this race today. So huge shoutout to the guys on this 20 team. Thankful for the opportunity from Joe Gibbs Racing and TRD, Coy (Gibbs), wish he was here with us. Thank you to Pye Barker Fire & Safety – they actually carry Pye Barker fire extinguishers here in Martinsville. It was fitting – after we caught on fire, they put it out. This car was as fast as Xfinity 10G today – dominate, that’s all I can say.”
What can you say about the battles with your teammate, Sammy Smith today?
“It was good hard short track racing. We didn’t wreck each other and we put on a show. I’m thankful for Sammy (Smith). Happy to be racing with him. We race each other hard but we race each other clean. Just happy to get this thing to victory lane today. I’m super pumped.”
What are you going to do with that Dash 4 Cash money?
“Guys, what do you say? I think we should get some clocks with that Dash 4 Cash money.”
SAMMY SMITH, No. 18 Pilot Flying J Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 2nd
How do you assess the racing tonight?
“I think it was really good. I tried to race John Hunter (Nemechek) with a lot of respect to try to make sure one of us got the win, but at the end, I think the 00 (Cole Custer) was kind of beating my bumper off, so I thought it was fair to move him back. It was good tonight for us. Just thank you to Pilot Flying J, Toyota, TMC, Allstate Peterbuilt Group, Golden Harvest – everybody that helps. We will get it done next week.”
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs more than 48,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 45 million cars and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 14th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 22 electrified options.
Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.
