Track: Texas Motor Speedway, 1.5 Mile Tri-Oval
Race: 18 of 36
Event: O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 (501 miles, 334 laps)
John Hunter Nemechek
No. 38 CITGARD Ford Mustang
Started: 28th
Finished: 22nd
Stage One: 21st
Stage Two: 23rd
Stage Three: 22nd
John Hunter Nemechek took the green flag in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series event at Texas Motor Speedway in the 28th position, following a random draw for the starting lineup. In the first 10 laps, Nemechek radioed that his No. 38 CITGARD Ford Mustang “fired off loose, but not terrible.” At the Competition Caution on Lap 20, Crew Chief Seth Barbour made the call to try and tighten up the car by pitting for 4 tires, fuel, track bar and packer adjustments, and grille tape. In the remaining laps of Stage 1, Nemechek felt that he couldn’t predict what the rear of the car was going to do, particularly in Turns 1 and 2. Nemechek would take the green- and-white checkered flag in 21st place and pit under the Stage Break Caution for 4 tires, fuel, a wedge adjustment and more grille tape.
Shortly after Stage 2 began, Nemechek noted that his No. 38 CITGARD Ford Mustang’s tires were “really slick” and the car was still unpredictable. He stayed quiet on the radio for much of the stage, trying to see where he could run in order to find more grip on the track. Unfortunately, by the time he took the green- and-white checkered flag, the handling still had not improved. Nemechek would finish Stage 2 in 23rd place.
Shortly after the Final Stage got underway, a wreck happened among the lead cars, causing Nemechek to slide his tires through the grass in order to avoid getting caught up. He pitted for 4 tires and fuel after a brief red flag pause, but still was not satisfied with the handling on his No. 38 CITGARD Ford Mustang. On Lap 242, Nemechek would spin coming off of Turn 2 after the car “just snapped loose” and spun around on him. He avoided significant damage, but still would be unable to recover for a lead-lap finish. Nemechek took the checkered flag in 22nd place.
Nemechek on Texas:
“It was a tough day in our No. 38 CITGARD Ford Mustang. We had some issues and struggled to find a good balance throughout the day. And in the final stage, I think, it just snapped loose on me and spun me around. It’s certainly not the day we were hoping for, for our partners at CITGARD and FleetPride. We’ll talk through it at the shop this week and look for a better run at Kansas.”
