John Hunter Nemechek will be joining Haas Factory Team to drive the No. 41 Chevrolet Camaro entry for the 2027 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season.
The news comes as the 29-year-old Nemechek from Mooresville, North Carolina, is currently campaigning in his third consecutive season in the Cup Series division with Legacy Motor Club as he is ranked in 29th place in the driver’s standings with a pair of top-10 results, 64 laps led and an average-finishing result of 23.4.
The 2027 season is set to mark Nemechek’s first campaigning in the O’Reilly division on a full-time basis since 2023, where he previously drove for Joe Gibbs Racing. As part of Nemechek’s transition to Haas Factory Team, where he replaces Sam Mayer as Mayer will drive for JR Motorsports next season, Pye-Barker Fire & Safety will sponsor Nemechek’s entry and Nemechek will work with crew chief Jason Trinchere.
“I’m excited to join Haas Factory Team’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Series program,” Nemechek said. “They have championship-caliber cars and personnel, and I’m ready to get to work with this group and compete for wins in 2027.”
Nemechek made his first O’Reilly career start at EchoPark Speedway in February 2018, where he notched a fourth-place result. Since then, he has made a total of 111 starts over six seasons (2018-19, 2021-24) while competing for organizations that include Chip Ganassi Racing, GMS Racing, Sam Hunt Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing.
Throughout his 111 starts, Nemechek has notched a total of 11 victories, with his first occurring at Kansas Speedway in October 2020 and his latest being at Nashville Superspeedway in June 2024. He has also achieved three poles, 38 top-five results, 67 top-10 results, 1,898 laps led and an average-finishing result of 11.9. During his lone full-time campaign in the series to date in 2023, the North Carolina native accumulated the most victories (seven), top-five results (17) and tied for the most top 10s (24) and best average-finishing result (9.5) that enabled him to transfer to the Championship 4 round and contend for the title before a late incident resulted with him settling in a career-best fourth place in the standings.
In addition to his previous success in the O’Reilly division, Nemechek brings a wealth of experience across NASCAR’s top-three national touring series divisions to Haas Factory Team that includes 13 victories through 152 Craftsman Truck Series starts and 148 career Cup Series starts, with both the competitor and organization striving to contend for the 2027 championship.
“John Hunter brings the experience and talent we’re looking for at Haas Factory Team,” Joe Custer, President of Haas Factory Team, said. “We’re excited to have him join our organization and look forward to competing for wins and championships together.”
Nemechek joins Dean Thompson as part of Haas Factory Team’s new driver lineup that will feature the organization expanding to fielding three full-time entries in 2027. The organization’s third competitor remains to be determined.
With his plans for next season set, John Hunter Nemechek’s first campaign with Haas Factory Team in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series division is scheduled to commence on February 20, 2027, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. The event will be aired on the CW Network, MRN Radio and SiriusXM.
