Getty John Hunter Nemechek and his family pose with the regular-season championship trophy.
John Hunter Nemechek is nearing the end of his first season back in the Camping World Truck Series after spending 2020 in the Cup Series. However, he does not know if he will be back with Kyle Busch Motorsports in 2022. Nemechek’s plans are currently “up in the air” as he pursues his first championship.
The KBM driver met with media members ahead of the first Truck Series playoff race to face questions about his inaugural season with the team, which has featured five trips to Victory Lane. Returning to the team for another season could be an option, but Nemechek has no concrete plans.
“That’s a really good question. I’m not sure,” Nemechek said during a session with media members. “There have definitely been some talks of a lot of different things, but at the same time, not trying to get ahead of ourselves. It’s definitely crunch time and silly season, I guess you could say.
“Who knows what could happen, but right now, we’re focused on trying to win races and trying to win this championship. That’s all that matters right now. If I don’t perform now, next year doesn’t matter. We are focused. Our eyes are set on the task of winning Gateway this weekend and trying to go for wins through the next seven races to try to bring that year-end huge trophy.”
Nemechek added that his contract status remains “up in the air” and that he “is at the mercy” of KBM owner Kyle Busch, Toyota Racing Development, and the other parties that help him compete each week.
Nemechek Has Massive Expectations for the Remaining Schedule
GettyJohn Hunter Nemechek celebrates a Truck Series win.
Throughout the 2021 season, Nemechek has turned heads with his social media channels. He has made several posts with the hashtag “Here4Wins” and has then backed up his tweets with multiple wins.
Nemechek’s goal is to win the Truck Series championship in 2021, and he told media members that he wants to “win everything.” He was hesitant to classify anything less than a championship as a failure but acknowledged that using the hashtag removed any doubts about his ultimate goal.
The 24-year-old went further and explained that he will give it his “best shot” while fighting for a spot in the championship four race at Phoenix. If his best shot falls short and leaves him on the outside looking in, he will have more work to do with the No. 4 team.
Nemechek Will Pull Double-Duty While Contending for a Trophy
Nemechek still has time to work out his plans for the 2022 season whether he remains in the Truck Series or moves to Xfinity or Cup. For now, his focus is locking up multiple wins during the playoffs, reaching the championship four, and hoisting the trophy at the end of the year.
While Nemechek pursues this goal, he will also pull double-duty during two playoff weekends. The driver will join Joe Gibbs Racing for Xfinity Series races at Bristol Motor Speedway (Sept. 17) and Phoenix Raceway (Nov. 6) after competing in the Truck Series races. He will also suit up for the Xfinity Series race at Texas Motor Speedway on Oct. 16, but the Truck Series is off that particular weekend.
Nemechek will climb into the No. 54 JGR Toyota Supra that has reached Victory Lane nine times in 2021. Kyle Busch won all five of his starts in the stock car, Ty Gibbs locked up three others, and Christopher Bell won his lone start at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Now Nemechek will strive to keep the winning streak alive with his three starts.
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