John Hunter Nemechek Sets Expanded Schedule

The driver of the No. 4 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota Tundra TRD Pro has expanded his schedule for the trip to Las Vegas Motor Speedway. John Hunter Nemechek will pull double-duty while competing in both the NASCAR Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series races.

Sam Hunt Racing announced the news on March 2 and confirmed that Nemechek will return to the Xfinity Series team for the Alsco Uniforms 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (4:30 p.m. ET, FS1). He will drive the No. 26 Toyota Supra and will try to qualify for the 38-car field. Nemechek will then return to the No. 26 for the March 12 race at Phoenix Raceway with Stillhouse Black Bourbon as his primary partner.

Nemechek is the third driver to take over the No. 26 Toyota Supra during the 2022 Xfinity Series season. Ryan Truex took over the stock car for the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway and finished 12th overall with Circle B Diecast as his primary partner.

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Jeffrey Earnhardt then drove the No. 26 Toyota for the race at Auto Club Speedway. He ran inside the top 10 during the final stage, but an overheating alternator caused major issues with 10 laps remaining and relegated him to a 26th-place finish.

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Nemechek Secured a Top-5 Finish With Sam Hunt Racing in 2021

Nemechek, who focused on the Truck Series during the 2021 season, made five starts in the Xfinity Series. He joined Sam Hunt Racing for two races and Joe Gibbs Racing for three, and he turned in strong performances with both organizations.

Nemechek’s second start of the year took place at Richmond Raceway. He took over the No. 26 Toyota Supra with Safeway as his primary partner, and he navigated his way through the field while avoiding on-track incidents. Nemechek turned in a third-place finish, which stands as the best in SHR’s 47-race history.

The NASCAR driver will now head back to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for his third-career start at the 1.5-mile track, and his first since the 2019 season. Nemechek previously joined GMS Racing for a full-time run in the No. 23, and he turned in strong performances in both trips to Las Vegas. He finished second behind Kyle Busch in the first 2019 race and eighth in the second.

“Vegas has been really good to me,” Nemechek said in a release from Toyota Racing. “I’ve been runner-up there I think once or twice in the Xfinity car, so I’m looking forward to getting behind the wheel for Sam Hunt [Racing] and everyone at Toyota this weekend. We have Berry Bullets on board, so look forward to trying to make them proud, local company there. They are a long-time supporter of mine, so hopefully, we can get them the victory on Saturday and get Mobil 1 a victory on Friday night.”

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Nemechek Will Pursue Another Trip to Victory Lane

The race weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will provide Nemechek with another opportunity to secure his spot in the playoffs. He previously did so during the 2021 season, his first full-time run with Kyle Busch Motorsports.

The 2021 season started with two consecutive wins by ThorSport Racing’s Ben Rhodes. The driver of the No. 99 won the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway and then he returned to Victory Lane at the Daytona Road Course. However, Nemechek won his first race of the year when the Truck Series headed to Las Vegas.

The driver of the No. 4 turned in a dominant performance and held off Kyle Busch during the final run to the checkered flag. Nemechek led 94 laps and locked up his spot in the playoffs, simultaneously kicking off a run in which he won five times in the first 13 races. Now he will return to the track for the first time in 2022 while pursuing his first win of the year.

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