NASCAR: John Hunter Nemechek moves to Xfinity Series with Chip Ganassi Racing

John Hunter Nemechek is finally getting an opportunity to move up into the NASCAR Xfinity Series. He will drive part-time in 2018 with Ganassi.

The frame of the NASCAR Xfinity Series field for the 2018 season is starting to come into view. Many of the championship contenders have begun to find their places with new teams or new numbers. Meanwhile, Chip Ganassi Racing has nearly confirmed their lineup for the #42 Chevy in the next year.

Jim Utter of Motorsport.com is reporting that John Hunter Nemechek will race part-time for Chip Ganassi Racing in the Xfinity Series in 2018. He will be replacing Tyler Reddick in that role, who moves to JR Motorsports full-time next season. Nemechek will share that ride primarily with Kyle Larson, but a few additional one-off drivers could join the fold.

This will be Nemechek’s first opportunity to move up the ladder in NASCAR’s nationally touring series since getting his start in the Camping World Truck Series with NEMCO Motorsports. Driving for a team owned by his father Joe, John Hunter won five times in three seasons in the series, running full-time the last two years. In both his full-time seasons, John Hunter has advanced to the playoffs.

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Chip Ganassi Racing has not confirmed the move to bring Nemechek into the fold, but is expected to announce the lineup for the #42 Chevy this week. The team is expected to contract from two to one car, with the #48 Chevy of Brennan Poole shutting down following Poole departing. While Poole has not confirmed his plans for 2018 yet, the talk remains that he is in contention for the third seat at Richard Childress Racing.

NEMCO Motorsports is not expected to fade away, however. Nemechek may make a few more starts in 2018 with his father’s team, and perhaps Joe will take the reins as the driver as well. Motorsport.com also reports that the team is negotiating with additional sponsors, as well as a new driver to take over the truck for the majority of the races.

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Nemechek is yet another success story among the NASCAR Next drivers. He has been rumored to be moving up to the Xfinity Series for over a year now, and the fruits of his labor are finally paying off. This opportunity with Ganassi has helped open doors to full-time rides for Brennan Poole, Alex Bowman, and Tyler Reddick. Perhaps Nemechek can be the next to turn this role into his next step in his career. Are you excited to see him moving up to the Xfinity Series in 2018? How do you think he will perform with Chip Ganassi Racing?

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