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NASCAR: Joe Nemechek breaks Richard Petty’s record with Miami Truck start

By Asher Fair

HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 15: Joe Nemechek, driver of the #8 Fire Alarm Services/Fleetwing Chevrolet, will make his 1,186th career start across all three top-tier NASCAR series when he takes the green flag for the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Ford EcoBoost 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 15, 2019 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 15: Joe Nemechek, driver of the #8 Fire Alarm Services/Fleetwing Chevrolet, will make his 1,186th career start across all three top-tier NASCAR series when he takes the green flag for the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Ford EcoBoost 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 15, 2019 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /
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By competing in the 2019 NASCAR Truck Series season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Joe Nemechek broke the all-time NASCAR starts record that had been held by Richard Petty.

Last weekend, Joe Nemechek competed in the NASCAR Truck Series, Xfinity Series and Cup Series races at ISM Raceway, bringing his career start totals in these three series to 68, 444 and 673, respectively.

As a result, Nemechek finished the race weekend at the four-turn, 1.022-mile (1.645-kilometer) ISM Raceway oval in Avondale, Arizona with 1,185 career NASCAR starts to his name.

With his 1,185th start in Sunday’s Cup Series race at the track, the 56-year-old Naples, Florida native tied the all-time starts record that was previously held solely by Richard Petty.

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Petty, one of three seven-time Cup Series champions and the all-time winningest driver in Cup Series history with 200 victories, made all 1,185 of his starts in NASCAR’s top-level series.

But across all three NASCAR national series, Nemechek broke this record by competing in Friday night’s Truck Series season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the Ford EcoBoost 200.

This start was his 69th career Truck Series start and his 1,186th career NASCAR start. Nemechek’s accomplishment was recognized prior to this race.

He also wore a special helmet during the race to commemorate the occasion.

He ultimately finished this 134-lap race around the four-turn,1.5-mile (2.414-kilometer) Homestead-Miami Speedway oval in Homestead, Florida in a season-high 14th place behind the wheel of the #8 Chevrolet for his family-owned team, NEMCO Motorsports.

Nemechek is also set to make his 445th career Xfinity Series start in this afternoon’s 200-lap season finale at the track, and he is set to make his 674th career Cup Series start in tomorrow afternoon’s 267-lap season finale at the track.

Nemechek will finish the season with 13 Truck Series starts, and his start in this afternoon’s Xfinity Series race is set to be his 10th of the season. His start in tomorrow afternoon’s Cup Series race is set to be his seventh of the season, giving him 30 total NASCAR starts this year.

He hasn’t competed in 30 races in a NASCAR season since the 2014 season when he competed in 33, including 15 Cup Series races, six Xfinity Series races and 12 Truck Series races.

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The 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series season finale, the Ford EcoBoost 300, is set to be broadcast live on NBC Sports Network from Homestead-Miami Speedway beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET this afternoon. The 2019 Cup Series season finale, the Ford EcoBoost 400, is set to be broadcast live on NBC from the track beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET tomorrow afternoon.

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