NASCAR: How a Truck Series driver’s gamble is paying off
By Cade Stout
John Hunter Nemechek’s gamble to return to the NASCAR Truck Series with Kyle Busch Motorsports to compete for wins is paying off in a big way.
Early this past offseason, John Hunter Nemechek and Kyle Busch Motorsports announced a deal for Nemechek to drive the #4 Toyota for the 2021 NASCAR Truck Series season.
The announcement came as a surprise following Nemechek’s first full-time season in the Cup Series, when he drove the #38 Ford for Front Row Motorsports.
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Despite prior success with Chip Ganassi Racing and GMS Racing in the Xfinity Series and with NEMCO Motorsports in the Truck Series, Nemechek has never been viewed as a “can’t-miss” prospect by most.
At just 24 years old, Nemechek is seeking to prove himself as one of the best young drivers in the sport.
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Thus far, his decision to race with Kyle Busch Motorsports in the Truck Series, rather than relegate himself to a mid-pack Cup Series ride, has paid off in a big way. Nemechek is the series points leader with five wins in the first 14 races of the year. He has recorded eight top five finishes, 11 top 10 finishes and an average finish of 7.4.
He already has the most wins in a single season by a Kyle Busch Motorsports driver since Christopher Bell won five races in 2017 and William Byron won seven in 2016. He is the favorite to capture the series championship, having been consistently fast and able to capitalize on that speed in each race.
Nemechek was the only Truck Series driver this season who was able to compete with Kyle Busch himself, beating his boss head-to-head at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Richmond Raceway and Pocono Raceway. Busch won his other two starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway.
Time will tell where Nemechek goes from here, but his 2021 success has him high on Toyota’s prospect hierarchy. With 23XI Racing and Toyota seeking to expand in the coming years, Nemechek potentially avails himself to future competitive opportunities with Toyota at higher levels.
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With Cup Series experience and several Truck Series and Xfinity Series wins at just 24 years old, the Mooresville, North Carolina native will surely be appealing to competitive Xfinity Series and Cup Series teams.