NASCAR: 5 possible replacements for Kyle Busch
By Asher Fair
Kyle Busch replacements: No. 2 – John Hunter Nemechek
John Hunter Nemechek was one of the breakout stars of the 2021 NASCAR season after he made the decision to drop down from a non-competitive Cup Series ride to the Truck Series and join Kyle Busch Motorsports.
Nemechek made an immediate impact, winning five races, sealing the regular season points championship, and qualifying for the Championship 4. His championship chances were unfortunately derailed with an early incident in the season finale at Phoenix Raceway.
Most notably, three of Nemechek’s five victories came ahead of his boss in second place. Busch won his only other two starts. Some would call that “pure talent”.
Nemechek, a former full-time Xfinity Series driver, got the chance to compete in select races in the Xfinity Series in 2021, five in total. He drove for Joe Gibbs Racing in three of those races and Sam Hunt Racing in the other two. He won at Texas Motor Speedway in the Joe Gibbs Racing “star car”.
Given the fact that many believed he would actually leave Kyle Busch Motorsports and join Joe Gibbs Racing as a full-time driver for 2022, don’t be surprised to see Nemechek continue to progress up the Toyota ladder by running in at least five races for the team throughout the upcoming season.