Photo Credit: Noel Lanier/OnPitRoad.com
John Hunter Nemechek is coming off a strong third-place finish a few weeks ago at the Bristol Motor Speedway and enters Canadian Tire Motorsport Park as the defending race winner. As the playoffs loom in the distance, he’s looking to begin laying the cornerstone for momentum in the playoffs.
“Going to a track we’ve been to before definitely gives us a extra boost of confidence.” Nemechek told OnPitRoad.com. “I feel like going to Canadian Tire will definitely be a momentum builder as we inch closer to the playoffs if we have a good run. We just have to eliminate mistakes and I feel like we will.”
While Nemechek has two wins this season and his ticket to the playoffs has been punched, he’s also tallied a total of four DNFs so far this season (Atlanta, Dover, Texas, and Michigan). Nemechek thinks the number one thing as a whole his team could work on heading to the playoffs in staying consistent and being smart.
“I feel our team needs to eliminate mistakes and keep bringing really good trucks to the race track. I have to be smarter on my end and every person on the team needs to be smarter on their end. I feel like if we eliminate mistakes and bring really good trucks to the track we’ll be a contender.”
Despite earning two victories, funding is still a focus for NEMCO Motorsports as they inch closer and closer to the end of the season. With a guaranteed spot in the playoffs, Nemechek can put himself in the spotlight, especially without Cup regulars in the field. Cup drivers with more than five years experience can’t race in the final seven races of the season. Those two implications can give Nemechek the ultimate opportunity to put that No. 8 Chevrolet in victory lane should the team and driver eliminate mistakes.
“We’re still looking for funding. It’s still a big concern to finish out the rest of the year. We still have six races I think we have to sell. Fire Alarm Services has been a great support and I can’t thank them enough for coming on board for a few more races but we still have six to sell. I can’t thank everyone enough that has been on our truck this year; Romco Equipment, Fire Alarm Services, Plan B Sales, Berry’s Bullets so we just need to find a little bit more funding to finish out the year.”
With just nine races remaining in the season, Nemechek lacks sponsorship for 67 per cent of those races. In his career, Nemechek has 67 starts, five career victories, 21 top-fives, 34 top-10s, and one career pole. So far this season Nemechek has led 92 laps, seven off of tying the most laps led of his career.
