“Summer’s Five Things” is a column by Summer Bedgood for NASCAR fans to catch up on the most recent, relevant, and need-to-know news and information in the sport! While mostly focused on NASCAR, this column may also feature other interesting and exciting moments from the world of motorsports. Enjoy!
1. John Hunter Nemechek wins first career XFINITY Series race
21-year-old John Hunter Nemechek had five wins in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series prior to the 2018 season, so when it was announced that he would be competing for Chip Ganassi Racing in the XFINITY Series in a partial schedule, it seemed as though it would only be a matter of time before he reached victory lane.
On Saturday at Kansas Speedway, he was finally able to pull through.
Leading 64 laps and besting Daniel Hemric in a late-race battle for the lead, Nemechek earned his first career XFINITY Series victory in his 15th ever start, giving CGR their sixth win of the season.
“This is definitely amazing to be able to get our first XFINITY win,” said Nemechek post-race. “We had a really good car all weekend from the time that we unloaded off the truck, I felt like. (Crew Chief) (Mike) Shiplett and the guys had it tuned up there at the end and we drove away. He made a really good call coming in to get tires there at the end and it was a gamble. I was hoping that there wasn’t gonna be a caution coming out ’cause we were not gonna be in the cat bird seat like we were.”
This wasn’t the first time Nemechek spent time in victory lane in Kansas Speedway. His father, Joe, earned his last career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win at the track back in 2004, when John Hunter was just a little boy.
“I remember when he won,” Nemechek said. “I was a kid playing on the playground for both days and our motorhome driver and mom came running out, ‘Dad won! Dad won! Let’s go to victory lane!’ I saw a video of that this week actually and it was pretty cool to see how young I was and standing in victory lane and taking home the same trophy that dad took home. He’s definitely taught me a lot and has helped me progress through my career.”
The victory certainly did not come easy. Hemric dominated most of the race and appeared to have a better racecar than Nemechek. Additionally, Nemechek overshot his pit box while making a green flag stop with just under 50 to go, costing him valuable time.
While he caught a lucky break when Vinnie Miller’s stalled racecar brought out the final caution of the day, Nemechek brought the No. 42 down pit lane twice under the caution to make sure all the lugnuts were properly secured.
With only a handful of cars on the lead lap, however, this did not result in a drastic loss in track position and Nemechek was able to power through on the restart, taking the lead from Hemric after battling side-by-side for several laps.
Nemechek said post-race that he doesn’t yet know his 2019 plans, so this win could prove valuable to his future.
“We’re gonna take every day as it comes,” Nemechek continued. “We’re gonna keep trying to do the best that we can and I’m gonna keep focusing on my one task and that’s to go out and try and win this owner’s championship for Chip and Chip Ganassi Racing and our team. They stood behind me, so who knows what’s gonna happen in 2019? I guess time will tell.”
Nemechek has also competed for his family’s race team — NEMCO Motorsports — in 15 of the 19 Camping World Truck Series races this season, earning a victory for the team at Martinsville Speedway in March, six top fives, and nine top 10s.
NASCAR XFINITY Series Unofficial Race Results
2. XFINITY Series Playoff drivers run into trouble in Kansas Speedway
Saturday’s race at Kansas Speedway was the first race in the Round of 8 for the XFINITY Series, which will set the Championship 4 for the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway next month.
So while it was expected that the intensity of this round would increase, the Kansas Lottery 300 turned out to be more than many of the competitors could handle.
The field didn’t even make it to the backstretch before the first caution of the day — a nine-car incident that involved five Playoff contenders: Cole Custer, Justin Allgaier, Matt Tifft, Austin Cindric and Christopher Bell. The crash began when Allgaier got loose at the exit of turn two, clipping Bell’s left rear and collecting Custer, Ross Chastain, Michael Annett, Ryan Truex, Cindric, Spencer Gallagher, and Chase Briscoe.
In fact, there were five cautions in the first 100 laps of the race that were not the result of a stage coming to an end, while the second half of the race only saw one caution.
The wreck left Cindric, Allgaier, Custer and Tifft on the outside of the top four in the Playoffs. Custer (-23) and Cindric (-43) are likely going to need to win a race in the next two events to be part of the championship race in Homestead, whereas Tifft (-1) and Allgaier (-5) need to avoid anymore trouble and outrun their competitors to still have a shot at the title.
https://twitter.com/TXMotorSpeedway/status/1053766859890286597
“I just got loose, unfortunately,” Allgaier said in a television interview. “Just hate it for everybody that we took out lap one. It’s uncalled for. That one’s on me.”
“I didn’t really see much of anything,” Bell said after the incident. “Just kind of driving around there. Just heartbroken. This is one of my favorite race tracks we go to and especially after the run I had last year, this is the race that I was looking forward to whenever we started the year back in February. Our Rheem Camry was fast throughout practice and we qualified second, so felt like we were going to be able to contend for the win, but I think this is – actually this is not the first time I’ve been out on the first lap. We’ll try and make up for it at Texas and we still got a lot of race tracks that I can win races at, so hopefully we’ll move on from here.”
Tifft was able to recover and finish sixth. Custer finished 26th, 19 laps down. Bell finished 37th, Allgaier 38th, and Cindric 39th.
3. Daniel Hemric fails post-race inspection after dominating Kansas XFINITY Series race
After looking at the speed charts for the two XFINITY Series practice sessions and at the qualifying results, it was clear that Daniel Hemric was going to be the car to beat for Sunday’s Kansas Lottery 300.
And once the field stopped crashing long enough to get some green flag runs in, Hemric showed that same speed.
Hemric was by far the dominant driver of the day, leading 128 of the 200 laps. Eventual race winner John Hunter Nemechek only led 64 laps, with Hemric stating that he experienced a “crashing sideways” condition after putting the last set of tires on, which made it impossible for him to keep up with Nemechek.
Though it was a disappointment for Hemric, who is still searching for his first career victory, the second-place finish did allow him to obtain the points lead, with a 23-point lead over fifth-place Matt Tifft.
“That was the most fun I’ve had racing in a really long time,” Hemric said post-race. “It’s a confidence-booster for all of us to go to the racetrack and have opportunity to lead laps, win stages and do the things we did this weekend.”
However, that points lead may be reduced later this week. Hemric’s No. 21 car failed post-race inspection after the race on Saturday, as the left front of the car was deemed too low per the NASCAR rulebook. This type of infraction typically comes with a 10-point penalty.
Any penalties will likely be announced on Tuesday.
4. Almirola, Busch lead Saturday Cup Series practice sessions, McMurray loses engine
The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series had two more practice sessions on Saturday in preparation for Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400.
Last week’s winner at Talladega Superspeedway, Aric Almirola, was quickest, with a time of 28.926 seconds at 186.683 mph. Erik Jones was second quickest, followed by defending champion Martin Truex Jr. Kansas native Clint Bowyer and Kyle Busch rounded out the top five.
Stewart-Haas Racing driver Kurt Busch was quickest in the final practice session, with a time of 28.997 seconds at 186.226 mph. Jones and Almirola were again fast, ending with the second and third quickest times of the session, respectively. Kyle Busch was fourth quickest while Paul Menard rounded out the top five.
Chip Ganassi Racing driver Jamie McMurray lost an engine during the first practice session of the day and will start at the rear of the field in Sunday’s race following the engine change.
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Practice 2
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Final Practice
5. Schedule for Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400
Team Penske driver Joey Logano will lead the field to the green flag in the 267-lap Hollywood Casino 400.
Here is the schedule for the day’s events:
- Presentation of Colors by Overland Park Police Department Honor Guard: 2:20PM ET
- Invocation by Chaplain Graham Bailey: 2:20:20PM ET
- National Anthem performed by Kansas City, Kansas Police Department Master Detective, Danon Vaughn: 2:21PM ET
- Flyover by 393rd Bomb Squadron, Whiteman Air Force Base (1 B2 Bomber): 2:23:25PM ET
- Command to start engines by 50 Penn National Gaming VIPs: 2:28:30PM ET
- Green flag: 2:30PM ET
There will also be a press conference at 11:00AM ET regarding the Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award as well as post-race press conferences at approximately 5:30PM ET.
Click here for the link to the live stream.
~~
If you would like to receive “Five Things” in your inbox, or just connect with me, you may send me an e-mail at [email protected].
You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram.
Summer’s Five Things: What You Need To Know For October 21, 2018
“Summer’s Five Things” is a column by Summer Bedgood for NASCAR fans to catch up on the most recent, relevant, and need-to-know news and information in the sport! While mostly focused on NASCAR, this column may also feature other interesting and exciting moments from the world of motorsports. Enjoy!
1. John Hunter Nemechek wins first career XFINITY Series race
21-year-old John Hunter Nemechek had five wins in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series prior to the 2018 season, so when it was announced that he would be competing for Chip Ganassi Racing in the XFINITY Series in a partial schedule, it seemed as though it would only be a matter of time before he reached victory lane.
On Saturday at Kansas Speedway, he was finally able to pull through.
Leading 64 laps and besting Daniel Hemric in a late-race battle for the lead, Nemechek earned his first career XFINITY Series victory in his 15th ever start, giving CGR their sixth win of the season.
“This is definitely amazing to be able to get our first XFINITY win,” said Nemechek post-race. “We had a really good car all weekend from the time that we unloaded off the truck, I felt like. (Crew Chief) (Mike) Shiplett and the guys had it tuned up there at the end and we drove away. He made a really good call coming in to get tires there at the end and it was a gamble. I was hoping that there wasn’t gonna be a caution coming out ’cause we were not gonna be in the cat bird seat like we were.”
This wasn’t the first time Nemechek spent time in victory lane in Kansas Speedway. His father, Joe, earned his last career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win at the track back in 2004, when John Hunter was just a little boy.
“I remember when he won,” Nemechek said. “I was a kid playing on the playground for both days and our motorhome driver and mom came running out, ‘Dad won! Dad won! Let’s go to victory lane!’ I saw a video of that this week actually and it was pretty cool to see how young I was and standing in victory lane and taking home the same trophy that dad took home. He’s definitely taught me a lot and has helped me progress through my career.”
The victory certainly did not come easy. Hemric dominated most of the race and appeared to have a better racecar than Nemechek. Additionally, Nemechek overshot his pit box while making a green flag stop with just under 50 to go, costing him valuable time.
While he caught a lucky break when Vinnie Miller’s stalled racecar brought out the final caution of the day, Nemechek brought the No. 42 down pit lane twice under the caution to make sure all the lugnuts were properly secured.
With only a handful of cars on the lead lap, however, this did not result in a drastic loss in track position and Nemechek was able to power through on the restart, taking the lead from Hemric after battling side-by-side for several laps.
Nemechek said post-race that he doesn’t yet know his 2019 plans, so this win could prove valuable to his future.
“We’re gonna take every day as it comes,” Nemechek continued. “We’re gonna keep trying to do the best that we can and I’m gonna keep focusing on my one task and that’s to go out and try and win this owner’s championship for Chip and Chip Ganassi Racing and our team. They stood behind me, so who knows what’s gonna happen in 2019? I guess time will tell.”
Nemechek has also competed for his family’s race team — NEMCO Motorsports — in 15 of the 19 Camping World Truck Series races this season, earning a victory for the team at Martinsville Speedway in March, six top fives, and nine top 10s.
NASCAR XFINITY Series Unofficial Race Results
2. XFINITY Series Playoff drivers run into trouble in Kansas Speedway
Saturday’s race at Kansas Speedway was the first race in the Round of 8 for the XFINITY Series, which will set the Championship 4 for the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway next month.
So while it was expected that the intensity of this round would increase, the Kansas Lottery 300 turned out to be more than many of the competitors could handle.
The field didn’t even make it to the backstretch before the first caution of the day — a nine-car incident that involved five Playoff contenders: Cole Custer, Justin Allgaier, Matt Tifft, Austin Cindric and Christopher Bell. The crash began when Allgaier got loose at the exit of turn two, clipping Bell’s left rear and collecting Custer, Ross Chastain, Michael Annett, Ryan Truex, Cindric, Spencer Gallagher, and Chase Briscoe.
In fact, there were five cautions in the first 100 laps of the race that were not the result of a stage coming to an end, while the second half of the race only saw one caution.
The wreck left Cindric, Allgaier, Custer and Tifft on the outside of the top four in the Playoffs. Custer (-23) and Cindric (-43) are likely going to need to win a race in the next two events to be part of the championship race in Homestead, whereas Tifft (-1) and Allgaier (-5) need to avoid anymore trouble and outrun their competitors to still have a shot at the title.
https://twitter.com/TXMotorSpeedway/status/1053766859890286597
“I just got loose, unfortunately,” Allgaier said in a television interview. “Just hate it for everybody that we took out lap one. It’s uncalled for. That one’s on me.”
“I didn’t really see much of anything,” Bell said after the incident. “Just kind of driving around there. Just heartbroken. This is one of my favorite race tracks we go to and especially after the run I had last year, this is the race that I was looking forward to whenever we started the year back in February. Our Rheem Camry was fast throughout practice and we qualified second, so felt like we were going to be able to contend for the win, but I think this is – actually this is not the first time I’ve been out on the first lap. We’ll try and make up for it at Texas and we still got a lot of race tracks that I can win races at, so hopefully we’ll move on from here.”
Tifft was able to recover and finish sixth. Custer finished 26th, 19 laps down. Bell finished 37th, Allgaier 38th, and Cindric 39th.
3. Daniel Hemric fails post-race inspection after dominating Kansas XFINITY Series race
After looking at the speed charts for the two XFINITY Series practice sessions and at the qualifying results, it was clear that Daniel Hemric was going to be the car to beat for Sunday’s Kansas Lottery 300.
And once the field stopped crashing long enough to get some green flag runs in, Hemric showed that same speed.
Hemric was by far the dominant driver of the day, leading 128 of the 200 laps. Eventual race winner John Hunter Nemechek only led 64 laps, with Hemric stating that he experienced a “crashing sideways” condition after putting the last set of tires on, which made it impossible for him to keep up with Nemechek.
Though it was a disappointment for Hemric, who is still searching for his first career victory, the second-place finish did allow him to obtain the points lead, with a 23-point lead over fifth-place Matt Tifft.
“That was the most fun I’ve had racing in a really long time,” Hemric said post-race. “It’s a confidence-booster for all of us to go to the racetrack and have opportunity to lead laps, win stages and do the things we did this weekend.”
However, that points lead may be reduced later this week. Hemric’s No. 21 car failed post-race inspection after the race on Saturday, as the left front of the car was deemed too low per the NASCAR rulebook. This type of infraction typically comes with a 10-point penalty.
Any penalties will likely be announced on Tuesday.
4. Almirola, Busch lead Saturday Cup Series practice sessions, McMurray loses engine
The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series had two more practice sessions on Saturday in preparation for Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400.
Last week’s winner at Talladega Superspeedway, Aric Almirola, was quickest, with a time of 28.926 seconds at 186.683 mph. Erik Jones was second quickest, followed by defending champion Martin Truex Jr. Kansas native Clint Bowyer and Kyle Busch rounded out the top five.
Stewart-Haas Racing driver Kurt Busch was quickest in the final practice session, with a time of 28.997 seconds at 186.226 mph. Jones and Almirola were again fast, ending with the second and third quickest times of the session, respectively. Kyle Busch was fourth quickest while Paul Menard rounded out the top five.
Chip Ganassi Racing driver Jamie McMurray lost an engine during the first practice session of the day and will start at the rear of the field in Sunday’s race following the engine change.
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Practice 2
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Final Practice
5. Schedule for Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400
Team Penske driver Joey Logano will lead the field to the green flag in the 267-lap Hollywood Casino 400.
Here is the schedule for the day’s events:
There will also be a press conference at 11:00AM ET regarding the Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award as well as post-race press conferences at approximately 5:30PM ET.
Click here for the link to the live stream.
~~
If you would like to receive “Five Things” in your inbox, or just connect with me, you may send me an e-mail at [email protected].
You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram.