36xRacing

36×36: 2024-6-COTA
42-Legacy:
Driver: John Hunter Nemechek – Crew Chief: Ben Beshore – Spotter: Earl Barban and Ryan Blanchard
Playoff seed entering race: 15^th (+14 to cut)
Practice: 31st overall
Qualifying: 22nd (1st/2 LMC cars)

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Through the first five races of 2024, John Hunter Nemechek had completed all but two of the 1,539 laps run by the NASCAR Cup Series. Nemechek has finished no worse than 25^th in his return to NASCAR’s premier series. In race six, the tour stopped at Circuit of the Americas for their first road course race of the season.

Entering COTA weekend, Nemechek found himself in the playoff picture despite having run just two races in the NextGen car prior to this season. Both of those races were at the intermediate-style Homestead. Between Nemechek being behind the field on NextGen experience and Legacy Motor Club running in their first season with Toyota, there is plenty of ‘new’ that could present as obstacles and hold this team back.

The NextGen car, “races way different than Trucks or Xfinity, so there’s a lot of adapting that has to go on,” said Nemechek on Friday.

On Saturday, Nemechek finished 4th in the Xfinity race (the series where he won seven races last year), 31st in Cup practice, and qualified 22nd for Sunday’s race.

The Cup race started poorly for Nemechek. In the early laps, Nemechek managed to be overly cautious while also overdriving corners. The 42 was going full car-widths wide in some corners.

By the fifth lap, Nemechek had dropped to 25th. On lap five, the 42 was assessed a penalty for cutting the esses. By the time Nemechek could get the message that he needed to serve a pass-through, he had spun the car between turns 19 and 20. Now running in 36th and seconds behind the field, the early disasters presented an opportunity for Nemechek to turn some clean laps and keep learning with a clear track.

“Stay competitive with your lap times so we can keep adjusting,” he was told by crew chief Ben Beshore.

Nemechek spent the next seven laps finding his bearings. Beshore called Nemechek into the pits so they could still try and take (some) advantage of the field flip at the stage. The stage one finish of 38th was atrocious but, the 42 was still on the lead lap.

Starting stage two in 30th wasn’t ideal either but,,, yeah there’s no “but,” it wasn’t good.

“Focus on your marks, don’t overdrive it.”

Even though he’s not technically a rookie, this was a weekend of learning for Nemechek and Legacy Motor Club.

Nemechek was running 28th when the stage two pit stops began.

“Stay out, we’re gonna take points.”

The 42 car finished stage two in 7th, collecting 4 points.

Nemechek commented that the car was, “really loose over in 10,” (the steep declining turn towards turn 11). Multiple times during the race Nemechek’s team noted his overdriving of turn 8 impacting turns 9 and 10.

A few laps into the final stage, it seemed like Nemechek could only truly battle with Legacy Motor Club teammate Erik Jones.

After punting Brad Keselowski in a battle for 24th, Nemechek managed his gaps to cars in front and behind when the final pit cycle of the day began.

While chasing down Todd Gilliland, both cars pit in neighboring boxes on lap 51. When they pulled into their stalls, the rear tire changer on the 38 team appeared to trip on the air hose of the 42’s front tire changer Bryan Backus. The ‘kerfuffle’ moved Nemechek up a position in the pits.

Back on track, Nemechek cycled out to 27th and continued to turn laps. Nemechek found some success as he put his head down and kept to himself. Others struggled or were in various stages of fuel saving.

Nemechek battled with Carson Hocevar for 23rd and successfully passed the rookie. On the final lap, Ryan Preece ran out of fuel and Nemechek passed him coming to the line.

A finishing position of 22nd allowed Nemechek’s top 25 streak to continue and keep his lap completion percentage high.

The points at stage two and keeping the car on the track in the second half of the race turned the day from a rough start into a rather successful finish for Nemechek. The 20 points collected makes this his third-best of the six races this season.

Other playoff bubble drivers like Brad Keselowski (who Nemechek spun himself…) and Michael McDowell (a skilled road course racer who can only see this weekend as a missed opportunity) collected single-digit points on the day.

Nemechek’s teammate Erik Jones had a season-worst finish of 32nd. Legacy Motor Club’s rather consistent start to the season seemed to take a stumble at COTA. Post-race, teammate Jones said they, “didn’t have the pace we needed,” but that the team, “learned a lot in our first road course race of the year.”

Only losing one point to, and staying above, the playoff bubble is a great crisis aversion for what could have been a catastrophic day for Nemechek.

Finish: P22 (S2:7th) – 20pts
Playoff seed leaving race: 15th (+13 to cut)

Next race: 7-Richmond
36×36 featured team: 54-Gibbs