Nemechek is in his third full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. β With a fifth-place finish in the Daytona 500, John Hunter Nemechek earned the first top five of his NASCAR Cup Series career.
Nemechek narrowly avoided a massive crash on the final lap to secure a solid finish in the season’s biggest race. It’s a big accomplishment for the Legacy Motor Club driver.Β
The result was made even sweeter with seven-time series champion and team owner Jimmie Johnson finishing third. It’s Johnson’s first top five since 2020 and the first time the team has had two cars finish in the top five.
Erik Jones, who drives the other full-time ride for Legacy Motor Club, appeared to win the second Daytona Duel race on Thursday but a controversial to throw a caution before the finish caused him to lose by a few inches to Austin Cindric. Either way, it was a solid Daytona speed week for the team.
Not everyone was singing praises for Nemechek and his team, though.Β
Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin sounded off on his weekly podcast “Actions Detrimental” about the chaotic racing during the Daytona 500 and the state of the sport.
Hamlin said that the cordial reaction to William Byron’s win in the race would have been much different if Nemechek had won. He said fans would be more critical if a driver like Nemechek got the win in the same chaotic circumstances that Byron did.
When asked about Hamlin’s comments on Wednesday, Nemechek acknowledged that he hasn’t had the opportunity to have the resume that other drivers have but he is still out there racing to make a name for himself like everyone else on the track.
“I know that [Hamlin is upset] about not winning the race, but I’m here to make a name for myself as well,” Nemechek said. “I’m not really sure why I was the example of that… I feel like I do a great job promoting the sport”
Nemechek cited his YouTube channel, which has over 1.4 million subscribers, slightly more than the official NASCAR YouTube channel.Β
He also pointed to his record on superspeedway tracks. Nemechek has top 15 finishes in four straight trips to Daytona.Β
Nemechek rebounded from an early crash in the Daytona 500 and ran well for much of the race. He was around the top five when the white flag fell and was one of the few cars to survive the last-lap crash.
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Regarding his team’s performance in the season’s first week, Nemechek said he’s positive it means Legacy Motor Club is headed in the right direction.
“I feel really good about where our team is going,” Nemechek said. “We already know that we’re better than 2024. I mean, we couldn’t have gotten much worse, but we don’t know really how much better.”
The 2024 season was a struggle for Legacy Motor Club. Jones and Nemechek finished 28th and 34th in the points standings, respectively, and scored a combined six top 10 finishes.Β
Nemechek is in his second season with the team. He found major success in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series but has yet to see it translate into the Cup Series. His rookie season with Front Row Motorsports in 2020 was mostly forgettable with more DNFs (5) than top 10s (3).
Nemechek emphasized Johnson’s commitment to Legacy Motor Club and hopes the team can push in the right direction in 2025.
