John Hunter Nemechek is one of the eight drivers left in contention for the $1 million prize in NASCAR’s In-Season Challenge. The 28-year-old, who overcame former Cup Series champion Chase Elliott in the Chicago Street Course on Sunday, is now seeded against his teammate, Erik Jones, in the third round of the tournament at Sonoma Raceway.
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The Legacy Motor Club driver finished the Chicago race in 15th place, just ahead of Elliott in 16th. Before the race, Nemechek had expressed how he was worried about beating Elliott, the Most Popular Driver.
Nemechek joked it would get him on the bad side of many fans. “Hopefully, the fans don’t hate me too bad after we beat the most popular driver today,” he said while hoping for a fun race.
“No, it’s all fun and games. It’s a lot of fun. Hopefully, we both can have some really good days and race it out at the end,” Nemechek added.
Elliott looked on with a smile as Nemechek called his win. “Usually John Hunter and I get along pretty good. So, I am trying to figure out how to hate him. I don’t know, I am working on it. His little jab helped,” he responded.
The friendly banter and rivalry between the two was one of the most adorable exchanges all weekend. But little did Elliott know then that Nemechek would go on to prove his call.
Despite the loss, it is not likely that Elliott has developed any ill feelings toward his friend. Nemechek’s teammate, Jones, finished in 25th place, beating Ricky Stenhouse Jr. The contest between the two Legacy Motor Club drivers in Sonoma will be one of the most interesting match-ups in the third round.
Jones holds an average finish of 17.7 across 10 starts at Sonoma. Meanwhile, Nemechek has only one Cup Series appearance at the track — P29 in 2024. He, however, has logged a best finish of eighth in two Xfinity Series outings. In their head-to-head battles, Jones leads Nemechek 30–25, based on Racing Insights.
Nemechek and Co. reach new heights after a year of change
The addition of Travis Mack as the crew chief of Nemechek’s No. 42 team was one of the many changes that Legacy Motor Club went through after the 2024 season. Following a year of struggle and learning, performances are improving.
The No. 42 Toyota Camry driver is currently 20th on the points table. He has had a career-high six top-10 finishes so far in the season. This performance is a sign of how Mack and the rest of the team have worked with him to deliver the car he needs.
It all goes back to Mack listening to the radio communication between Nemechek and his former crew last year. Mack had learned one too many things from it.
“In his past, in lap one or two, they were on the radio already telling him how to drive. They were trying to lecture him on what he needed to do differently, how to drive like somebody else,” the crew chief told NBC Sports.
Mack set this right, and the newfound freedom has allowed Nemechek to soar. The driver, too, expressed strong faith in the car he was being given.
“I think it’s confidence in your equipment. When I go out on the racetrack, I’m confident that I know that the car is going to stick and that I can push it,” said Nemechek.
The team and the driver are hoping that this run of form will lead him to Victory Lane sooner rather than later.
