Career Timeline of John Hunter Nemechek: Major Achievements and Milestones

Discover the career path of John Hunter Nemechek, from the first major opportunity to industry-changing achievements.

John Hunter Nemechek is an American professional stock car racing driver. Currently, he races full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, piloting the No. 42 Toyota Camry XSE for Legacy Motor Club. He also participates part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 62 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro for Halmar Friesen Racing. Notably, Nemechek is the son of veteran NASCAR driver Joe Nemechek. He began his racing career early, achieving success by winning the Allison Legacy Series championship in 2012.

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Full Timeline Career & Achievements

2010: Moved to Stock Car Competition

In 2010, John Hunter Nemechek moved up to stock car competition in the Allison Legacy Series with sponsorship from England Stove Works.

June 2012: Won pole for Howie Lettow Memorial 150

In June 2012, Nemechek won the pole for the Howie Lettow Memorial 150, an ASA Midwest Tour event, at the Milwaukee Mile, finishing 23rd in the event.

2012: Won Allison Legacy Series championship

After competing in the 2012 Snowball Derby, Nemechek won the 2012 Allison Legacy Series championship, winning fifteen of the season's eighteen races.

2012: Competed in Late Model and Super Late Model

In 2012, Nemechek competed in late model and super late model competitions, including the Champion Racing Association Super Series, American Speed Association Midwest Tour and the World Series of Asphalt, receiving praise from Kyle Busch.

2013: Moved to Southern Super Series and NASCAR K&N Pro Series East

In 2013, Nemechek moved to compete in the Southern Super Series and selected races in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, starting with the UNOH Battle at the Beach at Daytona International Speedway in February.

2013: Made Camping World Truck Series debut

In late 2013, John Hunter Nemechek debuted in the Camping World Truck Series, driving the No. 22 Toyota for SWM-NEMCO Motorsports, a brief joint venture between Joe Nemechek and Sid Maudlin. He finished nineteenth at Martinsville and 21st at Phoenix.

2014: Ran ten races in Camping World Truck Series

During the 2014 season, John Hunter Nemechek ran ten races in the Camping World Truck Series, finishing a season-best fifth place at New Hampshire.

2014: Won Snowball Derby

In 2014, John Hunter Nemechek won the 300-lap Snowball Derby.

2015: First Truck Series race win at Chicagoland

On September 19, 2015, John Hunter Nemechek won his first Truck Series race at Chicagoland. He finished twelfth in points and received NASCAR's Most Popular Driver Award at the end of the season.

2016: Won at Atlanta, Controversial Race at Canada

In 2016, Nemechek won at Atlanta. At Canada, Nemechek bumped Cole Custer, which led to Nemechek losing control and intentionally sending both drivers off-road, pinning Custer to the wall and leading to a physical altercation after the race. Nemechek would be named the winner, finishing the season eighth in points.

2017: Won back-to-back races at Gateway and Iowa

In 2017, John Hunter Nemechek won back-to-back races at Gateway and Iowa. He missed the Championship Four after finishing second at Phoenix and ended the season with an eighth-place finish in the points standings.

2018: Joined Chip Ganassi Racing in Xfinity Series

For the 2018 season, John Hunter Nemechek joined Chip Ganassi Racing to drive the No. 42 NASCAR Xfinity Series car on a part-time basis. In his debut at Atlanta, he finished fourth and won at Kansas, finishing thirteenth in the points standings.

2018: Part-time Schedule and Win at Martinsville

From 2018 to 2020, Nemechek scaled back to a part-time schedule. During 2018, he scored a Truck Series win at Martinsville.

October 29, 2019: Filled in for Matt Tifft in the Cup Series

On October 29, 2019, Front Row Motorsports announced that John Hunter Nemechek would fill in for Matt Tifft in the No. 36 Ford for the final three races of the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

2019: Signed with GMS Racing and made motorsports history

In 2019, John Hunter Nemechek signed with GMS Racing for the full Xfinity schedule. On November 9, 2019, he and his father Joe became the first father-son duo to race in all three main series in one weekend at Phoenix, finishing the season seventh in points.

November 2020: Signed with Kyle Busch Motorsports

In November 2020, after parting ways with Front Row Motorsports in the Cup Series, John Hunter Nemechek signed with Kyle Busch Motorsports for the 2021 Truck Series season.

2020: First top-10 of Cup career

John Hunter Nemechek started the 2020 season with an 11th-place finish in the Daytona 500 and got the first top-10 of his Cup career at Darlington, finishing the season 27th in the points standings. On November 16, 2020, Nemechek parted ways with Front Row Motorsports.

2021: Part-time Xfinity Series and win at Texas

For 2021 and 2022, Nemechek ran part-time in the Xfinity Series with Sam Hunt Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing. During 2021, he won at Texas.

July 5, 2022: ARCA Menards Series debut

On July 5, 2022, it was announced that John Hunter Nemechek would run the main ARCA Menards Series race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in the No. 55 car for Venturini Motorsports in preparation for the Truck Series race there on the same weekend. It was his debut in the series.

October 18, 2022: Filled in for Bubba Wallace

On October 18, 2022, it was announced that John Hunter Nemechek would return to the Cup Series for the race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, filling in for Bubba Wallace in the 23XI Racing No. 45 car after Wallace was suspended for the race.

December 2022: Announced to drive the No. 20 Toyota Supra full-time for Joe Gibbs Racing

In December 2022, Joe Gibbs Racing announced that John Hunter Nemechek would pilot the returning No. 20 Toyota Supra full-time for the 2023 season in the Xfinity Series.

2022: Wins at Darlington and Kansas

In 2022, John Hunter Nemechek won at Darlington and Kansas and finished fifth in the points standings.

September 6, 2023: Legacy Motor Club Announcement

On September 6, 2023, Legacy Motor Club announced that John Hunter Nemechek would drive the No. 42 full-time in the Cup Series in 2024, his first full-time ride since the 2020 season.

2023: Drove two races for Tricon Garage

In 2023, John Hunter Nemechek drove two races for Tricon Garage, finishing 31st at Las Vegas and third at Atlanta.

January 11, 2024: Sportscar debut at Daytona

On January 11, 2024, it was announced that John Hunter Nemechek would make his sportscar debut in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge at Daytona, piloting the No. 23 Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO with codrivers Bubba Wallace and Corey Heim.

2024: Shared No. 20 in Xfinity Series

While running full-time with Legacy Motor Club in the Cup Series, John Hunter Nemechek shared the No. 20 with Aric Almirola for the 2024 Xfinity season. He started the season with a seventh-place finish at Daytona and won at Las Vegas and Nashville.