Nemechek wins Friday night NASCAR trucks playoff race, ties Dad for victories at Kansas

John Hunter Nemechek matched his dad in NASCAR victories at Kansas Speedway Friday night.

Nemechek overtook a desperate Carson Hocevar with a final-lap pass and won the NASCAR Camping World Trucks Series Kansas Lottery 200, clinching a spot in the playoffs’ Round of 8.

It was the second career NASCAR win at Kansas Speedway for Nemechek, who won the 2018 Xfinity Series race. He was on the pit box as a 7-year old when his father, Joe “Front Row” Joe Nemechek, won twice at Kansas Speedway, sweeping the Xfinity and Cup races at Kansas in 2004.

Nemechek on Friday also took over the points lead going into the next round of the playoffs, where he will be joined by Chandler Smith, who won the playoff opener at Richmond; Grant Enfinger, who won at Indianapolis; and the next five drivers on points: regular-season champion Zane Smith; Ty Majeski, Stewart Friesen, defending series champion Ben Rhodes and Christian Eckes.

Two drivers, Hocevar and three-time series champion Matt Crafton, were eliminated from championship contention.

Hocevar, at 19, the youngest playoff driver, roared from deep in the field and led 28 of the last 29 laps in trying to secure the win and a spot in the next round. But he wobbled toward the checkered flag as he ran out of fuel, and Nemechek, who won both stages from the pole and led 88 of the 134 laps in the No. 4 Toyota, beat Hocevar by 1.815 seconds.

Veteran non-playoff driver Ryan Preece was third followed by Zane Smith, who won the spring trucks race at Kansas and moved into second in the standings, nine points behind Nemechek.

“I got nervous there for a couple of laps,” said Nemechek, 25. “With all the lapped traffic in front of me, I kept dirtying myself in dirty air. I had to play it smarter. AneI didn’t play it smart for a couple of laps. I got myself a little bit behind, but overall had really good speed. I knew the 42 was trying to save fuel, and I tried a block there.”

The win was Nemechek’s 13th career trucks win but just the second of the season after winning five times a year ago.

“We’re behind last year,” he said, “but I rather win five races in the playoffs and win a championship than win five in the regular season.”

The win was also meaningful for the No. 4 team considering team owner Kyle Busch Motorsports’ future is in limbo until Busch finds sponsorship and a ride in the NASCAR Cup Series.

“It’s been a tough week emotionally,” Nemechek said. “There are things you can’t control. There’s definitely uncertainty. There are a lot of questions. But everyone in the shop is there to do a job. We may not know what may happen in the future. But we’re focused on all going out and trying to win the championship this year and carry on the KBM tradition.”

While Nemechek owned one Xfinity series trophy at Kansas, he has been frustrated in recent trucks races, having finished third, fourth and fifth in his past four starts. Now, he has some bragging rights with his father.

“Tying my dad here is pretty cool,” Nemechek said. “He has two of these trophies in his trophy case. He doesn’t have a trucks one. He has an Xfinity one and a Cup one. I have an Xfinity one and now a trucks one, and maybe one day, I can go get a Cup one and have three. Go beat him a little bit.”

Hocevar, in the No. 42 Chevrolet, had no regrets about failing to beat Nemechek.

“He deserved to win the race,” Hocevar said. “They were the class of the field all night.”

This story was originally published September 9, 2022 at 10:03 PM.