MARTINSVILLE | RACE RECAP
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK | NO. 42 PYE-BARKER FIRE & SAFETY CAMRY XSE
START: 24th | FINISH: 21st | POINTS: 24th
John Hunter Nemechek started 24th in the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Just 10 laps into the race, Nemechek reported that his No. 42 Pye-Barker Fire & Safety Toyota Camry XSE was tight and that he had some front wheel lockup in the turns. Crew chief Travis Mack opted to bring him down pit road during the first caution on Lap 28 for four tires, fuel, and an air pressure adjustment. During the long green flag run that followed, Nemechek struggled to not get lapped by the leaders near the end of Stage 1. He steadily rode in 33rd for most of the stage. Nemechek finished Stage 1 in 33rd.
Nemechek came down pit road during the stage break for four tires, fuel, and a wedge adjustment to help with the handling of the Toyota. He picked up one position after a wild restart to find himself running 32nd. As Stage 2 saw a good bit of cautions, strategy became key for the No. 42 team. During the first caution of the stage on Lap 216, Nemechek stayed out. He pitted during the Lap 230 and Lap 242 cautions for four tires, fuel, and several more adjustments to help with handling. Nemechek reported to the team that he felt good on the short green flag runs in between cautions, but still had issues with lockups in the turns. Without much movement throughout the field in Stage 2, Nemechek finished 30th.
After pitting again during the stage break for four tires and fuel, the No. 42 Pye-Barker Fire & Safety Toyota Camry XSE started the final stage in 31st, two laps down. Throughout the duration of the stage, Nemechek and his team were able to persevere and pick up some spots on the long green flag runs. When the caution came out on Lap 376, Nemechek was running 25th. He took the wave around on the caution to get one of his laps back. Not long into the next run, he told the team that his Toyota was getting better. In the final laps, Nemechek continued with his upward trajectory to overcome early issues and finish the race in 21st.
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK QUOTE:
“It was a solid recovery by the No. 42 Pye-Barker Fire & Safety team. We struggled pretty bad in the first stage. Just a lot of different things that we had to fix throughout the race. The guys stuck with it, and Travis (Mack, crew chief) had some good strategy calls. We ultimately came home 21st. I think we were stuck two laps down after Stage 1 while running back in the pack. So, it was a solid recovery keeping our nose clean. We’ve got to move on from this one. Feel like we learned some stuff for Martinsville when we come back next year, but we’re moving on to Phoenix to finish out the year strong.”
ERIK JONES | NO. 43 DOLLAR TREE TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
START: 28th | FINISH: 34th | POINTS: 26th
After qualifying 28th for Sunday’s Xfinity 500, Erik Jones wasted no time in his pursuit forward in the No. 43 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE. By Lap 6, he found himself in 25th. Jones held steady there until the first caution of the day on Lap 28. Crew chief Ben Beshore called his driver down pit road during the caution to put on four tires, fill up on fuel, and make an air pressure adjustment to combat a tight-handling racecar. Jones restarted 24th after his stop, where he ran for much of Stage 1. He went a lap down late in the stage, but told the team that the car felt like it was getting better on the long runs. Jones finished Stage 1 in 24th, one lap down.
During the stage break, Jones pitted for four tires, fuel and another air pressure adjustment. He restarted 23rd on Lap 142 for Stage 2. He worked his way up to 22nd by Lap 176. As the long green flag run continued, Jones fought to stay on the lead lap. He was able to stay one lap down until the Lap 216 caution. As the leaders pitted, Jones stayed on the track and took the wave around to get his lap back. He restarted 17th. In a flurry of cautions that followed, Jones was able to move up to 16th, pit under caution for scuffs, and avoid mayhem. He finished 10th in Stage 2 on the lead lap to earn one stage point.
Once again the No. 43 Dollar Tree team pitted for four fresh tires and fuel during the stage break to restart 14th. Jones stayed there until the Lap 279 caution when he reported needing more drive off the corners. During that caution, the No. 43 team opted to stay out to restart 14th. As a long green flag run ensued, he consistently ran 14th on the lead lap.
Jones pitted on Lap 375 for four tires and fuel when trouble found him for the first time. As he was two laps down and waiting for the remaining green flag pit stops, he spun and brought out the caution. Luckily there was no damage to his No. 43 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE, and he was able to stay out under caution and take another wave around to get one of his laps back. He restarted 19th on Lap 390 and battled the No. 3 car for the lucky dog.
Unfortunately, contact with another car on Lap 405 damaged the right front wheel of Jones’ Toyota. He safely made it to pit road and took his No. 43 Toyota to the garage on Lap 406, ending his day. Jones ultimately finished 34th at Martinsville.
ERIK JONES QUOTE:
“It’s tough. I feel like we were really starting to figure out our No. 43 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE there. We were getting better as the race went on. It started with the pit stop in the final stage when I spun, and then we just got too much damage from contact on the second incident to continue. We’ll look ahead to Phoenix.”
NEXT UP: The NASCAR Cup Series will head to Phoenix Raceway for final race of the NASCAR Cup Series season on Sunday, Nov. 2 for the NASCAR Cup Series Championship.
The race begins at 3 p.m. EDT on NBC, MAX, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).
