John Hunter Nemechek Announces 10-Race NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Schedule for 2014
SWM-NEMCO Motorsports Steps Up Schedule for 16-Year-Old Driver
After turning heads in the first two races of his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career in 2013, 16-year-old John Hunter Nemechek is ready to compete at the front of the field with a more aggressive schedule in 2014.
Nemechek will pilot the No. 8 Toyota Tundra in 10 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series events with SWM-NEMCO Motorsports. The 10-race slate consists of all the tracks the second-generation driver can compete on under NASCAR’s age requirements, but the mix of short tracks and one-mile ovals coupled with a road course and a dirt track makes for an exciting opportunity for Nemechek to gain more NCWTS experience.
“Our goals for the year are to finish top 10 in each race,” said Nemechek. “I know it’s going to be tough racing against all the veterans that we’ll compete with each race, but I think we’ll have the team to do it. It’s all about getting as much experience as I can while continuing to move up into the bigger cars.”
Nemechek, son of NASCAR veteran Joe Nemechek, kick-started his foray into the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series with a pair of starts near the end of the 2013 season. The former Allison Legacy Series National Champion and Super Late Model standout finished 16th in his Truck Series debut in October at Martinsville Speedway, followed by a 21st-place result at Phoenix International Raceway in November.
Opening his NASCAR National Series career with races at two of the series’ most diverse venues helped Nemechek prepare for a more aggressive approach to his Truck Series schedule in 2014.
“Getting my feet wet with the races at Martinsville and Phoenix definitely prepared me for this season. I know more of what I’m looking for in the truck set-up wise and how to get the truck faster. It’s a lot about preparation and the people you have working around you. We’re definitely looking forward to putting all the right parts to the puzzle together to run well this year.”
The formation of SWM-NEMCO Motorsports in 2013 was borne of the passion of Sid Mauldin, founder of Texas-based SWM Gun Runner. Mauldin, a longtime supporter of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, continues a battle with stomach and liver cancer today. Still, Mauldin lived out a dream of team ownership in 2013 by partnering with Joe Nemechek to form SWM-NEMCO Motorsports. That dream continues into 2014 with John Hunter Nemechek behind the wheel.
“Sid has meant a lot to my racing career,” added Nemechek. “It was always his dream to own a race team and I was blessed to get this opportunity to drive for him. He’s still with us, doing well and really excited to see what we can do on the track this year.”
John Hunter Nemechek, born just shy of three months after the untimely death of his uncle and namesake, John Nemechek, who lost his life in a NCWTS event at Homestead-Miami Speedway in March of 1997, will carry the family’s familiar No. 8 in 2014.
“It will be really special being able to run the No. 8 in the Truck Series, as well. That was the number my uncle John drove before we lost him a few years ago. It will mean a lot to my family and myself to be able to take the number with us as we take the next step in my career.”
Joe Nemechek will play an integral role in his son’s 10-race NCWTS schedule in 2014. An announcement regarding the team’s crew chief will be made in the coming weeks. John Hunter Nemechek will also compete in a number of Super Late Model events in 2014, with an exact schedule to be announced.
The events on John Hunter Nemechek’s NCWTS calendar include Martinsville Speedway on March 29 and October 25, Dover International Speedway on May 30, Gateway Motorsports Park on June 14, Iowa Speedway on July 11, Eldora Speedway on July 23, Bristol Motor Speedway on August 20, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park on August 31, New Hampshire Motor Speedway on September 20 and Phoenix International Raceway on November 7.
“One of the races I’m really looking forward to is Eldora,” added Nemechek. “That will be a lot of fun. I’m also looking forward to the road course race up in Canada. I love road course racing as much as I enjoy oval racing. Even though I’m not old enough to compete on the speedways or superspeedways, these 10 races are at a really fun mix of tracks. I can’t wait to compete with the veterans of the series and give it my all to run up front with the best of them.”
For more information on John Hunter Nemechek, visit www.johnhunternemechek.com, which is currently being redeveloped for 2014 by 51 Sports of Concord, North Carolina. Follow on Twitter via @JohnNemechek and on Facebook by searching John Hunter Nemechek.
Sources: 51 Sports