NASCAR
John Hunter Nemechek Sweeps Kansas Stages, Clutch in Fuel-Mileage Finish
KANSAS CITY, Kan. – John Hunter Nemechek was the class of the field all night long in Kansas, leading 88 laps from the pole. The No. 4 Toyota for Kyle Busch Motorsports swept all three Stages as well, but the win did not come easy. The final Stage saw a fuel-mileage battle against Carson Hocevar, who needed a win to advance onward in the Playoffs. On the last lap, Nemechek made the winning pass over Hocevar, taking checkered flag number two of 2022.
Nemechek made the first half of this Playoff elimination race fly by, taking both Stages. However, this race would see a major Hail Mary attempt under caution on lap 77, when Carson Hocevar chose to pit. In need of a strong points night, the 42 found the front when Nemechek pitted for the final time with 30 to go.
On fresher tires, Nemechek quickly erased Hocevar’s huge lead. As laps wound down, the 4 grew larger in the 42’s mirror. At the white flag, Nemechek was all over Hocevar’s bumper. In turn one on the last lap, the 4 passed the 42 for good, taking a dominant win from Kansas.
“It’s huge,” Nemechek said of his second triumph in 2022. “Just wanted to say thank you to Eric Phillips (crew chief) and everyone else at KBM. I can’t thank them enough for the Truck they gave me tonight. This Toyota Tundra TRD Pro was absolutely on rails. Qualified on pole, led a ton of laps, won both Stages and the race. We came in here really good points-wise, and it played out in our favor to go get some more Playoff points going into the next round. This puts us in a good spot, we have some momentum on our side going into Bristol.”
“I think this one is even sweeter, it’s been a really tough week for myself mentally and emotionally. Things that you can’t control, but it feels good to cap it off here with a win and show who I am. I want to say hi to Taylor and Aspen back home, wish you guys were here. Can’t wait to get home to you guys, wake up to Aspen in the morning, go get breakfast and celebrate.”
“I got nervous there for a couple laps actually, with all of the lapped traffic in front of me. I kept dirtying myself up in dirty air, I had to play it smarter, and I didn’t for a few laps. Got myself a little bit behind, but overall had great speed. I had a huge run out of turn four, and I knew the 42 was saving fuel as well. Just proud of all my guys, proud to get back to victory lane for the second time this year. We’re behind from last year, but I said I’d rather win five races in the Playoffs and the championship than win five in the regular season. We’re going to try and go do that.”
Even coasting across the line with a second-place finish, Carson Hocevar still did not advance in the Playoffs. He was just three points shy of making the Round of 8 cut. Other top finishers were Ryan Preece, Zane Smith, Grant Enfinger, Chandler Smith, Corey Heim, Ty Majeski, Colby Howard, and Christian Eckes.
Hocevar was ultimately bumped from the Playoffs by Eckes, who rallied late to gain enough positions to stay in the green. Also eliminated after Kansas was three-time Truck champion Matt Crafton.
This is a short turnaround week for the Truck Series; the Round of 8 kicks off Thursday night at Bristol. With the points now reset, a win at The Last Great Coliseum can be one driver’s ticket to the Championship 4. Coverage of the UNOH 200 begins at 9:00 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credit to Chris Graythen/Getty Images for NASCAR
