At Darlington Raceway, where legends are born and humility is taught in equal measure, John Hunter Nemechek, the driver for Jimmie Johnson’s LMC, found himself in a familiar dance with “The Lady in Black.” For John, it was a special day, not just because he was about to fight it out for a race win, but because the weekend gave him a chance to pay homage to a special person. Piloting a throwback scheme honoring his father Joe Nemechek’s iconic BellSouth No. 42, the second-generation driver demonstrated the calculated risk assessment that has become a hallmark of veterans at this storied 1.366-mile track.
As his Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE broke loose after just 14 laps on tires, Nemechek made a split-second decision that speaks volumes about his maturation as a driver: spin it down rather than fight it into the wall.
Speaking about his incident on the track, Nemechek didn’t mince any words. “Once I got loose to spin it down the racetrack rather than trying to correct it and pin it up in the outside wall from an overcorrection, ruined the rest of our practice, right? From not making a long run. I feel good about where we’re at. I feel good about starting balance, and it seems like Eric is in a good car so we’ll be able to kind of rely on him.”
With practice going on as usual for the Cup Series, Nemechek found himself sliding after exiting a turn left him with oversteer. It meant his car was facing the wrong way, and he quickly had to take action. Interestingly, the spin seemed identical to the one Nemechek experienced last year at the Goodyear 400. Perhaps that’s why Nemechek said, “I mean these cars are so on edge. Like it kind of snapped so fast that I probably could have tried to save it. But I don’t know what the end result would have been. At that point I was already kind of looking at the infield when I decided to kind of spin it down the racetrack. It was already too far gone. How do you see it? It’s not to have happened here at this racetrack. On all tires it can definitely happen really easy.”
Darlington’s notoriously abrasive surface has long been NASCAR’s ultimate test of car control. For Nemechek, making his sixth Cup Series start at the track, the challenge is one he approaches with hard-earned respect. Jimmie Johnson’s Legacy Motor Club driver’s analysis of Darlington’s unique challenges reveals why even veteran drivers approach the track with caution. “It’s way easier to do here than most places that we go to just with tire fall off and car balance and things of that sort,” he noted about losing control at NASCAR’s oldest superspeedway.
The LMC drove away, preserving his opportunity to qualify and potentially build on his previous success at the track, where he won a top-10 finish during his rookie campaign in 2020. Nemechek said of his No. 42 team’s position heading into race day. This pragmatic outlook echoes the methodical approach instilled in him throughout his racing journey.
.@JHNemechek spoke on his spin during practice at Darlington. He also discussed when he uses a cool suit and being taught respect by his father Joe.
: @soundlink_trent pic.twitter.com/nN2SU1IXhR
— Frontstretch (@Frontstretch) April 5, 2025
This isn’t Nemechek’s first rodeo with Darlington adversity. In May 2022, the then-Kyle Busch Motorsports driver overcame similar challenges to score a memorable Truck Series victory at the track nicknamed “Too Tough To Tame.” In that Dead On Tools 200, Nemechek battled through ten cautions and an unscheduled pit stop for a loose wheel, starting 26th on a Lap 63 restart before methodically working his way back to the front.
“Just a huge shoutout to all the guys that work on this No. 4 KBM Toyota Tundra,” Nemechek said after that 2022 victory celebration. “I thought we gave it away early, honestly, and we were able to rebound and battle back.” Those words echo the resilience he’s displaying this weekend, where another mid-race recovery could yield similar results for the Legacy MC driver who started the 2025 season with a fifth-place finish at Daytona.
At the same time, Nemechek is making big moves off the track, what with his podcast appearances. In one such appearance, he made a claim about NASCAR and the community.
Nemechek makes big Chase Elliott claim
When Chase Elliott claimed his 7th Most Popular Driver award, people weren’t too surprised. After all, he’s the son of Awesome Bill from Dawsonville. But Nemechek thinks that no driver can take the title away from the Hendrick Motorsports driver any time soon. “I think from my standpoint within the NASCAR ranks, like nobody’s ever going to beat Chase Elliott when it comes to the most popular driver, right? Just because of his history and it’s a huge fan base. It’s like Dale Junior winning most popular driver for (multiple) years in a row… No one’s ever going to beat Chase until he leaves the sport.”
It wouldn’t be too far-fetched to think that. When it came to the last winner of this award, it was none other than Dale Jr., the guy who won it 15 times. Before Junior, it was Chase’s father, Bill Elliott, who won the title 16 times. Why? Nemechek has an answer.
He explained, “I think it’s generational fan base. Having that name, the Elliot name, but I also think that Chase has grown his fan base as well… NASCAR is a southern sport, Chase being from Dawsonville, Georgia, and Bill being one of the pioneers in the sport, right? Like there’s a huge fan base behind them built in. So like I said, you’re never going to win most popular driver, but you can win most valuable driver in my opinion.”
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