Reid Spencer NASCAR Wire Service

1223 posts

John Hunter Nemechek is Fast on the Track and Off

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John Hunter Nemechek shares a laugh with the media during the 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoffs Media Day on September 20, 2017, in Charlotte, North Carolina. Photo – Bob Leverone/Getty Images

Who knew an Ironman Triathlon is a contact sport?

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series title contender John Hunter Nemechek found that out quickly when he competed in his first half-triathlon last Sunday in Wilmington, North Carolina.

Covering 70.3 miles of swimming, biking, and racing, Nemechek completed the course in four hours, 53 minutes, 26 seconds, beating his goal time of five hours. He was fourth in the 18-24 age group and 146th overall in a field of 1,736 competitors.

“The swimming was probably my most difficult part,” Nemechek said. “Swimming in the ocean, we had the tide with us, pushing us, so it was a fast swim, but it was brutal – swimming over people, people swimming over you, getting kicked in the face, getting kicked in the chest.

“No one cares. You’re all going for the same real estate. You can kind of compare it to Martinsville, beating and banging and going at it.”

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Bubba Wallace Caps Long NASCAR Journey with Move to RPM

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Darrell Wallace Jr., the driver of the #98 Nickelodeon Green Slime Ford, stands on the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR XFINITY Series TheHouse.com 300 at Chicagoland Speedway on September 16, 2017, in Joliet, Illinois. Photo – Biran Lawdermilk/Getty Images

The historical and social significance of his move to Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series racing is not lost on Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr., who was announced on Wednesday as the driver of the iconic No. 43 car fielded by Richard Petty Motorsports.

Wallace will be the first African-American driver to compete fulltime at NASCAR’s highest level since NASCAR Hall of Famer Wendell Scott posted the final four of his 147 career top-tens in 1971.

Does that add pressure to Wallace’s ascendance to the Monster Energy Series level? The simple answer is

“Yes.”

“There’ve been a lot of people who’ve come up through the ranks and tried to carry on the legacy that Wendell Scott had laid down for us, and for me to step in that realm and take on that role is a lot of pressure,” acknowledged Wallace, a product of NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity and NASCAR Next programs.

“But we’re going to go out there and continue to do what we do on and off the race track, and that’s to represent the brand of myself and (team co-owner) Richard Petty and his image the best way I can and continue to grow together.”

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Engine Failure at Kansas Stuns Kyle Larson, Ending his Playoff Run

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Kyle Larson, the driver of the #42 Credit One Bank Chevrolet, speaks with the media after having engine trouble during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway on October 22, 2017, in Kansas City, Kansas. Photo – Jared C Tilton/Getty Images

Kyle Larson, long considered a lock to advance to the Round of 8 in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff, stood in the garage with a dazed look on his face. Continue reading →

Jimmie Johnson Survives Close Calls to Advance in Playoff

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Jimmie Johnson, the driver of the #48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, stands on the grid prior to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway on October 22, 2017, in Kansas City, Kansas. Photo – Jared C Tilton/Getty Images

On lap 188 of Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway, Jimmie Johnson’s hopes for a record eighth Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship appeared to take a telling blow. Continue reading →