Date: Sept. 24, 2021
Event: Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200 (Race 19 of 22)
Series: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Location: Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway (1.5-mile tri-oval)
Format: Three Stages; 30 laps/30 laps/74 laps
Start/Finish: 1st/33rd (Running, completed 85 of 134 laps)
Winner: Christian Eckes of ThorSport Racing (Toyota)
After starting the Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200 from the pole, John Hunter Nemechek lead all 30 laps in the opening stage to capture his 11th stage win of the year and an additional 10 points.
During the middle stanza, the Berry’s Manufacturing Tundra experienced a number of mechanical issues that would set back the No. 4 team for the remainder of the race. Nemechek would lose power twice throughout the final two stages and spend 44 laps behind the wall in the Final Stage before being relegated to a 33rd-place finish.
Depsite the 33rd-place finish, Nemechek is still 28-points above the cutoff line to advance to the Championship 4.
Stage One Recap:
- John Hunter Nemechek started the Victoria’s Voice 200 from the pole next to Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) teammate Chandler Smith.
- Nemechek chose the outside lane to start the race and was out in front by the time the field came back around to the start/finish line.
- The Berry’s Manufacturing driver would lead all 30 laps of the opening stage, picking up an additional 10 stage points.
Stage Two Recap:
- After bringing No. 4 Tundra to pit road, Nemechek started Stage Two from the first position on the inside lane.
- Just two laps into the middle stanza, Nemechek had fallen back to sixth before the caution was brought out for debris on the track.
- Following the ensuing restart, John Hunter Nemechek dropped from sixth to 22nd in just three laps and reported that the No. 4 Tundra had “power to the gauges, but no power to the truck.”
- This mechanical issue would bring out the caution on lap 54 as Nemechek came to a stop on the 1.5-mile tri-oval. Nemechek communicated that the Berry’s Manufacturing Tundra would “refire every once in a while, but still had no ignition power”.
- Nemechek came to the green-and-white checkered flag in the 32nd-position to end Stage Two.
Final Stage Recap:
- Following the mechanical issues in the middle stage, Nemechek would start the Final Stage in 32nd.
- With 55 laps to go in the Victoria’s Voice 200, Nemechek once again experienced mechanical issues as the No. 4 Tundra came to a stop on the backstretch of Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
- This time, Nemechek and the No. 4 team would bring the Berry’s Manufacturing Tundra behind pit wall to assess the issue.
- While behind the wall, Nemechek communicated to the No. 4 team that “something is not letting the fuel pumps run”.
- The No. 4 team was able to fix the issue and send the Tundra back out onto the track with just eight laps remaining and the field under caution.
- John Hunter Nemechek was relegated to a 33rd-place finish in the Victoria’s Voice 200.
Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200 Recap
- Christian Eckes picked up his first career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Eckes was followed by ThorSport Racing teammates Ben Rhodes, Matt Crafton, and Johnny Sauter. Todd Gilliland rounded out the top-five.
- There were 10 cautions for 39 laps. There were 14 lead changes among 11 drivers, including Nemchek who led the first 33 laps of the race.
How Nemechek’s KBM Teammates Fared:
- Drew Dollar, driver of the No. 51 Toyota, finished 24th.
- Chandler Smith, driver of the No. 18 Toyota, finished 35th.
Camping World Trucks Driver Championship Standings:
Despite a 33rd-place finish, John Hunter Nemechek currently sits in second place and 28-points above the cutline to advance to the Championship 4.
Next Race:
Nemechek and the No. 4 team will head to Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway for the second race of the Round of 8 on Oct. 2. Live coverage will be on FS1, Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM at 1 p.m. ET.
