John Hunter Nemechek experienced two major incidents during the race at Texas on Sunday. The Texas Motor Speedway hosted a tumultuous Cup Series race, with a quiet first stage followed by back-to-back stages filled with crashes and cautions. Nemechek’s teammate at HMS, Alex Bowman, managed to end his 42-race winless streak amidst the chaos. However, Nemechek, just like last week in Martinsville, fell victim to someone else’s mishap and had a disappointing day, finishing as the worst HMS Chevy.
During stage two of the race, Nemechek and Legacy Motor Club’s car were involved in a crash, forcing them to retire early due to significant damage. Bowman was unable to continue, while Nemechek returned to the track but ultimately did not finish the race. The No. 42 Toyota Camry was awarded a P34 finish, while the No. 48 Chevy Camero ZL1 was awarded a P37 finish. Only one driver finished worse than Nemechek.
The incident was initiated by Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing, who spun out in the corner, causing the drivers behind him to slow down and take evasive action. Bowman, who was racing behind Bell, had to brake suddenly, leading to a collision with Nemechek’s Camry. Both cars spun out and skidded on the infield grass before coming to a stop. What adds to the disappointment for both drivers is the fact that Bell, the cause of the incident, regained control of his car and finished in P17.
The incident occurred because both drivers had to brake abruptly, leaving them with no choice but to collide. Nemechek mentioned that, like Bowman, he hit the brakes hard when he saw the No. 48 spin, but it wasn’t enough to avoid a collision.
Nemechek then explained the second incident, which involved Austin Cindric’s No. 2 Ford Mustang and resulted in his retirement from the race. He stated that the fixed tow link of his Toyota snapped when he attempted to overtake the 2022 Daytona 500 winner.
Nemechek holds no animosity towards Bowman and Cindric, as they had no involvement in the incident that led to his retirement. They will be aiming to improve their performance in the upcoming race and return to competitive racing.