“It was going to be hard to hold him off” - ‘Disappointed’ John Hunter Nemechek finishes 2nd at Richmond yet again

This weekend's NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Saturday turned out to be a disappointing affair for John Hunter Nemechek. The ToyotaCare 250 at Richmond Raceway saw the 25-year-old Mooresville, North Carolina native finish in the runners-up spot, behind first-time winner Chandler Smith.

Despite managing to hold on to the second place for the third consecutive year, Nemechek was left wanting more in the 250-lap-long race.

With just three-tenths separating the #20 Toyota Supra driver from the #16 Chevrolet of Smith ahead, it was a close dash across the finish line for both drivers. Elaborating on his feelings after taking the checkered flag in P2, Nemechek said:

“We weren’t very good on the short run. We had a long run speed car. Came from the back up there to battle for the win and put ourselves into position. Disappointed to run runner-up again. That’s the last three races here I’ve run second, so it’s frustrating but we’ll go back to work. We just have to figure out how to execute a little bit better. #16 (Chandler Smith) had the best car on the short run. It was going to be hard to hold him off."

John Hunter Nemechek's long-running pace was seen in action during the second stage of the 187-mile-long race. He drove through the field to a top-10 position within 40 laps after a strategic error.

John Hunter Nemechek elaborates on his team's strategic calls during NASCAR Xfinity race at Richmond

After having to recover from a strategic error on his team's part, John Hunter Nemechek managed to put himself and Joe Gibbs Racing in a well-deserved P2 at Richmond Raceway.

The ToyotaCare 250 saw the 25-year-old drive through the field into the top-10 in the second stage of the 250-lap-long race. He elaborated on his team's strategic calls in a post-race interview and said:

"We played a strategy. We thought more people would stay out there during that comp(etition) caution and Sammy (Smith) and I were the only two. Luckily, we were able to get the dog and drove back through the field, got up front and had a shot there. I felt like the #8 (Chandler Smith) and I were definitely the two best cars for a long run. Came down to a six-lap shootout."

Watch John Hunter Nemechek take on Martinsville Speedway next weekend in a bid to win the Call 811.com Before You Dig 250. Meanwhile, NASCAR Cup Series drivers are preparing to go racing at Richmond Raceway today for the Toyota Owners 400, which is scheduled to go live today at 2:30 pm ET.