“I thought we were a 10th-place car” - John Hunter Nemechek surprised to win NASCAR Xfinity race in Martinsville

Long cautions didn't stop John Hunter Nemechek from winning the NASCAR Xfinity race at Martinsville Speedway on Saturday night.

With 17 laps remaining, a late-race yellow for a collision involving Riley Herbst and Sam Mayer opened up a restart, but Nemechek swiftly drew away and was never seriously challenged for the lead.

The 25-year-old seized the lead for the first time after only five laps and went on to lead 198 of the 250 laps, winning by 1.518 seconds over Sammy Smith.

This was Nemechek's second win of the season and the fourth of his career, taking home the coveted Martinsville Grandfather Clock as well as the $100,000 Dash4Cash program cash prize.

“I can’t say enough about this whole team. If you would have asked me yesterday if we would have won, I thought we were a 10th-place car in practice; I didn’t think we were very good," Nemechek said.

Cole Custer finished third, Josh Berry finished fourth despite a late flat tire, and Brandon Jones rounded out the top five. Justin Allgaier, Daniel Hemric, Derek Kraus, Brett Moffitt, and Chandler Smith rounded out the top ten.

Next weekend at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, Nemechek, Sammy Smith, Custer, and Berry will compete for the $100,000 Dash4Cash incentive.

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John Hunter Nemechek triumphs and catches fire at Xfinity race in Martinsville

On Saturday, John Hunter Nemechek set fire to Martinsville. Literally. He, too, was caught on fire.

The driver of the No. 20 car dominated the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Martinsville Speedway, sweeping all three stages and rising above the wreckage left by the event's nine cautions.

However, when he began to celebrate at the racetrack's start-finish line, his car caught fire, and the fire spread across the track, filling the infield with smoke. It was the only drama Nemechek, who led 198 of the 250 laps, experienced.

“I saw that there was a fire in the mirrors, which I didn’t know if the ground was on fire from the rubber, or if it was the mud flaps, or what exactly was on fire,” Nemechek said during the post-race interview.

Nemechek attempted to drive away from the fire at first, but was forced to stop as safety officials ran onto the circuit and used fire extinguishers to put out the flames. The racetrack was left with burnt marks after the incident.

“So I figured trying to drive away from it first might be better for getting out of that situation. But then it continued on. Then I got told to back because there were fire extinguishers on the way, and backed up, and then I got out.”

The next race in the Xfinity Series - the Ag-Pro 300 at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama - will be held on Saturday, April 22.