John Hunter Nemechek opens up about the NASCAR legend he looked up to as a child 

Hours ahead of Sunday’s Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway, someone from Jack Link’s PR team interviewed John Hunter Nemechek, driver of the No. 42 Toyota Camry XSE for Legacy Motor Club. The first question required Nemechek to name his childhood NASCAR idol.

As a second-generation driver, John Hunter Nemechek grew up watching his father, Joe Nemechek, race. The NASCAR veteran, now 61, last competed part-time in the NASCAR Busch Series (now known as the Xfinity Series) for Sam Hunt Racing. He even won the 1992 NASCAR Busch Series championship.

So, to answer the question, Nemechek said,

“NASCAR idol as a kid was my dad. Growing up second generation underneath him, watching him do his thing as a kid was absolutely amazing.”

Today, Nemechek has two daughters of his own, Aspen and Penelope. Along with the kids and wife, Taylor, the 27-year-old, currently lives in Mooresville, North Carolina.

Taylor recently celebrated her 30th birthday, flaunting a sparkling, floor-length dress. She is often seen accompanying her husband on race days.

John Hunter Nemechek is in his second year driving for Legacy Motor Club, a Statesville-based outfit owned by seven-time Cup Series champion and Hall of Famer Jimmie Johnson. In nine starts this year, Nemechek has been able to amass one top-five besides a pair of top-10s. Sunday’s race marks his 10th start of 2025.

Nemechek is still vying for his first win of the season as well as his Cup Series career. Most recently, he won an Xfinity Series race for Joe Gibbs Racing at Nashville Superspeedway.

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“We’ll be back in the Fall”- John Hunter Nemechek reflects on his Bristol finish following scary tire debacle

Two weeks ago, NASCAR hosted this year’s running of the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway, in which John Hunter Nemechek finished 21st. There were several hurdles that the driver had to overcome, one of which was a pit road penalty that dropped him from the lead to 18th for a restart.

While his crew was busy making adjustments to his No. 42 Dollar Tree Toyota, a tire got loose and rolled down to fellow racer Daniel Suarez’s pit stall, several blocks away. Thankfully, none of Suarez’s guys were hurt by the rogue tire as it simply bounced off his car before coming to a halt.

Reflecting on his day, Nemechek posted (on X),

“Appreciate the team’s fight all day. We’ll be back in the Fall!”

John Hunter Nemechek will be back at Bristol Motor Speedway for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race on September 13. The 500-lap race will feature on USA, 7:30 pm ET onwards, with live radio updates on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson happens to be the defending winner of the event.