John Hunter Nemechek recalls the most painful wreck of his racing career: "It was gnarly"

In an episode of the Gypsy Tales Podcast, NASCAR Cup Series driver John Hunter Nemechek recalled last year’s gruesome crash at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Calling the crash “gnarly,” the 27-year-old speedster described how it all went down for him.

NASCAR hosted last year’s running of the iconic Brickyard 400 at IMS on July 21. Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevy Camaro for Hendrick Motorsports, won the event, marking his fourth victory of the season. But it didn’t end well for Nemechek, who had to settle for a disappointing P28 finish.

What happened following that first overtime restart stays with Nemechek even to this day. Running inside the top 10, he was looking for ways to gain spots when fellow racer Daniel Hemric clipped his car’s left rear. The No. 42 then got sent hard into the outside wall.

Recalling the incident, Nemechek said (1:23:06)

“We had a really good car; we led part of the race. On a late-race restart, I got clipped in the left getting into Turn one, and NASCAR has a barrier called SAFER barriers; it's like a two-wall system like an aluminium wall or a steel wall and then it has foam in between that and a concrete wall, so it absords the energy on impact. Well, I hit a solid concrete wall with the left front first; we were running like eighth, I think.”

Nemechek’s car bounced off the SAFER barriers and back into the racetrack, collecting several others. For the Mooresville native, it all happened in the blink of an eye.

“And then I bounced off that back in the traffic and got hit in the right side door and started bouncing and then hit the outside wall. It was gnarly. That one hurt for sure,” he added.

After spending a year racing with Joe Gibbs Racing in the Xfinity Series, John Hunter Nemechek returned to the Cup Series with Legacy Motor Club in 2024. He was a contender for the Sunoco Rookie of the Year title in 2020, his first full season in the series.

Nemechek sits 18th in the driver standings with 130 points to his name. He is currently vying for his first win of the season, with his next race scheduled for Sunday, March 30. Named Cook Out 400, the 400-lap race at Martinsville Speedway will be televised by Fox Sports 1, with radio coverage on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

“Straight outta ‘98!”- Legacy Motor Club unveils John Hunter Nemechek’s throwback ride for Darlington

In this year’s Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway, John Hunter Nemechek will drive his father Joe Nemechek’s Darlington paint scheme from 1998. Winner of the 1992 NASCAR Busch Series championship, Joe last raced part-time in NASCAR, driving the No. 24 Sam Hunt Racing entry in the Xfinity Series.

The Goodyear 400 is scheduled for Sunday, April 6. Fans can watch the event on Fox Sports 1 or listen to radio updates on MRN and NASCAR Radio.

Just recently, Legacy Motor Club took to Instagram and shared a picture of Nemechek’s car for the race. The caption read,

“Straight outta ‘98!”

John Hunter Nemechek’s best finish of a P9 at Darlington came in 2020, when he was driving the No. 38 for Front Row Motorsports in the NASCAR Cup Series, filling in for the retired David Ragan.