By Dustin Albino
John Hunter Nemechek hasn’t driven an Xfinity Series car since the end of the 2019 season. But that will change come May.
Nemechek is scheduled to drive the No. 26 Sam Hunt Racing Toyota in select races this season, with his first race coming at Dover International Speedway on May 15.
“I‘m so excited for the opportunity to be able to run some races for Sam Hunt,” Nemechek said in a team press release. “It‘s awesome to see what he‘s done in such a short time, being such a young team owner in the sport.
“I think my experience and this team can accomplish a lot and I‘m excited to see what happens.”
In 51 career Xfinity starts, Nemechek has one victory, coming in 2018 at Kansas Speedway while driving for Chip Ganassi Racing. In 2019, he drove full time for GMS Racing, finishing seventh in the championship standings.
Hunt, who already has a driver lineup for 2021 that includes Brandon Gdovic, Kris Wright and Santino Ferrucci, is excited to have the NASCAR veteran join his team.
“I‘m excited to have John Hunter come back to his roots and drive for our young team in 2021,” Hunt said. “He‘s always been a mutual friend of mine, always been extremely friendly, and has always shown that he can maximize his equipment and represent his sponsors. Working with so many rookies this year, his experience and feedback will be invaluable to our program‘s growth.”
The amount of Xfinity races Nemechek competes in for SHR is yet to be determined. However, the 22-year-old is running full time for Kyle Busch Motorsports in the Camping World Truck Series, where he finished seventh in the season opener last weekend at Daytona International Speedway.
