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John Hunter Nemechek Hoping for First Late Model Win at Five Flags Speedway
Southern Super Series & Blizzard Series Event Could be Scene for Breakout Victory
Over the past few seasons John Hunter Nemechek has made a name for himself in the Allison Legacy Series and now into the Late Model ranks. The 15-year-old son of NASCAR veteran Joe Nemechek, has yet to crack into victory lane in his year-plus of racing in the competitive Southern Super Late Model scene, but he has turned many heads with strong performances in several different series, including his first starts in 2013 with the Southern Super Series presented by Sunoco.
Nemechek is now hoping to score that first Super Late Model victory on May 24 at Pensacola, Florida’s Five Flags Speedway in the Southern Super Series 125 presented by Crane Cams, a combination event with the Five Flags track Super Late Model division, the Buddy’s Home Furnishings Blizzard Series.
Although Nemechek hasn’t been to victory lane, he still has some impressive stats to his credit including starting on the front row and leading laps during the 45th Annual Snowball Derby at Five Flags in 2012.
“That was really fun,” said Nemechek. “I mean leading a race is leading a race. It’s always a good thing to do, but leading the Snowball Derby actually meant a lot just because it’s a big race and it’s something that everyone wants to do. We ended up getting in a wreck there and coming back to finish 10th, but we led most of the race and we had a really good car so I’m looking forward to getting back there.”
Despite finding success at the Florida Panhandle half-mile in the past, Nemechek knows things will be different this time around given the renovations to the track surface.
“We’ll see how it goes when we get down there,” said Nemechek. “They’ve ground the track so we’ll see if it’s still going to eat tires the way it has in the past or not. They used to do it bad last time so you’d have to save no matter what, but we’ll definitely see when we get down there. It could be a lot different.”
As far as the track itself, Nemechek knows it’s a unique place that requires a lot of skill and patience in the driver’s seat.
“It’s a different type of racetrack. You can’t compare it to hardly anything. It’s really abrasive and really fun but it’s more of a driver’s track than anything. You’ve got to learn that your setup doesn’t matter as much, it’s all up to the driver and how he drives it.”
Coming through the ranks, Nemechek’s racing career has taken him to many different venues. Still, he knows how special it would be to snag his first Late Model victory at a track with as much history as Five Flags Speedway.
“This could be the one. It would mean a lot to win there at a place like that with all that’s gone on there over the years. It’s a special place and it would be a great place to get that first win, but anywhere we can get a win is also good. We just want to get that first win off of our back and keep winning after that.”
The following night, May 25th, the series will travel just West of Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida to Mobile International Speedway in Irvington, Alabama for a second night of Super Late Model action with the track’s Miller Lite Series. Mobile International Speedway will be a new track for Nemechek and that’s another challenge he is ready to take on.
“I’ve never been to Mobile but I’ve heard it’s fast and doesn’t have a wall, like Watermelon (Capitol Speedway, GA),” said Nemechek. “And we’ve been good at Watermelon so hopefully we can do the same down there. Getting into a banked track and going really fast like I think we’re going to do there is going to be fun and I’m really looking forward to that too.”
The May 24 Southern Super Series presented by Sunoco 100 at Five Flags Speedway will also feature events for the track’s Modified, Sportsmen and Bomber divisions. Ticket and hotel information can be found on the track’s official website, www.5flagsspeedway.com.
For more information on the Southern Super Series, visit www.SouthernSuperSeries.com. The Facebook page for the Southern Super Series is located at www.facebook.com/southernsuperseries and on Twitter it’s @SoSuperSeries. For advertising or sponsorship questions, please contact the track representatives. For media inquiries, please contact Matt Kentfield at 51 Sports via matt@51sports.net.
May 22, 2013
