Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

John Hunter Nemechek to race part-time for Chip Ganassi Racing in Xfinity Series

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Texas Roadhouse 200 Presented by Alpha Energy Solutions - Qualifying

MARTINSVILLE, VA - OCTOBER 28: John H. Nemechek, driver of the #8 Fire Alarm Services Inc. Chevrolet, stands on the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Texas Roadhouse 200 at Martinsville Speedway on October 28, 2017 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images)

Getty Images

John Hunter Nemechek, the son of former Cup driver Joe Nemechek, will join Chip Ganassi Racing in 2018 to compete part-time in the Xfinity Series, the team announced Tuesday.

At 20-year-old driver will pilot the No. 42 Chevrolet in multiple races, sharing the ride with Kyle Larson. Fire Alarm Services, which sponsored Nemechek in the Truck Series, will move up to Xfinity with him.

Nemechek 42

The No. 42 has significant meaning to the Nemechek family. Joe Nemechek earned his first of four Cup wins driving the No. 42 for Felix Sabates in 1999 at New Hampshire. He drove for Sabates from 1997-99.

Sabates is a co-owner of Chip Ganassi Racing.

John Hunter Nemechek spent the last two years full-time in the Camping World Truck Series driving the No. 8 Chevrolet for his family-owned team, NEMCO Motorsports. He has 76 starts in the series since 2013 and five wins, two coming in each of the last two seasons.
“I couldn’t be more excited to join Chip Ganassi Racing,” Nemechek said in a press release. “I feel like their cars and organization were the talk of the garage in 2017 and I hope to play a part in continuing their run of success in 2018 and beyond. Also, Fire Alarm Services has been a supporter of my career since 2016 at our family-owned team, and I am looking forward to continuing that partnership at Chip Ganassi Racing. I am extremely grateful to Shannon and Connie Smith, owners of Fire Alarm Services, Inc. I also want to thank my father for all that he has done to help grow my passion for racing.”

Nemechek will work with veteran crew chief Mike Shiplett, who has led the No. 42 team for the last four seasons.

Nemechek announced he’d be making a career change with a video posted to Twitter on Dec. 5.

NEMCO Motorsports made clear on Twitter that it is not closing its doors.

Larson, Tyler Reddick and Alex Bowman split time in the No. 42 in 2017 and combined to earn five wins.

The No. 42 will be the only full-time entry for Ganassi in the Xfinity Series in 2018. It fielded the No. 48 for Brennan Poole the last two seasons. No announcements have been made about Poole’s future.

We are happy to have John Hunter join our organization and also announce the relationship with Fire Alarm Services,” Chip Ganassi said in a press release. “We had a very successful 2017 with our Xfinity program and look to improve upon that. We feel that John Hunter has the talent to be a future star in the sport and can’t wait to get him behind the wheel.”

Follow @DanielMcFadin and on Facebook