John Nemechek
Encyclopedia
John Nemechek was a race car driver who was killed in an accident during a Craftsman truck race at Homestead, Florida.
, John followed his brother into racing, running his first race at the age of twelve in an 80 class dirtbike race. After a quick progression to the 250cc class, he moved onto mini-stock cars, where he raced against his brother, and eventually late-model stocks.
When he wasn't racing, Nemechek served as the front-tire changer on Joe's pit crew, and was on Joe's 1992
Busch Series
Championship winning team. He would begin attempting NASCAR races himself, and ran one Busch Race at IRP in 1994. He finished 30th after his #89 Chevrolet suffered engine failure. The following season, he began racing the #8 Chevrolet C/K
in the new Craftsman Truck Series. In the first year of competition, Nemechek ran 16 races and had two top-ten finishes. He followed that up with two more top-tens in 1996 and a thirteenth place finish in points, running a single truck he built himself titled The War Wagon under his own team, Chek Racing, Inc.
when with 25 laps to go, he suddenly lost control of his truck and slammed into the Turn 1 wall driver's-side first, suffering major head injuries. He clung to life over the next five days before finally succumbing on March 21. Joe was able to pay tribute to his brother by winning a Busch Series race that November at the same track (which had been overhauled with a reconfiguration, turning the track into a true oval with six degrees of banking, eliminating the rectangular configuration used in March) that took his brother's life, and also naming his son John Hunter after his late brother.
Life and racing career
The younger brother of four-time Sprint Cup race winner Joe NemechekJoe Nemechek
Joseph Frank Nemechek III is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver and owner of NEMCO Motorsports. He won the 1992 Busch Series championship...
, John followed his brother into racing, running his first race at the age of twelve in an 80 class dirtbike race. After a quick progression to the 250cc class, he moved onto mini-stock cars, where he raced against his brother, and eventually late-model stocks.
When he wasn't racing, Nemechek served as the front-tire changer on Joe's pit crew, and was on Joe's 1992
1992 in NASCAR Busch Series
The 1992 NASCAR Busch Series Season began February 15 and ended November 8. Joe Nemechek of NEMCO Motorsports won the championship.See also: 1992 in NASCAR- Goody's 300 :The Goody's 300 was held February 15 at Daytona International Speedway...
Busch Series
Busch Series
The NASCAR Nationwide Series is a stock car racing series owned and operated by the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing. It is promoted as NASCAR's "minor league" circuit, and is a proving ground for drivers who wish to step up to the organization's "big leagues"; the Sprint Cup circuit...
Championship winning team. He would begin attempting NASCAR races himself, and ran one Busch Race at IRP in 1994. He finished 30th after his #89 Chevrolet suffered engine failure. The following season, he began racing the #8 Chevrolet C/K
Chevrolet C/K
The C/K is the name for Chevrolet and GMC's full-size pickup truck line from 1960 until 1999 in the United States, from 1965 to 1999 Canada, from 1964 through 2001 in Brazil, and from 1975 to 1982 in Chile. The first Chevrolet pickup truck appeared in 1924, though in-house designs did not appear...
in the new Craftsman Truck Series. In the first year of competition, Nemechek ran 16 races and had two top-ten finishes. He followed that up with two more top-tens in 1996 and a thirteenth place finish in points, running a single truck he built himself titled The War Wagon under his own team, Chek Racing, Inc.
Death
On March 16, 1997, Nemechek was running a Truck race at Homestead-Miami SpeedwayHomestead-Miami Speedway
Homestead-Miami Speedway is a race track in Homestead, Florida southwest of Miami.Since 2002 Homestead has hosted the final races of the season in all three of NASCAR's series: the Sprint Cup Series, Nationwide Series, and the Camping World Truck Series...
when with 25 laps to go, he suddenly lost control of his truck and slammed into the Turn 1 wall driver's-side first, suffering major head injuries. He clung to life over the next five days before finally succumbing on March 21. Joe was able to pay tribute to his brother by winning a Busch Series race that November at the same track (which had been overhauled with a reconfiguration, turning the track into a true oval with six degrees of banking, eliminating the rectangular configuration used in March) that took his brother's life, and also naming his son John Hunter after his late brother.