A parent competing alongside their child in any sport is an rare story for obvious reasons as the former would usually be retired by the time their kid makes it to the big leagues. In NASCAR, however, the longevity of careers makes such a prospect more likely, as evidenced with Xfinity Series team Sam Hunt Racing preparing to field two cars at Daytona International Speedway for Joe Nemechek and his son John Hunter Nemechek. Joe will drive the #24 Toyota GR Supra while John Hunter pilots the #26.
The older Nemechek won the 1992 Xfinity championship, five years before his son’s birth. As Joe entered the tail end of his driving days in the 2010s, his NEMCO Motorsports operation transitioned into providing a launch pad for John Hunter’s own career. John Hunter and Joe shared the NEMCO truck during the former’s part-time competition in the Camping World Truck Series before a second entry was opened in 2017 when John Hunter was a full-time driver.
Joe’s most recent NASCAR attempt came in the 2021 Truck opener at Daytona, where he drove the #8 for NEMCO but failed to qualify. Said race marked John Hunter’s first back in the Truck Series after competing in the upper divisions, and the Kyle Busch Motorsports driver would go on to win the regular season championship.
While Joe continued to watch his son’s career, John Hunter joined SHR for a limited Xfinity slate. In four races with the team in 2022, he has a pair of top fives. He also finished runner-up at Richmond for SHR ally Joe Gibbs Racing, for whom he won at Texas last year.
“Running multiple cars at Daytona is always special, but even more so now having a father and son combo driving for us as team-mates,” said team owner Sam Hunt. “John Hunter has been a big part of SHR’s growth, and to now have Joe join us at the tail end of his accomplished career is something I’ll cherish for a long time. At the end of the day, family is everything to me. I’m honoured to be a part of this memorable moment for the Nemechek family and hope they both take the time to enjoy the weekend.”
Joe has sixteen career Xfinity wins to go with his title. In 2019, he set the all-time record for combined national series starts with 1,186 to surpass Richard Petty.
“If this is to be my last time to race in a NASCAR event, I am looking forward to being a teammate again with my son,” Joe commented. “I am excited to race for Sam Hunt Racing as it shares many qualities with the foundation that NEMCO Motorsports was built upon. I see Sam Hunt Racing as a very strong team, and the wins and championships are coming soon. Racing with my son again is special, and my expectation is to be on the lead lap in the mix with John Hunter. I’m excited to see what happens.”
The #26 is SHR’s full-time car split between multiple drivers including Parker Chase, Jeffrey Earnhardt, Santino Ferrucci, Derek Griffith, Connor Mosack, Chandler Smith, and Ryan Truex. It is currently seventeenth in owner points with three top tens. The team added a second car for limited racing in 2021 with the #15, which was fielded in alliance with JD Motorsports, before creating a standalone entry with the #24 piloted by Earnhardt at the first Daytona race in February to a fifteenth-place finish.