It’s always special when a father gets to race against their son in the NASCAR National Series ranks, but it’s not every day that a father and son duo serve as teammates. The Nemecheks — Joe and John Hunter — will do just that as they’ll pilot the No. 24 and No. 26 cars for Sam Hunt Racing in the upcoming NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Daytona International Speedway.
The elder Nemechek, Joe, will drive the No. 24, which will carry a white, red and blue paint scheme with sponsorship from Fleetwing. While John Hunter will pilot the red and white No. 26 with sponsorship from thefreedom13.org.
Team owner Sam Hunt hopes that this moment is tremendously special.
“Running multiple cars at Daytona is always special, but even more so now having a father and son combo driving for us as teammates,” said Hunt in a team release. “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 honored to be a part of this memorable moment for the Nemechek family and hope they both take the time to enjoy the weekend.”
For Joe Nemechek, 58, the window of being a NASCAR National Series driver is closing. If this is the last time he competes in the ranks, he is damn glad it’ll be with his son as his teammate.
“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,” said Joe Nemechek. “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.”
According to a release from Sam Hunt Racing, Allen Hart will serve as the crew chief for the No. 26 and Eric Phillips, the crew chief with the most NASCAR Camping World Truck Series wins all-time, will handle crew chief duties for the No. 24 team.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series 2022 Wawa 250 at Daytona International Speedway is set for Friday, August 26th and will be broadcast on USA Network beginning at 7:30 PM ET.
