Since 2008, Joe Gibbs Racing has been pretty much untouchable in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, winning 11 of the series’ last 14 events at the 1.058-mile facility.
So, for John Hunter Nemechek to put on a dominant performance in Saturday’s Ambetter Health 200, likely wasn’t a surprise to anybody, with the Mooresville, North Carolina native leading 137 laps en route to his fourth win of the season.
Nemechek, who started the event from the outside of the front row, was quickly involved in a three-way battle for the lead between himself, polesitter Chandler Smith, and Justin Allgaier, who appeared to have the three best vehicles all afternoon.
The 26-year-old driver would find himself fighting near the front of the pack throughout the entire event, maneuvering his way through the field on several occasions, as a result of multiple different strategies played throughout the event.
Nemechek took over the lead for the final time in Saturday’s event with 43 laps to go, when Ben Beshore elected to leave him on track under a caution where his teammate Joe Graf, Jr., the race leader, came to pit road for the final time.
Over the course of the race’s final stint, Nemechek held a steady lead over Cole Custer and Chandler Smith, but was thrown for a loop when a late-race caution was displayed for a spin by Kyle Sieg, coming off his first top-10 at Atlanta.
As they say, cautions breed cautions, and that’s exactly what happened in the race’s closing laps. Immediately following the second-to-last restart of the race, Sam Mayer was turned around in the first set of corners by Justin Allgaier, collecting Brandon Jones, Austin Dillon, Joe Graf, Jr., and others.
Coming to NASCAR Overtime, Nemechek got an incredible launch to easily clear himself from the pack behind him. However, it was the battle for spots inside the top five that caused some trouble, as the leader took the white flag.
Cole Custer and Sheldon Creed, battling for third place, made contact at the exit of turn four, causing both drivers to spin in front of the pack, which also collected others in the aftermath such as Josh Williams, Riley Herbst, and others.
Chandler Smith was scored in second place at the moment of caution, while Austin Hill, Daniel Hemric, and Sammy Smith were all found to have finished inside the top five in the Ambetter Health 200.
Justin Allgaier finished sixth, with Jeb Burton, Josh Williams, Brett Moffitt, and Mason Massey, driving the No. 08 for SS GreenLight Racing, completing the top-10 finishers.
Leaving New Hampshire, John Hunter Nemechek holds a 33-point advantage over Austin Hill in the NASCAR Cup Series point standings, as the series will travel to Pocono Raceway, as part of the track’s annual tripleheader weekend.
Race Results – Ambetter Health 200 at New Hampshire
Race Results: 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series Ambetter Health 200 at New Hampshire
