Six-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series winner John Hunter Nemechek will join Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) for the 2021 season, replacing Raphael Lessard as driver of the No. 4 Toyota Tundra.
Nemechek, 23, will return to the Truck Series full-time for the first time since 2017 driving for his family-owned NEMCO Motorsports team. Last week, he announced he would not return to Front Row Motorsports in the NASCAR Cup Series.
While driving his family-owned team, the North Carolina native qualified for the Camping World Truck Series playoffs in each of his two full-time seasons, finishing eighth in the championship standings in both 2016 and 2017. He was voted the series most popular driver in 2015.
“Kyle and Samantha with the support of Toyota have built an organization that has won races and championships on a consistent basis and I’m looking forward to the opportunity to carry on the winning tradition by getting back to victory lane in the Camping World Truck Series next year,” Nemechek said.
“I can’t thank the partners that have supported my career through the years enough for their continued support and I’m looking forward to building relationships with new partners this year. Bring on 2021.”
Team owner Kyle Busch says the addition of Nemechek to the team brings the opportunity to have the No. 4 Toyota Tundra up front on a consistent basis and compete for victories.
“John Hunter is a proven winner in the Camping World Truck Series, as well as the Xfinity Series, and someone who we are confident will be able to put the No. 4 Tundra up front on a consistent basis and compete for victories each and every race,” Kyle Busch said.
“Despite only being 23 years old, he has a lot of experience across all three series and with next year’s Truck Series schedule including a lot of events where it’s just show up and race, having an experienced driver in one of our full-time Tundras is going to be beneficial to our whole organization.”
Nemechek has 102 Truck Series starts with six wins, 28 top-five and 50 top-10 finishes.
In addition to Trucks, the Mooresville, N.C.-native is also a winner in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for Chip Ganassi Racing at Kansas Speedway in October 2018.
KBM says announcements on sponsors and a crew chief for Nemechek is forthcoming.
CATCHFENCE.com has learned that Lessard is expected to continue to have a presence in the Truck Series next season, but with another championship-caliber team.
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
