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John Hunter Nemechek won the Call811.com Before You Dig 250 on Saturday night, beating Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Sammy Smith by 1.518 seconds. This was Nemechek's second NASCAR Xfinity Series victory of the 2023 season and first win in his first series start at Martinsville Speedway.
After winning the first two stages of the race, John Hunter Nemechek of Mooresville, NC, claimed the lead for good on a race restart with 32 laps remaining.
He, Smith, and third-place finisher Cole Custer were clearly the class of the field all night, racing 1-2-3 for most of the race. Smith was able to muscle his way around Custer on the penultimate lap to finish second.
Nemechek took his No. 20 JGR Toyota to the front stretch for a classic burnout celebration, briefly setting the track on fire - maybe a fitting end to his heated night behind the wheel. He not only won the race, but also received the $100,000 Dash 4 Cash incentive prize from series sponsor Xfinity.
Even though Nemechek's car performed so well that night, the wheel-to-wheel competition behind him was still quite exciting. Josh Berry, who finished in fourth place, for instance, led the next most laps (27). His No. 8 JR Motorsport Chevrolet was particularly strong until a tire issue necessitated a lengthy pit stop halfway through the race.
The longest streak of his career was tied as he battled back through the pack to finish in the top 10 for the seventh time in a row this year.
Another teammate, Justin Allgaier, managed to keep his No. 7 JRM Chevrolet in the lead group of cars, followed by Berry's JR Motorsports teammate Brandon Jones. The latter finished fifth in the No. 9 JRM Chevrolet and earned his first top-10 finish of the season.
NASCAR Xfinity result: John Hunter Nemechek wins
On Saturday night at Martinsville Speedway, John Hunter Nemechek scored his second Xfinity Series victory of the year after leading 198 of the 250 laps. He also collected the $100,000 Dash 4 Cash prize.
Sammy Smith, a teammate of Joe Gibbs Racing, came in second, giving the team its second 1-2 result of the year. Third place went to Cole Custer, who began on the pole. Josh Barry, Brandon Jones, and Justin Allgaier finished fourth through sixth as JR Motorsports teammates.
This victory marks Nemechek's fourth Xfinity Series triumph overall. He also won the opening game in the Martinsville series.
