John Hunter Nemechek "shocked" and "star-struck" after first Truck Series win with KBM 

John Hunter Nemechek said he was shocked by the victory in the Bucked Up 200 Truck Series race at Las Vegas on Friday night.

Nemechek, driving the No. 4 Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) truck, led 94 of the 134 laps as he held off NASCAR's biggest race winner and boss, Kyle Busch. In doing so, he registered his first win with the KBM organization.

Speaking in a post-race interview, John Hunter Nemechek candidly detailed the mental battles he had to endure coming into the 2021 season - both as a driver and as a person - considering he hadn't won a race in the past two years.

John Hunter Nemechek says he was shocked with his victory Friday night at Las Vegas. That was surprising to me, but he explains why he was shocked and why the win was vindicating: pic.twitter.com/hHpGm73p73

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) March 6, 2021

John Hunter Nemechek, 23, had emotions weighing him down as he spoke from victory lane after clinching his seventh career NASCAR Truck Series win.

"Coming back to the Truck Series, that was the plan, that was the goal, we came into the year with the hashtag ‘here for wins’ and we are here for wins. I definitely think experience paid off tonight,” said an emotional John Hunter Nemechek.

There's nothing like that first win with a new team. https://t.co/G1jB1sIbbQ pic.twitter.com/IGb8GTl2ih

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) March 6, 2021

John Hunter Nemechek had two top-fives in the lead-up to the race at Las Vegas, and courtesy of the win here last night, the Toyota driver finds himself right at the top of the standings with 150 points. Ben Rhodes, Sheldon Creed, Matt Crafton and Chandler Smith round out the top-five.

John Hunter Nemechek moved from Cup Series to Truck circuit this year

John Hunter Nemechek made the move to KBM in 2021 to run full-time in the Truck Series. He was in the running for Rookie of the Year with Front Row Motorsports in the 2020 Cup Series.

The 23-year-old was confident of a good showing this season and didn't see the move from the Cup Series to the Truck circuit as a demotion.

.@JHNemechek is back racing full time in the @NASCAR_Trucks this season. But he doesn't see it as a demotion, he just wants to win races and he believes he can with @KBMteam. pic.twitter.com/xgsH0wGr27

— Kaitlyn Vincie (@kaitlynvincie) March 6, 2021

John Hunter Nemechek isn't thinking about the Cup Series just yet. He prefers being in the moment and winning more races. Evidently, this is a formula that's working for him.