Not just NASCAR drivers but even the crew chiefs get a much-deserved break during the off-season. Drawing out plans for every race weekend and trying to get the results that the team needs—this job does take a toll on them. For some, the off-season is about relaxing and detaching themselves from racing, while veteran crew chief Rodney Childers is getting his share of racing done.

Now those of you who have followed Childers career closely would know that he started as a racer himself. At 12, he was competing in the World Karting Association, and he won multiple races and championships in the South Carolina region before switching to late-model racing. Despite being a champion crew chief, the veteran driver certainly likes to get his racing juices flowing. He was racing at the K1 Speed and indoor karting venue, and interestingly, Cup Series driver John Hunter Nemechek also joined Childers.

John Hunter Nemechek finally hitting the right speeds

Nemechek was a regular contender for race wins in the NASCAR Xfinity and Truck Series races. But in his short stint at the Cup level, he has been deprived of the race-winning speeds. After 2020, he was running in his first full-time season at Jimmie Johnson’s Legacy Motor Club, driving the #42 Toyota Camry.

Apart from four top-10 finishes, John Hunter Nemechek’s 2024 campaign was nothing but a struggle. With 6 DNFs and an average finish of 25.417, he ended the season placed 34th in the drivers standings. Needless to say, LMC still has a long way to go in figuring out how to get the best out of their Toyota Camry. And the same can be said for the driver, who will go back to the drawing board.

Rather than running late-model races or competing on the dirt like the rest of the Cup drivers, Nemechek decided to go karting with Rodney Childers. Out of the 12 laps at the K1 Speed indoor track, Nemechek had the best-timed lap of 31.297. Whereas Childers finished second with a lap time of 31.352, the veteran driver shared these statistics via Instagram story. He wrote, “I had some good competition today @K1speed.. @jhnnemchek 👊”

Well, Jimmie Johnson and folks at LMC should take note of this. If provided with a decent racing setup, Nemechek can certainly deliver the goods. On a serious note, LMC needs to find a fix for their persisting issues and lack of speed with their new OEM partner, Toyota.

Trending

1

“Where the F—Are You?” – Amy Earnhardt’s Furious Hunt for Dale Jr. After Vegas Goes Off the Rails

2

“Condolences & RIP” NASCAR Community Joins in Mourning as One of Their Own Loses His Mother

3

“This One’s Chase Elliott”: Kyle Busch’s Daughter Makes A Relic Of Her Self-anointed Hendrick Motorsports ‘Boyfriend’

4

Chase Elliott’s Fan Base Births a Juicy NASCAR Rumor, Pitching Fired Veteran to Rick Hendrick

5

Tony Stewart Warns Kyle Larson of Impending Disaster, Confessing His ‘True Successor’ in NASCAR’s Ace

Did Legacy Motor Club make a mistake by switching to Toyota?

One of the major reasons why LMC left Chevy was because there were multiple teams already linked to them. Even the new teams like Spire Motorsports and Trackhouse Racing bagged a deal before Jimmie Johnson and his team could step in. They weren’t sure if they would be prioritized over the likes of RCR and Hendrick Motorsports, and Toyota, which had only two teams on its roster, did seem like a good fit.

But despite the lack of performance and competitive speeds, Johnson feels that this switch to Toyota is going to be a learning process. “This is a long-term play for us with Toyota. We thought this year would be a bit smoother, and it wasn’t. In that are lessons for us. It is what it is. There’s nothing we can do about it except work harder and get better. That’s what we’re gearing up for.”

Now it is important to note that, unlike 23XI Racing, LMC does not have a technical partnership with Joe Gibbs Racing. This means that they are building their own program and do not want to rely on Big Brother teams to provide them with the resources that can help them get faster on the racetrack. Both Toyota and LMC had their trial year, and they should be able to hit the ground running in 2025; if not race wins, they at least need to be consistent throughout the year.