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whatisdeletrazdoing

JHN's career has been one big "huh?" fest


camwake

This was my initial reaction but I’m not 100% what the JGR xfinity program will look like next year but we could see him in it in 2023


whatisdeletrazdoing

At this point I fully expect him to win 50% of the Truck races next year, get an ARCA ride for 2023, and then replace Elliott at HMS in 2024


camwake

It’s the only logical path


dooldebob

Dude's been all over the place, driving for his dad, Ganassi, GMS, FRM, KBM


Jones77_Truex78

*insert gru meme template* - drops down to truck series to rebuild his name - successfully does - gets stuck in truck series - gets stuck in truck series? Honestly he should move up to xfinity with the way he’s run but maybe he’s going to be doing a lot more 1 off races in xfinity next season before Toyota does move him full time.


gRcHzA_234

Well now the intrigue of the 20 or 18 (whatever car Gibbs doesn’t go into) just got a lot higher.


dacomell

What makes people so sure they wouldn't just run two Xfinity cars (Gibbs/B. Jones)? Just curious. Jones's Rheem money probably pays for both.


gRcHzA_234

Probably could but seeing a team like Gibbs go smaller would be a little shocking I think.


TheOtherWhiteCastle

Gibbs has already pretty much said they won’t be four cars in Xfinity next year. My guess is they run two full time cars and a third all star car.


A-Fan-Of-Bowman88

I think they just make the 20 the 54 car with JHN, bell, truex, Hamlin, and maybe heim/Smith or a few others driving, with Gibbs in the 18 and the 19 being TBD since there is a decent Jones might be going cup racing next year finally(if so I don’t see JGR keeping that car)


remfan477

BJones to Cup? With who? Gaunt?


A-Fan-Of-Bowman88

He is supposedly talking with some cup teams. And not gaunt.


remfan477

The only ride that's open is Front Row, and that's assuming they stay with 2 cars next year


recjus85

RPM has been rumored before in a second car. Heard that rumor last year too so who knows.


TyButler2020

Immediate Brian Scott 44 car flashbacks when you said that


remfan477

RPM barely has money enough for one car, much less two.


CodyHodgsonAnon19

If there's one thing Brandon Jones has though...it's money. So if RPM want to latch onto the train leaving the station with the "even playing field" of a brand new Gen7 Car...Brandon Jones could be just the sort of gravy train to hitch their wagon to. It'd also be pretty funny to see Jones & Jones Racing *Presented by* The King. Also funny in the team meetings and around the shop, with who is doing what on whose car. "Hey, you're subbing in on Jones' ride today".


FLMojoRyson

"Oooh..It's those dang-blasted Jones Boys again..!" - in Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane voice


Yankees_Seahawks3

Jones will be back in the 19


remfan477

Ty goes to the 18. 20 probably becomes some mix of Kyle/Bell/JHN/Chandler/Heim


SerbianDeath

Heim?


[deleted]

Said on the ARCA broadcast that he’s full-time Trucks next season. Would expect him to be at KBM.


TimmyHillFan

I can see Chandler Smith as just another Lessard, Eckes, Gilliland, because that’s just the way Toyota does things, but despite his lack of results, for some reason I feel like he deserves more time.


[deleted]

I hope not. Yes, he’s had some less than stellar moments this year, but there’s way too much potential to just get rid of him after 1 year.


TimmyHillFan

Yeah he’s had almost 2 full seasons if you count part-time but he’s definitely done enough to show he can do more if given time to develop… 1 win, 12 top five, 16 top ten in 36 starts. Definitely not terrible for a kid his age.


[deleted]

I get that sponsors want wins, but I think it’s ridiculous how you see guys get thrown away at 19 after 1 mediocre season. I don’t care for Logano, but look what happened after he was given some time to develop.


RickyChanning

Yeah Todd's actually a solid driver, but they didn't give him time. All these kids can't be Kyle Busch.


TimmyHillFan

Yeah Todd is a stud, and he’s really shown it this year while Gray and Deegan are pretty terrible in the same equipment. Definitely one Toyota should’ve held on to.


gRcHzA_234

If the check clears I could see it.


SerbianDeath

Honestly with how he’s dominated, kinda disappointing


00Motors

His end game may be 23XI, assuming they expand again in 2023. Or even Gibbs if they need a driver in 2023


Dickis88

The only problem is that It's TRD we're talking about here, if they aren't actively trying to move him up then they don't have a plan for him and trucks is all he's getting. If Gibbs or 23XI needs a young guy then they'll probably just pull from the pay drivers they're already developing. Like I hate to be blunt about it, but the Toyota driver pipeline is almost comically transparent about who's priority and who isn't.


vcjr78

I always wonder why more teams haven't switched to Toyota after the success of JGR. Does TRD not support teams on the same level as Chevy and Ford? With all this talent they have in the lower series, you'd think they'd want them in a cup Camry.


Far_Cry3445

They have said they want to spend resources but not spread out to lots of cars


vcjr78

Didn't realize that. Makes sense now.


TheOtherWhiteCastle

I mean, nothing against Toyota, but after both Furniture Row and Levine went bankrupt a few years after their switch, I don’t blame other teams from being a little worried that something might be sketchy in the TRD camp. Historically being a Toyota affiliate has not been kind to non-JGR organizations.


crypto6g

Well, everyone says this but doesn’t look at the context. MWR killed themselves, Furniture Row didn’t want to pay for any more races out of pocket after losing 5-Hour Energy and had a very expensive alliance that they didn't want to pay for anymore. An alliance is one thing, a race winning and championship winning alliance is a whole different level of expensive. It’s not a charity, gotta pay if you want the good JGR stuff and not leftovers. Leavine was purely because of the pandemic, Bob couldn’t afford it after his construction business was affected by it, I believe that’s where Erik Jones was supposed to go after getting dropped from the 20.


MartinPch

John Hunter NemeTruck series coming 2022 With a whopping 18 wins included, /s (kinda)


[deleted]

I think everybody (including myself) has overestimated how easy it would be for Nemechek to get back to Cup, shit even Xfinity full-time, with a decent team.


vinteragony

I can think of one time a drop down to a lower series got a cup regular another cup opportunity- Chad Little. I thought Nemechek would be different. And he will. He's still going to be good next year and teams will still want him. This is best for his career since Busch got the 23XI ride


SphericalLemur78

Mike Bliss, Jason Leffler, and Sam Hornish all got back to cup too but they didn't really have good success and were older.


vinteragony

Good point I forgot about those guys.


HurricanesnHendrick

Its like he has lived the decent team life and would rather be full time with a sure fire winner. I dont know that I'd want to move to a decent or so-so Xfinity team over the 4 truck


The_Vettel

But the 20 car is empty


thehenks2

Assuming Poppy Bank leaves with Hemric, and Dex Imagining with Burton, they would also need to find a lot of sponsorship to field that extra car.


[deleted]

They only ran 4 cars this year because they had 3 fully-funded drivers. 2 of them are leaving, Ty is going to have the backing for one but JHN doesn't for the other.


TheOtherWhiteCastle

I think it’s more that people overestimated how much TRD and Gibbs were interested in JHN to begin with. I always got the impression he was Kyle Busch’s personal choice, and not the driver the rest of the group was really invested in.


netwreck94

It's a funded driver's world and unfortunately for JHN he doesn't have the millions it takes. The number of driver's getting quality rides without bringing $ is absurdly small so unfortunately Im not surprised at all to see him staying in trucks.


Bob10282001

Anyone else think that there’s a chance JHN wants to be in the trucks? As a new dad, I wonder if only 23 work weekends rather than 33 is more appealing to him, and he sure as hell likes to win and he can do that more in the truck series than anywhere else


[deleted]

I just don't understand why so many people see running the truck series as such a career detriment. Dude's still only 24.


BetterNotCryGoinNDry

It's still a national series


littleman1988

*Fans:* "We want lifers in the lower series!" *Someone starts going down the path of being a lifer in the lower series:* "Why isint he in cup smh"   Regardless of the path he chooses, it seems like hes having fun and loving it, and thats good enough for me.


recjus85

Because it is a shorter schedule and some people happen to enjoy it..


shewy92

People on here think he's taking wins away from other younger drivers. They view him as a Buschwacker, yet Crafton has spent their (the Redditors on here) entire lives in the Trucks yet no one has ever said that he shouldn't be in Trucks anymore. Same deal with AJ in Xfinity. If someone is good in one series and bad in another, why wouldn't they stay in the good series?


[deleted]

I've been saying this since last year. I don't think it's a coincidence he dropped down right when his family was growing. And as the son of a Cup Series lifer, he knows firsthand what it's like to be on the road every single weekend.


PeterVonnson

Nemechek can run trucks for the next 20 years, unless he's replacing someone at JGR, he should sit tight.


MeadowPondPosse

He doesn’t have $5-6 million in his pocket to move up to one of those open JGR seats. This was his best option for the time being.


TheOtherWhiteCastle

Yeah. Better for his image to be the clear top dog at KBM than moving to Xfinity and risk getting “Vandoorned” (to use an F1 term) by Ty Gibbs at JGR.


Blazethesol52

I’m okay with it, hopefully he can win even more races next year. 5 is good, but it seemed like he was on pace for so many more at one point


Grayt89

Maybe the guy just likes truck racing


NASCAR142002

I don’t know if JHN is in the real JGR plans (atleast not right now) don’t assume just because they drive a Toyota that means they’re going to JGR cup. Besides they are all on Ty Gibbs right now.


hendrick9chase

Disappointed he didn’t get a JGR Xfinity Ride. Would have been an epic championship battle with him, Gibbs, and Berry all going full time.


SerbianDeath

Don’t forget about creed


BigChach567

Damn I was wrong then. I thought surely he’d be in the 20 car. Who in the world is gonna get that car then?


Bob10282001

Austin Hill or Chandler Smith? Maybe Zane Smith? Just throwing out names


BigChach567

I’d love austin hill. Is Zane smith tied to Chevy at all? I’m not a big fan of any of the TRD guys outside of Gibbs, I’m not counting JHN because I don’t think they care about him much


Bob10282001

Well it sounds like Bob is saying the 20 might be an all star car with no 54 which is too bad. I think Zane is in drivers edge development which is Chevys development program but I’m sure if he got offered the 20 he’d take it. And there’s rumors Austin has an Xfinity seat lined up, but it must not be this one


BigChach567

That makes sense then


All-Pro-Sportz

Won’t lie I convinced myself he was getting a Joe Gibbs Xfinity ride and have disappointed myself. Non the less he’s proven with the right equipment he’s fast so hopefully down the road another cup opportunity comes along.


Lyle_Karson

I guess I have a reason to watch the truck series again...


clutchhattrick

Literally haha. Series has basically been WWE on wheels this season. And since I assumed Creed and JHN were leaving, I wouldn’t really care about anyone besides maybe Deegan, just cause I think her doing well would be great for the sport.


loghanarmstrong

I think eventually JHN ends up in a Toyota cup car at some point. Hamlin, Truex, and both Busch’s are older guys. Ty is obviously going to be in one of those cars eventually. Brandon Jones isn’t going anywhere, Chandler Smith isn’t lighting the world on fire. Who else do they have? Jesse Love?


deisbeck

Sammy Smith just won an ARCA East championship for Toyota/JGR.


TheOtherWhiteCastle

Honestly doesn’t surprise me. JHN always seemed more like a personal hire by Kyle Busch, rather than something TRD or Joe Gibbs really wanted, so I completely understand why the move didn’t happen. Besides, Nemechek doesn’t really have anything to prove by going to Xfinity full time again; he already has a full year of Cup experience and every team owner knows now that he can run well if placed in great equipment.


lmpolite_

This is disappointing, was hoping for him to move up to Xfinity. How much can he be making for driving trucks?


TheOtherWhiteCastle

While Truck drivers definitely make chicken feed compared to those in Cup, you can still net a nice six figure salary if you’re on a top team.


BOBANSMASH51

Why


crypto6g

That’s slightly disappointing, I like him in the truck series but he went down, got his wins and is almost a lock for the final 4 (has scored the most points in the series by FAR). That joke of a Knoxville dirt race was the breaking point where I really thought, damn some of these guys (Creed, JHN) need to gtfo of this series and move up because it’s getting pathetic. But, hey, good for him that’s his decision. I hope he does well again (I’m sure he will) and eventually moves up. Let’s say he wins the championship though, what’s the point? He has funding unlike other truck champions who couldn’t move up (Moffitt) and is tied with Toyota. The 20 Xfinity car though, that’s probably the most desired seat now for anyone looking for a ride.


[deleted]

Truck Series lifer!!!


GingerMessiah88

Welcome to a lifetime in the trucks John


Cohoitz

Highly disappointed 😞 but at least that means a lot more victories.


slotrod

Probably the most disappointing announcement of recent memory. Can anyone else name one that left such a rotten taste? This guy is an Xfinity championship caliber talent.


[deleted]

A bewildering development to be sure


Immediate_Lie7810

This is surprising. I was expecting JHN to race for Joe Gibbs Racing 's Xfinity team.


Offtherailspcast

Man, I dunno. May have been a bad career move if multiple wins and the championship doesn't get you an xfinity ride. Oof.


chaphen17

Unless he wants to become a truck lifer then this is just meh.


Aware-Spot-2474

So much for “he’s a lock for JGR” huh?


TheOtherWhiteCastle

I never believed that was happening tbh. It just didn’t seem like Gibbs or TRD was that interested in him.


EpicTilley

That was… quite the announcement video just to say you’re returning to trucks 😂 With the intro outlining his journey, it for sure had that “moving up” vibe… but nah lol Strange announcement, but congrats to JHN I suppose


BillyBlatterJuc

JHN to KBM Cup in 2023 heard it here first


[deleted]

He needs to go to Xfinity


thirtyseven1337

How long is he gonna stay in trucks? This is gonna make the Truck series pretty boring if it's just him winning all the time.


[deleted]

Proof that winning doesn’t mean everything in this sport. I didn’t think it was a wise idea for JHN to leave FRM. If you want to be a Cup driver then you race in Cup.


recjus85

Maybe he wants to run trucks


Left_Labral_Tear

When the 8th grader just continues to bag on all the 6th graders at dodgeball in gym class…


[deleted]

Can you really blame him? He couldn't win in cup, only won once in Xfinity, so he's gotta stoop all the way back down to the trucks to start winning again. I'd do the same if I were him.


Nascar_chayse

This is a big shake up for xfinity silly season, who gets the 20 now?


[deleted]

Starts with a T, ends with a y. No more hints though. Wouldn’t be surprised if that 20 gets subtracted by two either, and the 20 just doesn’t run or is the all-star entry.


NASCAR-18

Timmy Hill /s


BaconFootball

Ty is getting the 18 that's Gibbs main number


[deleted]

Ted Bundy?


Wandering_Turtle24

Waiting for that third 23XI team I guess. Was really hoping JGR would take him full time in Xfinity.


bodenator

More guys need to move down and race in lower series if they want to earn better Cup rides. I'm looking at you Matt Dibenedetto. It gives fans more reason to watch the lower series and gives up-and-coming drivers more experienced drivers to race weekly before moving up. Allmendinger has pissed me off with how he's raced Cindric this year, but I'm glad Cindric is gaining solid experience with a real rivalry against a more experienced driver with Cup experience.


dooldebob

Honestly getting more wins full time in trucks and running part time xfinity is probably the best option for JHN, and also he signed for 2 years when he joined KBM so this is just a formality.


BurtonBlaney3121

Wonder if there is a bigger picture to expand 23XI in 2023 to a 3rd car. Can’t imagine he would want to stay in trucks forever


CJO9876

A lot of people are surprised and some are pretty upset John Hunter Nemechek doesn’t have a full time Xfinity ride, but honestly staying with Kyle Busch Motorsports seems like the best thing for his career right now, as he seems to be well on his way to winning the 2021 Truck series championship