John Hunter Nemechek wheel comes off on pit road, nearly takes out Daniel Suárez crew member

A disaster almost unfolded on pit road. John Hunter Nemechek had a loose wheel roll and bounce to the No. 99 pit stall. The gas man for Daniel Suárez almost caught a tire to the head, but thankfully, his gas can was in the way.

The wheel came off of the No. 42 car. It then traveled down pit road at a fairly high rate of speed. It bounced off of the rear of the 99 car and then up into the gas can. Daniel Suárez finished his stop and made it off pit road.

John Hunter Nemechek was penalized for losing his wheel. His pit crew could face penalties as well.

John Hunter Nemechek's tire took off after his stop and … that was CLOSE 😳

"Scary stuff right there."- @KevinHarvick pic.twitter.com/HcylPf1pZf

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) April 13, 2025

As all of this chaos was going on, Daniel Suárez was also penalized. The 99 team was distracted by the wheel from Nemechek. So, they let a wheel of their own get away. Chain reaction of mistakes on pit road.

These teams are going to make or break their race on pit road. Tires are not wearing out like they did in practice in the cooler temperatures. Instead, tires are lasting 125+ laps. When NASCAR issued an extra set of tires, I’m sure they didn’t expect them to last this long.

NASCAR also added more PJ1 to the track today. I’m just not sure that was needed at all. We have a one-grove track because the bottom is the fastest way around. That isn’t going to make for very exciting racing, no matter how hard you try.

John Hunter Nemechek buried after penalty

Having a pit road penalty like that in the middle of a Bristol race is tough. John Hunter Nemechek is now P30 and looking for answers. He’s got to do his best to just find opportunities to move up, stay out of the way when you get lapped, and bring it home in one piece.

Nemechek has had some bright spots early in the season. The Legacy Motor Club group just isn’t taking that next step as a whole. Erik Jones hasn’t been talked about since he was robbed of the Duel win at Daytona to start the season.

This race is playing out like the usual Next Gen Bristol race. It has allowed a few drivers to have a solid day, though. Spire Motorsports has both Justin Haley and Carson Hocevar racing in the top-10. That is major for that group.

This is likely going to be a long afternoon for John Hunter Nemechek. Stage 3 is underway. Will we see anyone challenge Kyle Larson for the win?