John Hunter Nemechek wins chaotic Ambetter Health 200 in double overtime

A wild afternoon in New Hampshire for the NASCAR Xfinity Series and John Hunter Nemechek is the Ambetter Health 200 winner. In what JHN himself called a “dominant” performance, the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing team put on a show. They led for more than 120 laps on their way to a win in double overtime.

New Hampshire delivered a really fun race. There was a lot of aggression from these Xfinity Series drivers as they competed for points and a spot in the playoffs. Chandler Smith started on the pole, but John Hunter Nemechek and Cole Custer quickly changed that.

Side-by-side racing throughout this race, fans got their money’s worth. Make no mistake about it, the Magic Mile tore up some cars in the process. But, Nemechek came out on the other side with the checkered flag.

Back-to-back wins for Nemechek.

Sheldon Creed and Cole Custer crashed coming to the white flag, sealing the win for John Hunter Nemechek. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/nujkX7DJkZ

— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) July 15, 2023

This one came down to a wild restart. After leading for more than 123 laps, John Hunter Nemechek was faced with a tough challenge – hold off Cole Custer one last time. With solid long run speed, JHN was put up against an aggressive and former Cup Series driver.

And it wasn’t just one restart, it was two. These Xfinity Series drivers struggled all day with restarts. That led to multiple caution flags throughout the afternoon. For whatever reason, these drivers found themselves gunning the restarts, not going fast enough. Something about the Magic Mile, I guess.

Custer hooked Sheldon Creed right after JHN took the white flag. Race ended under caution and that is win four on the season for Nemechek.

John Hunter Nemechek holds on in double overtime

You always worry when you’re a driver and you have led for a majority of a race just to have a caution fly at the end. Overtime restarts in NASCAR are thrilling and they can change the results of a race quickly. Thankfully for the No. 20 team, they wer able to hold on and beat out the field in overtime.

John Hunter Nemechek shot out to the front when this race began. He kept at it and led for 137 laps total in New Hampshire. Despite the restart chaos and mess, Nemechek stayed out front and made his case as a championship favorite.

Make no mistake, Nemechek had to beat out Custer in a tough battle on Saturday. Perhaps if Justin Allgaier didn’t get sent to the rear on a pit road stop and then wrecked after, he could have competed. The No. 7 had great speed early. However, mistakes on the track and pit road cost him a potential win.

John Hunter Nemechek leaves New Hampshire a winner. He said Christopher Bell gave him all the tips he needed to takee full advantage of this track and race to a win.