NASCAR penalizes John Hunter Nemechek ahead of Xfinity race at Chicago

John Hunter Nemechek received some disappointing news ahead of Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race in Chicago.

Nemechek is one of nine drivers attempting to race in both events — Joey Logano, Kyle Larson, AJ Allmendinger, Ty Gibbs, Josh Bilicki, Daniel Suarez, Shane van Gisbergen and Austin Hill will as well. However, Hunter Nemechek was hit with a new challenge before Saturday’s event.

According to NBC’s Dustin Long, Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 20 Toyota passed inspection, but the team found something they didn’t like in the engine and decided to change it. Now, Nemechek will be forced to start in the rear of the field.

#NASCAR … John Hunter Nemechek will start at the rear in Saturday’s Xfinity race at Chicago. The No. 20 JGR car passed inspection Friday but the team found a potential problem and changed engines. That will force him to start at the rear Saturday. pic.twitter.com/0CcRYgOzsd

— Dustin Long (@dustinlong) July 5, 2024

“#NASCAR … Nemechek will start at the rear in Saturday’s Xfinity race at Chicago,” Long posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “The No. 20 JGR car passed inspection Friday but the team found a potential problem and changed engines. That will force him to start at the rear Saturday.”

Alas, it’s not a death sentence for Nemechek, but it won’t be easy to come through the field on Saturday afternoon. The Chicago street course doesn’t exactly lend itself to someone starting in the back, not unless you make some surprising calls on pit road or something.

Nevertheless, Nemechek is up to the challenge, and if nothing else, he’ll receive some valuable experience for Sunday’s race. We’ll see if he can shock the world and race for the win after starting in the back on Saturday.

NASCAR worked overnight Friday to make changes to track ahead of Chicago Street Race

Meanwhile, when driving around the streets of Chicago, there are two certainties. The first is traffic, which backs up Lake Shore Drive and downtown during rush hour. The second is potholes. Those are causing issues not only for commuters but also for NASCAR officials ahead of this week’s Chicago Street Race.

NASCAR spent Friday night filling potholes that didn’t match the measurements from last season, according to Sportsnaut’s Matt Weaver. Multiple teams pointed them out during the track walk on Friday, and it’s leading to some late-night fixes ahead of Saturday’s Xfinity Series race downtown.

This year is the second of the Chicago Street Race, starting with the Loop 110 Xfinity Series race Saturday night. Then, the headliner is on Sunday with the Grant Park 165 for the Cup Series Sunday afternoon around the streets of the Windy City.

The city is bringing out some heavy hitters as grand marshals, too. Blackhawks legend and Hockey Hall of Famer Chris Chelios and Bears great Matt Forte will give the “start your engines” commands for the Xfinity and Cup Series races, respectively.

The 2023 Chicago Street Race was a hit with massive viewership and strong attendance as fans braved the weather to watch along the downtown track. Shane van Gisbergen brought home the checkered flag last year, and Giese recently pointed out he has a “fan base” in the city as a result.

The weather is looking better this year. No rain is in the forecast, meaning it could be another big weekend for NASCAR and the city of Chicago.

On3’s Nick Schultz contributed to this article.