As the defending winner of the Snowball Derby, John Hunter Nemechek walked through the gates at Five Flags Speedway this week with a proverbial target on his back.
And yet, in the face of would-be pressure, the 18-year-old NASCAR Camping World Truck Series star says he’s feeling loose and confident that he can defend his crown against the best short track drivers in the world come Sunday afternoon.
“I wouldn’t say there’s any extra pressure at all,” Nemechek said. “In coming back this week, I feel like winning the first Snowball Derby is harder than anything else. So the way I look at it, I’m hoping the wins come easier now because I know all the little things you have to do to win these races.”
Since winning the Derby last December, Nemechek has enjoyed a great deal of success and momentum in NASCAR, becoming a full-time Truck Series driver in June and winning his first career race in September at Chicagoland Speedway.
As a result, Nemechek is carrying an obvious swagger with him in his efforts to capture back-to-back Tom Dawson Memorial Trophies.
“I feel like we have a lot of confidence and momentum coming back here to Five Flags,” Nemechek said. “We’ve always had good cars here so hopefully that’s a tradition we get to continue this weekend.”
READ MORE: Complete Snowball Derby Coverage
For Nemechek to succeed in his goal of winning a second straight Snowball Derby, he will have to shake down a relatively new Super Late Model built just for this event. While it hasn’t seen much track time, the young NEMCO ace didn’t show any concerns with his car and is ready for whatever the weekend brings.
“We’re just going to go with the flow,” Nemechek said. “It’s hard to make a plan and say you’re going to stick with it because things don’t always work out. I think it makes you better to be flexible so the way I see it, it is what it is.”
