John Hunter Nemechek enters Daytona Truck race with Halmar-Friesen

John Hunter Nemechek is joining a stacked field for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season-opener at Daytona International Speedway.

Nemechek, who competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series with Legacy Motor Club, will pilot the No. 62 Halmar Friesen Racing Toyota as he takes on double duty for the first official race weekend of the new season.

Halmar-Friesen is swapping the owner points from the No. 52 to the No. 62, so Nemechek will be locked into the show.

“I’m really excited to get back behind the wheel in the Truck Series, especially at a place like Daytona,” said Nemechek. “I’m extremely grateful to Halmar Friesen Racing and Stewart (Friesen) for the opportunity to drive the No. 62 Toyota. Daytona is such a special track, and any time you get the chance to compete there, it means a lot. I’m looking forward to making the most of this opportunity and having a strong run with the support of HFR and DriveValue.com®.”

Nemechek has 149th previous starts in the Truck Series with 13 career wins. His most recent start came during the 2023 season at EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta), finishing third after leading 53 laps.

The NCTS season-opener will also feature NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart, 2023 Daytona 500 winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and extreme sports star Travis Pastrana.

"I speak for everyone at HFR by saying how pumped we are to have John Hunter kick off our first season as a full-time two-truck team at Daytona,” said Stewart Friesen. “His track record and experience speaks for itself, and we all know he will do a great job competing for a win in the biggest race of the year. We also welcome the DriveValue.com® team to the Craftsman Truck Series and are thankful for their support of John Hunter at the World Center of Racing."