MORE: Custer: 'He wanted to ruin our day'
John Hunter Nemechek made the media rounds Wednesday to promote NASCAR's upcoming Camping World Truck Series race in Chicago and to talk about the series' inaugural Chase, which starts later this month in New Hampshire.
But there was this one "other thing" everyone was more eager to discuss with last weekend's winner: Nemechek's bump of Cole Custer in the final corner and the ensuing pass-in-the-grass to edge Custer for the win at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park on Sunday.
It was a dramatic finish, and Nemechek acknowledges, it was also controversial. So much so that a frustrated Custer, 18, ran across the track and tackled Nemechek, 19, as the second-generation driver waited near the officials' stand to receive the checkered flag.
"There's been a lot of attention toward the finish and towards me on social media but like we said, we're happy that we got the win and we won't take that away from anything," Nemechek said. "But if the circumstances of us going in the grass hadn't happened, they wouldn't be talking about the finish. That's the only thing you'd like to go back and change, is not ending up in the grass."
As he did on Sunday, Nemechek did not back down from his elation at winning even under contentious conditions.
"I'm definitely proud to get the win, to get our second win of the year checked off our list and have some momentum going into the Chase," Nemechek said. "It was a great day for our whole team. I hate the circumstances it ended under with us in the grass, and that definitely wasn't what we were trying to do in making the pass.
"If we could go back and change the circumstances we would, but a win is a win and we'll take it."
It was actually the second win this season for the No. 8 Chevrolet truck, owned by Nemechek's father, Joe, a former NASCAR Busch Grand National (now called the XFINITY Series) champion. And John Hunter said his father -- along with many others -- offered support following the race.
Nemechek did note, however, that his father had not seen the race ending live and did not see a replay until after the Victory Lane celebration.
"He said congrats on the win and that I did everything right all day and we executed our strategy well, having to save fuel there at the end," Nemechek said. "I actually ran out of gas on the cool-down lap so we stretched it as far as we could. But he (Joe Nemechek) said, 'You were smart all day, and you were there at the end. That's what made the victory.' "
Custer is not high enough in points to earn a Chase berth and will now have one more shot to score a victory at Chicagoland on Sept. 16 and earn his position in the Chase.
In addition to the tackle at the race track, Custer has candidly shared his displeasure about the ending with the national media this week.
There have even been suggestions that Custer may try to even the score by wrecking Nemechek during the championship Chase although Custer never directly said such.
Nemechek did acknowledge the possibility himself.
"You can't be paranoid, you can't worry," Nemechek said. "If it happens, it happens.
"I definitely think it would be a whole different story and you'd expect payback if it ended like the Ty Dillon incident a couple years ago where he ended up in the tire barriers and didn't finish the race.
"We raced back to the line and finished first and second. So who knows what's going to happen. You can't worry about it."
As for Custer and Nemechek racing together at Chicago in the final race before the Camping World Truck Series Chase grid is set, Nemechek is hopeful that time and maybe some effort on his part will ease the tension.
"I haven't spoken to him yet, but I expect to in the future," Nemechek said.