John Hunter Nemechek learning Xfinity ropes with Ganassi group

FONTANA, Calif. -- Hours before he turned his first official laps around Auto Club Speedway, John Hunter Nemechek was getting an early Friday tutorial from one heck of a mentor: fellow Chip Ganassi Racing driver Kyle Larson. Larson, who swept the weekend doubleheader at the 2-mile track last season, was behind the wheel of the pace car with Nemechek in the passenger's seat before the track opened for practice. The two discussed proper turn-in points and other nuances of the well-worn pavement ahead of Saturday's Roseanne 300 (5 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). RELATED: Full schedule for Auto Club Though the 300-miler will mark only Nemechek's second career start in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, he's already finding comfort in his first season with the Ganassi team, where he's pulling part-time duty in the operation's stout No. 42 Chevrolet. "They've given me every tool that I've been able to ask for, especially from being able to go and be 'open notes' with Jamie (McMurray) and Kyle and looking at all their stuff from years past and going over race data from years past," Nemechek told NASCAR.com after Friday's opening Xfinity practice. "… Those guys have definitely been a huge help, but I think in general, the whole Chip Ganassi Racing team, their motto is, 'One team, one goal,' so it's all open book. Anything I need to see from going and looking at Cup data to talking to the crew chiefs and engineers to try and fill my brain with their knowledge and experience at different race tracks, it's definitely a huge help." So far Larson says he likes what he sees out of the 20-year-old rookie, who is getting his first taste of Xfinity competition after scoring five wins in the Camping World Truck Series. "I think any time when you're young and you're getting your first opportunity in Trucks or Xfinity, you're really excited and you want to take full advantage of that," Larson said. "John Hunter, he's been great to get to work with. I mean, he's in the gym every day, constantly watching video and learning and asking questions. So he's very self-motivated, which is nice to see and he's a very aggressive and fast race car driver. It's cool to get to work with him a little bit and try to help out in any way I can." RELATED: Nemechek battles back for top-five finish in Xfinity debut So far, Nemechek has been a fast study. He placed fourth in his Xfinity Series debut last month at Atlanta Motor Speedway, rallying from a one-lap deficit after suffering a cut tire in the race's first stage. He said the experience taught him the power of patience when facing adversity, and his resilience was rewarded with a top-five result. Nemechek has spent the last four seasons multi-tasking with his family's truck operation, extracting maximum performance from a plucky underdog team with an employee count in the single digits. He's still keeping his hand in the family-owned effort this year, racing in two of the Truck Series' three events thus far. The Xfinity Series duty, however, has helped Nemechek sharpen his focus, with the depth and assets of the Chip Ganassi-owned organization allowing him to direct his full attention to driving. "I don't necessarily want to say 'luxury' because you still have to work at it each and every day, but just being able to utilize all the resources they have," Nemechek said. "Our truck team definitely was good. It helped me learn a lot throughout the year on how to manage your equipment, how to make the most out of your vehicle. "So now, being able to switch over here, talk with all the guys and utilize them, just being able to go through the day-to-day routine over at the shop, going through different meetings and talking about what we're focusing on each weekend, I definitely think that helps as a driver, just being able to focus on the driver instead of having to work on everything and focus on driving. I definitely think that's all going to help." RELATED: Nemechek details decision to join Chip Ganassi Racing