Sam Hunt Racing returns to Richmond, site of a monumental day in team’s history

For years, Sam Hunt could hear the doubters. They became more frequent as he brought Sam Hunt Racing to the national level of NASCAR, fielding a full-time Xfinity Series team. Deep down, though, Hunt, 28, knew one day his vision of running a competitive NASCAR team would come to fruition. See, he isn’t a person with millions of dollars behind him, nor is he a businessman who enjoys having fun on the weekends at a race track. Hunt is a racer. He’s someone who used to live in a van outside of Robert Yates' old engine shop, hoping to one day become relevant in NASCAR. "I think a lot of people thought it was impossible and that I was wasting my time," Hunt told NASCAR.com. "When I stuck to what I believed was right and kept surrounding myself with the people I felt were going to lead me to success, that validated everything." RELATED: Richmond weekend schedule | Xfinity Series standings Last September at Richmond Raceway, Hunt watched the race from the No. 26 pit box, his usual vantage point. For the second time in the 2021 season, winning racer John Hunter Nemechek would pilot a Sam Hunt Racing entry, as he was the first driver in team history to not have a yellow rookie stripe on the back of the No. 26 car. For Hunt, Richmond is home. After moving to Holland as a toddler, his family returned to the United States in the mid-2000s, settling in the Virginia capital. Richmond is the first NASCAR track he visited. "That was the first place I ever saw a stock car or saw NASCAR and found out what NASCAR was," Hunt said, "because overseas, all we knew was Formula 1." When attending high school in Richmond, Virginia Commonwealth University – located in downtown Richmond – stood out to Hunt for college. There, he could earn a finance degree while racing out of his small race shop on the side. In last year’s lone Xfinity Series race at Richmond, Nemechek began the race from 27th. Methodically, the No. 26 Toyota made its way through the field, earning a stage point in the second stage. But in the final stage, when a rash of cautions came late, Nemechek was on old tires, continuing to race inside the top five. And on what turned out to be the final restart with seven laps remaining, the No. 26 car restarted on the front row. “You’re never out of it until it’s over,” Nemechek said. “We played our cards right, played the strategy right. It all played to our favor.” On fresh tires, Justin Haley rocketed from eighth to second, only behind Noah Gragson. But it was Nemechek who finished third, giving Sam Hunt Racing its first top-five finish in team history. “If we were to have come home top 10, I think they would have been happy,” Nemechek said. “But to come home third, it meant a lot to the team and the organization.” After the race, fists were pumping and tears were shed on the No. 26 team. Emotion poured out from Hunt’s soul. That finish confirmed his vision years ago was correct. “I knew our time would eventually come,” Hunt said. “We just worked too hard, and we’ve got too many great people here for it to never come to fruition. I’ve always had confidence that was going to happen. After seeing how John Hunter performed in our car at Dover, minus the last 30 laps, was really when I realized the caliber of car that we could provide and put on the race track. “It was mostly emotional for me because the last couple years of my life have been completely wrapped up in trying to make something of myself and this startup company, dating back to when we started with one or two ARCA East cars. It’s just one of those moments that I prayed for years before it ever happened, and to see it come to fruition is reassuring that I was doing things right and I had the right people involved.” Right people, indeed. RELATED: NASCAR on TV this week Hunt debuted his Xfinity team with driver Colin Garrett at the 2019 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, pairing up with Toyota. The team planned to run a good chunk of the 2020 schedule but competed in just nine races due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the 2021 season, Hunt prepared for his first season as a full-time car owner, with Toyota backing. From his first conversation with the late J.D. Gibbs years ago, Hunt decided Toyota was the right manufacturer to back his vision. “From the moment we met Sam, we knew that he was someone we wanted to partner with,” TRD president David Wilson said. “Sam is driven to achieve his goals in NASCAR as one of the youngest team owners in the sport. We are thrilled to see the strides that Sam Hunt Racing has made in such a quick time and we look forward to continuing to work closely with them as they move forward in the sport.” Over the offseason, Hunt’s team moved to a bigger shop down the street from its old location for more inventory. The team also hired Allen Hart, who hopped over from his role as an engineer with JR Motorsports to crew chief the No. 26 car. In addition, SHR added veterans Ryan Truex and Jeffrey Earnhardt to its driver lineup, while also bringing in a new face with Derek Griffith, who will make his series debut this weekend at Richmond. “Having feedback from experienced guys is pretty invaluable,” Hunt said. “It helps us build a notebook and reinforces the confidence we have in the program and validates everything we’re doing.” At Phoenix Raceway earlier this month, Nemechek led 11 laps while driving the No. 26 car. Those were the first laps Hunt’s team has led. He backed it up with a fifth-place finish, while also earning stage points in both stages. “It was fairly surreal,” Hunt said. “I didn’t quite comprehend what was going on the first lap up front. But again, just like the Richmond race, you know you’re doing the right things, bringing in the right people where you just have to grow and wait for your time to get here. I think that was a great first step. We finished in the top five and we did it again, but we led a race for the first time to where now the next box to check off is to win a race.” To some, seeing the No. 26 Toyota win might be a surprise. But taking a deeper look at the owner’s standings, the No. 26 car sits 10th, ahead of cars from Joe Gibbs Racing, Stewart-Haas Racing, Richard Childress Racing and Kaulig Racing. With five top-15 finishes in seven starts – the team ran two cars at Daytona – it has been a solid kickoff to the season. “I don’t think it should be super surprising,” Nemechek said. “When you do the math, they should be 15th. Anything above that is a plus for them. If they’re 15th, then that’s great, but they shouldn’t be any lower than 15th or 16th. “They do bring fast cars to the race track. They’ve had (five) top-15 finishes so far this year, and that’s a big accomplishment for them.” The team owner can’t pretend to fathom what winning a race would be like. So, for now, he’s aiming to be top 15, like Nemechek said. “Just move the needle a little bit from last year and be realistic about it at the same time,” Hunt said. “I think winning a race this year would be an incredible accomplishment. It might be a tall order, but we’re not going to rule it out.” Next up is another return home to Richmond -- Saturday at 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1 -- and though Griffith will be making his series debut, he’s known to get around short tracks at a rapid pace. Join Sam Hunt this Saturday as he takes over @NASCARNation and talks about a day in the life of a NASCAR owner.