DAYTONA INTL. SPEEDWAY | RACE RECAP
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Aug. 24, 2024) – The NASCAR Cup Series returned to Daytona International Speedway for the second to last race of the regular season. With no practice on tap in advance of the Coke Zero Sugar 400, the NASCAR Cup Series drivers took to the famed 2.5-mile oval for qualifying on Friday evening. As a result, John Hunter Nemechek in the No. 42 Pye-Barker Fire & Safety Toyota Camry XSE qualified 31st. Erik Jones in the No. 43 Family Dollar Toyota Camry XSE had an issue during qualifying that resulted in no official time being posted, relegating him to 40th on the starting field. The LEGACY MOTOR CLUB team went to work following qualifying to diagnose the issue and ended up finding a faulty sensor. The No. 34 of Michael McDowell led the field the green for Saturday night’s race. After several ‘big ones’ and a NASCAR Overtime, it was Harrison Burton collecting his first career win and the 100th win for the Wood Brothers.
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK | NO. 42 pye-barker fire & safety TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
START: 31ST | FINISH: 15TH | POINTS: 31ST
With just two races left in the NASCAR Cup Series regular season, the No. 42 LEGACY MOTOR CLUB team knew they needed a win to get into the playoffs. Qualifying in the 31st spot for the scheduled 160-lap event, John Hunter Nemechek needed to keep his Pye-Barker Fire & Safety Toyota Camry XSE out of trouble and be in a good position at the end of the Coke Zero Sugar 400.
The first stage saw Nemechek ride towards the back of the field to stay out of the hornets nest. At the conclusion of the stage, Nemechek was scored in 25th-position. The 27-year-old driver reported into his crew that his car was neutral. A pit stop for four tires and fuel had Nemechek ready for the middle stage.
At the start of the second stage, Nemechek started to surge his way to front of the field. On lap 45, Nemechek’s eyes in the sky, Ryan Blanchard called into his driver that the racing was “getting heavy and to feel free to bail out” to the back if he wanted too. That instinct was correct as on lap 59, a first of several “big ones" happened on the back straight. While riding on the top lane, Nemechek and his Pye-Barker Toyota Camry XSE was tagged in the left rear quarter panel, shooting Nemechek towards the inside of the track. Nemechek suffered a flat left-rear tire and some slight damage to the splitter. After three pit stops to address the damage, the No. 42 LEGACY MOTOR CLUB team were able to continue.
Nemechek picked up where he left off and quickly worked his way from the back of the field all the way up to 15th by lap 72. Just two laps later, Nemechek said, “I’m going to ride”, dropping back in the field but still connected to the pack, in an effort to avoid another accident. A yellow to clean up the track from the No. 16’s blown motor, the team took advantage of the time to come back down pit road to clean up some of the tape that was covering the Pye-Barker Toyota Camry XSE. With just seven laps remaining in the stage, crew chief Ben Beshore told Nemechek no need to get involved in the mess and to save it for the final stage. The No. 42 LEGACY M.C. finished the middle stage in 29th.
Prior to the final stage, Nemechek came down pit road to top off his Camry XSE with fuel. With final stage to go, the action was bound to heat up with 60 laps to settle it all. Nemechek started in the 10th position. Nemechek started jockeying for position with a strong Pye-Barker Toyota Camry XSE, he led the bottom lane up to the front of the field, leading the middle lane. On lap 141 he surged to the lead. Simultaneously Nemechek took a shot on the rear bumper from the No. 5, spinning him down into the infield of the backstretch. A masterful piece of driving by the North Carolina native saw him save the his Camry without hitting anything. However, flat tires were a result of the spin. The team made multiple pit stops to make sure everything was buttoned up for the final 16 laps of the race. Restarting back in 32nd, with 10 laps to go, Nemechek worked his way up to 28th looking for running room to move back toward the front.
On lap 151, the second ‘big one’ ensued, collecting 14 cars. Nemechek would miss it but out of precaution, they pitted for four tires and a splash of fuel. Restarting in 19th with three laps to go, the remaining field got the green flag. The madness continued, as the field was on the backstretch coming to get the white flag, another big wreck that had a car flip, bringing out the red flag. When the dust settled, Nemechek and the No. 42 Pye-Barker Toyota Camry XSE was sitting in the sixth-place for NASCAR overtime. Choosing the top lane on the restart, Nemechek started to calculate his final move. That move came just before the field entered Turn 1, Nemechek went high however he didn’t get any drafting help. A hard-fought day by the No. 42 Pye-Barker team resulted in a 15-place finish.
ERIK JONES | NO. 43 Family dollar TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
START: 40TH | FINISH: 17TH | POINTS: 26TH
On a cooler Florida evening, the field of 40 took the green flag at the Coke Zero 400. Quickly becoming three wide, Jones battled hard, gaining 11 spots within the first five laps. Choosing the lanes with most momentum, Jones cracked the top-15 early in the stage. Steadily rolling, the No. 43 Toyota Camry XSE lost the support of other cars, dropping back, strategically trying to avoid “the big one”. Wheelman Erik Jones notified the LEGACY MOTOR CLUB team that the car was “free” in hopes to resolve the issue on the first pit stop. The No. 43 completed stage one in the 24th position.
During the stage break, the No. 43 Toyota came down pit road for four Goodyear tires, adjustments, and fuel. The team made a second quick stop on pit road to add more fuel in preparation for the second stage. Starting off towards the back of the pack, Jones and team strategized, trying to choose the lane that would push them forward, while keeping in mind the risk of being caught in the middle of the field. The risk held true, as the first “big one” occurred, capturing the Family Dollar Toyota. Able to drive back to pit road, the team assessed the damage, which was only a flat right front and some dents in the fender, with minor damage to the toe link. The car was deemed drivable by the two-time Daytona winner, and Jones quickly caught up with the pack. The field restarted on lap 67, Jones rolling in the 22nd position. Shortly after the restart, the No. 43 Toyota Camry XSE blew a right front tire. Dave Elenz and team assumed the damage from the initial wreck caused wear on the tire, but after some investigation on the car and a couple of pit stops later, it was believed that the No. 43 ran over some debris on the track, leading to the right front flat. On a pit stop to assess damage, the LEGACY MOTOR CLUB crew took off panels of the car to look at the toe link, noting that the damage was not detrimental. Jones also commented that the steering wheel was shifted five degrees to the right - the Family Dollar crew corrected this issue, as well, and sent off the black, red, and orange Toyota Camry XSE to the track. With only a handful of laps left in Stage 2, Jones was told to save fuel if the car was driving good. The LEGACY MOTOR CLUB team finished Stage 2 in the 29th position.
The strategy for Stage 3 was to drive hard for the first few laps, but stay back and save fuel, awaiting the unexpected. The No. 43 Family Dollar Toyota Camry XSE held strong, making its way around the 2.5-mile track. The team pitted for fuel once, but the Toyota Camry XSE did not receive the amount needed, so the No. 43 pitted again to add more Sunoco fuel. Wheelman Jones tried balancing the act of saving fuel and keeping up with competition. Elenz told Jones to use fuel as needed, as the team was about 10 laps short of completing the race with enough fuel. The LEGACY MOTOR CLUB crew pitted on lap 142, for a fuel only stop, hoping to gain spots off of pit road. The No. 43 Toyota Camry XSE got caught up with traffic leaving pit road, which set the team back on gaining spots for a better position. Jones spoke positively saying “It ain’t over, we’re gonna run hard here.” On lap 151, a wreck caused the No. 43 to choke up and unfortunately, gain damage. The Family Dollar crew pitted, sawed off parts of the right front panels, and added Goodyear tires before heading back out on the Daytona track. Despite the adversities on track, the No. 43 Family Dollar Toyota Camry XSE completed the Coke Zero 400 in the 17th position.
NEXT RACE: The NASCAR Cup Series will make their way to the place Too Tough to Tame and Darlington Raceway next Sunday evening, Sept. 1 for the final race of the regular season. Tune into the Cook Out Southern 500 on USA Network at 6:00 pm ET or listen to it on MRN or SiriusXM Channel 90.
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ABOUT DOLLAR TREE, INC.: Dollar Tree, a Fortune 200 Company, operated 16,622 stores across 48 states and five Canadian provinces as of October 28, 2023. Stores operate under the brands of Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, and Dollar Tree Canada. To learn more about the Company, visit dollartree.com.
ABOUT PYE-BARKER FIRE & SAFETY: The U.S. leader in fully integrated life safety systems, Pye-Barker Fire & Safety provides complete fire protection and security systems nationwide. With over 200 locations and 6,000 team members nationwide, Pye-Barker is an industry leader and ranks No. 954 on the Inc 5000 and No. 9 on the SDM 100.
ABOUT LEGACY MOTOR CLUB: LEGACY MOTOR CLUB™ is a professional auto racing club owned by businessman and entrepreneur Maurice "Maury" J. Gallagher and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson. The CLUB competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series fielding the No. 42 Toyota Camry XSE of John Hunter Nemechek, the No. 43 Toyota Camry XSE of Erik Jones, and the No. 84 limited schedule entry for Johnson. LEGACY M.C. also competes in the Extreme E Series. Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty "The King" serves as Club Ambassador. With a unique title signifying a nod to car clubs of past eras, LEGACY M.C. is an inclusive club for all motorsport enthusiasts to celebrate the past and future legacies of its members, while competing for wins and championships at NASCAR’s elite level. To keep up-to-date with the latest news, information and exclusive content, follow LEGACY MOTOR CLUB™ on Facebook, X, Instagram and at www.LEGACYMOTORCLUB.com.
