Atlanta Motor Speedway | RACE RECAP
HAMPTON, Ga. (Sept. 8, 2024) – Atlanta Motor Speedway hosted the first race of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs on Sunday. While the top-16 playoff drivers were looking to advance to the next round, the other 22 drivers were looking to play the spoiler role. The No. 42 OLIPOP Ridge Rush Toyota Camry XSE lined up in the 35th-position, while Erik Jones in the No. 43 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE started in the 33rd-position. Michael McDowell claimed his fifth pole of the year. Joey Logano used NASCAR overtime to propel him to a victory at Atlanta and advance him into the second round of the playoffs. Below is a look at how the LEGACY MOTOR CLUB entries faired.
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK | NO. 42 OLIPOP Ridge rush TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
START: 35TH | FINISH: 33RD | POINTS: 33RD
John Hunter Nemechek dawned the green and white, OLIPOP Ridge Rush colors on his Toyota Camry XSE this weekend for the Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Starting deep in the field in 35th, Nemechek knew he had a tall task ahead of him to get his LEGACY MOTOR CLUB entry up into contention. Once the field took the green flag, Nemechek started working his way forward in the first stage. Most of the field got strung out running single file, making it difficult to gain spots. Just shy of the Stage 1 break, a yellow flag was displayed for the No. 5 car. Nemechek reported into his OLIPOP crew that his Camry XSE was tight on the top lane, but not terrible when he was wrapping the bottom lane. Crew chief Ben Beshore made the call to make a longer than normal pit stop to work on the balance of the car.
Starting the second stage in the 24th spot, Nemechek was plus 11 positions from the beginning of the race. He wasn’t going to stop there as he continued to move forward up to 22nd after the second stage got going. The second stage saw more side-by-side racing, as drivers needed to pick their lane wisely. Nemechek would slinky through the running order - going up and down the entire second stage. Still battling a tight handling race car in traffic, Nemechek said he needed to off-set his OLIPOP Camry XSE to get clean air on his nose in order to get a run on the car in front of him. The middle stage came to a close with the No. 42 LEGACY MOTOR CLUB finishing in 25th.
Once again during the stage break, the LEGACY MOTOR CLUB team opted to take longer on their pit stop to try to help the balance on the OLIPOP Toyota Camry XSE. On lap 176, while running in 26th on the bottom lane in traffic, Nemechek suddenly lost control of his car and shot to the inside wall on the backstretch, resulting in heavy front-end damage. He was able to drive his car to his pit stall for his crew to attend to the damage. The team made several stops to address the damage and get it to where Nemechek could continue but the damage was too much to get back into the mix for a good finish. Nemechek and the No. 42 OLIPOP team finished in 33rd-place.
ERIK JONES | NO. 43 dollar tree TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
START: 33RD | FINISH: 26TH | POINTS: 28TH
The first race of the playoffs kicked off at Atlanta Motor Speedway shortly after 3:00 P.M. EST. The driver of the No. 43 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE relayed to his crew on lap 12, that the car felt tight and also the steering of the car was difficult to drive with. Although fighting some adversity, Jones was able to run as high as 25th, picking up eight spots half way through Stage 1. With a late stage caution on lap 56, the first stage was completed. The No. 43 LEGACY MOTOR CLUB team completed Stage 1 in the 30th position.
During the stage break, the green, gold, and white Toyota Camry XSE came down pit road to gain four new Goodyear Tires, Sunoco fuel, and to make adjustments in hopes to make the car “freer”. The NASCAR entry came down pit road again to top off with fuel before heading back out for Stage 2.
The second stage began on lap 67, due to some clean up from the caution earlier. The Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE rolled off in the 35th position, but moved up to the 25th position by lap 74. By lap 91, Jones had broke into the top-20, and seemed to find himself racing three-wide often. The radio was silent from the driver, only sounds of spotter, Rick Carelli, guiding the car around the track was heard. Jones made his way to the top-10, the only information shared to the team was that the car was a “little tight on entry”. A caution for debris on lap 114, allowed the team to come down pit road for two right side tires only and additional fuel. Prior to exiting the pits, the No. 77 car hit the No. 45 car, which slid in front of the No. 43, delaying the No. 43 from getting out to the track. The team restarted in the 14th position on lap 119. Working three-wide for the majority of the stage, the No. 43 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE rolled up to the top-10 and as high as fifth in the running order and held positions in the top-10 before falling back and telling the team that the tires were worn out and the car was still a little too tight. The No. 43 Dollar Tree team was running the same left-side tires from the start of the race as the first stop was for right-side tires only. The No. 43 team finished the stage in the 19th position.
During the stage break, the No. 43 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE came down pit road for four new tires and fuel.
After the choose, the No. 43 started Stage 3 in the 22nd position. A caution on lap 175 opened pit road to the teams and the No. 43 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE came down to get right side tires and fuel. Leaving the pit box, the No. 43 and No. 4 collided, causing damage to the hood of the No. 43. Another visit to pit road to assess damage had the team roll off towards the back of the pack. The No. 43 Toyota Camry XSE came down once more to gain tires and fuel. Jones fought steering issues and a tight car all race long and completed the race in the 26th position.
Next Race: The NASCAR Cup Series heads north to western New York and Watkins Glen International. The Go Bowling at the Glen takes place on Sunday, Sept. 15 at 3:00 p.m. ET. The race can be seen on USA Network, or you can listen on SiriusXM NASCAR radio (Channel 90) or on MRN.
ABOUT OUR PARTNERS
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 OLIPOP: Launched in 2018, OLIPOP created the first healthy alternative to soda with only 2-5 grams of sugar and 9 grams of fiber. OLIPOP, now the fastest growing functional beverage, was formulated by CEO, Ben Goodwin, and a team of leading scientists to capture the nostalgic soda flavors you want, but with the benefits of plant-based fiber, prebiotics, and other botanical ingredients to support digestive health. OLIPOP is available in a variety of flavors including classic options like Vintage Cola, Classic Root Beer and Lemon Lime and innovative flavors like Strawberry Vanilla, Banana Cream, and Tropical Punch. OLIPOP is non-GMO, paleo, vegan, and gluten-free and is available online at www.drinkolipop.com as well as almost 30,000 grocers nationwide, including Target, Walmart, Whole Foods, Kroger and more.
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.
