Watkins Glen International | RACE RECAP
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (Sept. 15, 2024) – The NASCAR Cup Series made its way to the Finger Lake region of New York for the Go Bowling at the Glen. John Hunter Nemechek in the No. 42 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE qualified 35th, while Erik Jones drove the No. 43 Family Dollar Toyota Camry XSE to a 25th starting spot. Ross Chastain started from the pole position – it was Chris Buescher claiming the victory.
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK | NO. 42 Dollar Tree TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
START: 35TH | FINISH: 21ST | POINTS: 34TH
Under sunny skies, John Hunter Nemechek and the No. 42 Dollar Tree team rolled off 35th for the Go Bowling at the Glen. It didn’t take long for the action to pick up. When the field made their first trip through the “bus stop”, multiple drivers lost control of their cars, spinning across the field. During it all, Nemechek managed to drive through the center of the mess, avoiding the carnage and came out of it moving up 10 spots. As the stage continued, he was battling a tight-handling Dollar Tree Camry, dropping him back to 28th. On lap 17, all but 10 drivers pitted. Nemechek was one to duck down pit road for four fresh Goodyear tires, fuel and a balance adjustment. With just three laps remaining in the first stage, Nemechek took care of his Dollar Tree Camry XSE to preserve it for the middle stage. A 31st-place finish in the first stage had Nemechek plus four positions from the start of the race.
During the break, the rest of the field came down for service, vaulting Nemechek up to 16th spot for the Stage 2 restart. Fending off the charges from the restart, Nemechek worked his way up to 15th and was riding comfortably in the middle of the field. Similar to Stage 1, crew chief Ben Beshore called his driver down pit road for a green flag pit stop just before the stage ended. Just as the team finished their stop, the second yellow flag of the day was displayed. During the yellow, Nemechek reported in to his crew that he was tight through Turn 1, he felt a little free through the esses; but it was the best he felt in that section throughout the weekend. He said he was good through the bus stop and snug through the rest of the 2.454-mile track. As the middle stage concluded, he finished in 17th, but knew he would gain some spots as cars continued to pit.
With 50 laps on tap for the final stage, Nemechek started the highest he’s been all day in 12th. On the restart, Nemechek was able to move up inside the top-10 for a brief moment, but did drop back slightly to 12th at the time of the lap 47 yellow flag. Still several laps outside of the fuel window, the No. 42 Dollar Tree team elected to stay out, but there were some takers pushing Nemechek back up to 11th place. As the field built up the speed, Nemechek was forced to defend his position in Turn 1, a couple cars were able to slip by, but Nemechek settled into the 15th running spot with 35 laps to go.
As Nemechek started to slip back in the running order to 19th, he said he was holding on for dear life from a tight race car. A yellow flag on lap 80, because of debris from a blown tire, slowed the field and allowed Nemechek to come back down pit road for fresh Goodyear tires, and a balance adjustment. With eight laps remaining, Nemechek restarted 24th. Another yellow for a multi-car accident once again re-stacked the field.
The race would go into NASCAR Overtime and Nemechek managed to gather back some of the spots that were given up during the pit stop for a 21st-place finish. The No. 42 Dollar Tree team gained 14 spots during the day in a strong showing after a couple tough weeks.
"Solid day for us and the No. 42 Dollar Tree team. Not the finish we ultimately wanted in 21st but came home with a clean race car. We ran inside the top-15 most of the day with track position strategy; we held our own. We had decent speed. We weren’t great on the short run or the long run we were okay in the mid-pack. We have a little bit of work to do but proud of everyone on this No. 42 LEGACY MOTOR CLUB team, build some momentum off this and go to Bristol next week."
ERIK JONES | NO. 43 dollar tree TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
START: 25TH | FINISH: 33RD | POINTS: 29TH
It didn't take long for the action to heat up today at Watkins Glen. Erik Jones narrowly missed a first lap accident after starting 25th. By lap 6, Jones had picked up ten positions and was running 15th. Green flag pit stops started on lap 16, and Jones moved up to 10th. Jones finished Stage 1 in 9th. He said the No. 43 lacked grip on certain parts of the track, so the No. 43 Family Dollar team made adjustments for it on the first pit stop on lap 21.
Jones started Stage 2 from the 25th position. By lap 26, he was in 22nd position and on lap 32 he passed Chase Elliott for 21st. He radioed on lap 34 that there was a bad vibration in the car and thought he had a loose wheel. The team pitted and gave Jones fresh tires and fuel, but he said he still had a vibration. The team worked to diagnose the issue behind the wall when a caution came out on lap 38. The team pitted again on lap 39 and Jones finished Stage 2 in 27th.
A bolt backed out in the left front, so the No. 43 had an extended pit stop. Jones remained on the lead lap in 34th at lap 46 running two-tenths faster than the leader. He said the balance of the car was good.
Jones was running 20th and had an extended stop on lap 60 for the No. 43 due to an issue on the left rear. Jones rejoined the field in the 31st but the wheel was still loose, so the team brought him back in the pits to fix the issue but lost two laps to the leader.
Jones couldn't make up the track position but finished the race in 33rd, two laps shy of the winner.
"We will go back to the shop and figure out what happened there. On to Bristol."
NEXT UP: The NASCAR Cup Series travels to Bristol, Tenn. and Bristol Motor Speedway for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race. The race kicks off on Saturday, Sept. 21 at 7:30 p.m. ET live on USA Network. You can also listen live on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90) or on PRN.
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 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.
