CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY | RACE RECAP
CONCORD, N.C. (May 26, 2024) – NASCAR's longest race took place on Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The race started under hot temperatures and sunny skies and ended with a rain-shorted call by NASCAR. Lightning and heavy downpours came just after 9:30 p.m. and due to the weather conditions, temperature, and humidity, NASCAR didn't feel they could get the track dried before 1 a.m., which was deemed unsafe to go the full distance. Here is how the race played out for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB:
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK | No. 42 DOLLAR TREE TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
START: 26TH | FINISH: 30TH | POINTS: 25TH
42 RECAP: The Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway a Memorial Day weekend tradition wrapped up a full weekend of racing. One of the many things that makes this race special is that each of the race entries display a fallen hero's name on the windshield banner of their race vehicle. The No. 42 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE driven by John Hunter Nemechek was honored to carry Army SPC. Dustin J. Feldhaus name for the 600-mile event. When the longest race of the year got underway, the No. 42 Dollar Tree of John Hunter Nemechek rolled off the grid in the 26th position but ended up dropping back in the running order once the race got underway as he was battling a tight Toyota Camry XSE. Falling as far back as 29th due to the ill-handling car, however, as the stage went on, the car started to come around and was also aided by the Dollar Tree crew as they made some positive adjustments. Nemechek started to work his way forward taking back the positions that he gave up during the start of the race. Crew chief Ben Beshore encouraged his driver by letting him know he was running solid lap times, some as fast as the leaders and to keep up the good work. Nemechek eventually closed out Stage 1 in the 24th position.
During Stage 2, the No. 42 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE balance seemed to come around and they continued their momentum forward as the sun started to set over the 1.5-mile intermediate oval. For most of the stage, the 26-year-old driver was quiet on the radio as he was marching his way forward. A couple yellow flags during the second stage saw various pit stop strategies jumble the running order. At the three-quarter mark of the second stage, Nemechek was running in 15th place before another yellow flag slowed the field. With only a few laps on their tires, the Dollar Tree team elected to stay out on the track allowing the team to restart just outside the top 10 in 11th. On the restart, Nemechek reported that his Camry lacked fire-off speed, and he ended up falling back to the 22nd before his Dollar Tree Camry XSE before it started to balance out again. With four laps shy of the scheduled halfway mark of the race, the fifth yellow flag of the night was displayed for an accident on the backstretch once again slowing the field and bringing them to the Stage 2 break. The team would finish Stage 2 in the 22nd spot.
Following the completion of Stage 2, a traditional ceremony at the Coke 600 saw all vehicles come down the pit road and shut off their cars to recognize a moment of silence for all the service members who have paid the ultimate sacrifice.
Trying to gain position on pit road was an issue all night as it was tight entering and leaving the 42’s stall, causing the driver to lose some spots on track. Unfortunately, on Lap 234 a miscue on pit road saw a tire get away during a stop resulting in a penalty putting the 42 team back to 34th. On lap 249 the race was red-flagged due to rain and lightning in the area with Nemechek running in 30th. NASCAR worked on the track surface for approximately two hours, however with the high humidity and how late the race could potentially restart, NASCAR deemed the race official with the No. 42 Dollar Tree LEGACY MOTOR CLUB finishing in the 30th position.
Quoting John Hunter Nemechek: “Frustrated with a 30th-place finish. We had a better car than what the results showed, we just got blocked in our pit stall all night and lost a tremendous amount of track position on pit road. We had a fast car when we had the track position, but we have absolutely nothing to show for it.”
ERIK JONES | No. 43 FAMILY DOLLAR TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
START: 34TH | FINISH: 19TH | POINTS: 26TH
43 RECAP: Erik Jones and the No. 43 Family Dollar Toyota qualified 34th for the longest race of the year at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Early in Stage 1, the No. 43 Toyota Camry XSE fought balance issues as Jones reported he was tight but trending free and struggling to drive through traffic. Despite this, Jones still moved up six spots early in the race and was noted to be one of the biggest movers after 20 laps. After a pit stop and adjustment on lap 42, Jones sat in the 22nd position after the green flag cycle had completed. Following the stop, Jones reported to crew chief Dave Elenz that he was free on entry and felt like the team had made too big of an adjustment. A caution came out on Lap 87 of the opening stage, and the team headed back to pit road for a fresh set of tires and an air pressure adjustment in hopes of finding the middle ground. Jones restarted 19th with seven laps until the conclusion of Stage 1. During the run, Jones gave an update on the short-run status, saying he was a bit tight and trending free and needed help during the initial restarts. Jones finished the opening stage in the 22nd position.
Stage 2 saw Jones and the No. 43 Family Dollar Toyota Camry XSE starting in the 23rd position. Despite a 30-lap run that revealed a very off-balance and loose race car, crew chief Dave Elenz encouraged Jones to run as hard as he could until the next pit stop, where they would revert their adjustments to find the proper balance. The No. 43 headed to pit road 15 laps later for four tires and a return to the original adjustments for the second half of Stage 2.
Shortly after the halfway mark of Stage 2, a caution came out on lap 158, and Jones reported to his team that he took off edgy and trended free in the short run. The rear was also struggling with lateral grip. During the caution, Jones sat 23rd. Following another pit stop, the No. 43 made steady progress and seemed to find a beneficial balance, finishing Stage 2 in the 18th position.
The No. 43 began Stage 3 in the 24th position after a long pit stop at the stage break for four tires, fuel, and an adjustment to help with rising gear temperatures. With possible weather on the horizon, the team made adjustments to the No. 43, and Jones sat 22nd on lap 238. Jones ran another short run of laps before the weather caution was called. At the time of the caution, Jones sat 19th, reporting to his team that the car was pretty fast and felt good but could be a little sporadic.
NASCAR ordered everyone to pit road at lap 249, and the teams were placed under a lightning hold until further notice. After a two-hour rain delay, NASCAR made the decision to call the race at 11:30 p.m., Jones was credited with a 19th-place result.
Quoting Erik Jones: “Up and down day for us but happy with a top-20 for this Family Dollar Toyota team. Feel like we learned quite a bit going forward for the mile and a halfs coming up.”
JIMMIE JOHNSON | No. 84 ADVENTHEALTH TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
START: 29TH | FINISH: 29TH
84 RECAP: Jimmie Johnson's day started bright and early at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway where he participated in the pre-race show of the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500 as a guest commentator for NBC.
Johnson had to leave Indianapolis at 1pm ET during an intense rain storm to return to Charlotte where he would start 29th in the Coca-Cola 600. With SSG James "Jimmy" Patton riding along, Johnson slowly crept forward during the first stage. Fighting a tight Toyota Camry, Johnson pitted for the first time on Lap 44 for four tires and fuel. The team made an air pressure adjustment as the car became free in the center and off the corners.
With 25 to go in Stage 1, Johnson reported being really loose as he lost a lap to leader Ty Gibbs as he was running 27th. He received the "free pass" when a caution came out with 13 laps to go in the stage and got his lap back. He finished Stage 1 in 27th.
Early in Stage 2, Johnson fell to 33rd and said the car just wouldn't turn, he wasn't sure what happened. Crew chief Jason Burdett made adjustments on Lap 142. Johnson said he needed help in the center of turns. He was running 30th with 40 to go in the stage. On Lap 173 Johnson came to pit road under caution for a chassis adjustment only.
On Lap 189 Johnson was racing hard with the No. 77 and got hit on the left side causing minimal damage. With four to go in Stage 2 a caution flag flew. Still fighting the tight condition possibly due to the track changes from daylight to night, Johnson finished Stage 2 in 32nd.
Tradition at Charlotte is for the full field to observe a moment of silence at the halfway point in the race for those who serve and served our country. When the engines re-fired, Johnson pitted for four tires and fuel as well as a chassis adjustment to again help with the tight condition of his AdventHealth Toyota.
Ten laps into Stage 3 Johnson said the No. 84 was better but he still needed more of the adjustment and had worked his way into the 26th position. Burdett told Johnson at the start of Stage 3 rain was in the area and approximately 40 minutes away.
Johnson, Burdett and the team continued to work on the handling of the No. 84 throughout Stage 3.
A caution flag for rain flew on Lap 249 while Johnson was sitting 29th. At 9:30 p.m. there was a lightning hold in the area sending drivers to pit road. Heavy rain ensued and NASCAR attempted to get the racetrack dried but was unable to do so. They called the race at 11:30 p.m. ET. Johnson finished 29th.
Quoting Jimmie Johnson: "If we could just figure out the short run, we would be so much more forward. The No. 84 AdventHealth Toyota had great speed on the long runs. It's been a long week physically and mentally but I felt good in the car. Unfortunate that we couldn't get it back going."
NEXT RACE: The NASCAR Cup Series visits World Wide Technology Raceway for the Enjoy Illinois 300 on Sunday, June 2. The race will begin at 3:30 p.m. ET, Race coverage will be on FS1, with radio coverage on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).
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 ADVENTHEALTH: With a sacred mission of Extending the Healing Ministry of Christ, AdventHealth is a connected system of care for every stage of life and health. More than 90,000 team members across hundreds of care sites including physician practices, hospitals, outpatient clinics, home health agencies and hospice centers provide individualized, wholistic care. A shared vision, common values, focus on whole-person health and commitment to making communities healthier unify the system's more than 50 hospital campuses in diverse markets throughout nine states. For more information about AdventHealth, visit adventhealth.com/news.
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.
