CHICAGO STREET RACE | RACE RECAP
CHICAGO (July 7, 2024) – The NASCAR Cup Series took to the Chicago Street Course for the Grant Park 165 this weekend. During Saturday’s qualifying session, it was Kyle Larson grabbing the pole for the race. For LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, the No. 42 of John Hunter Nemechek put the No. 42 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE in the 12th starting spot. Erik Jones and the No. 43 UChicago Medicine AdventHealth team qualified 25th; however, an issue with the clutch that needed to be addressed following Saturday’s qualifying session would force Jones to the rear of the field for the start of Sunday’s race.
During Sunday’s Grant Park 165 the field saw rain, rain and more rain, and the field was halted for one hour and nine minutes under red flag conditions. When the racing finally resumed the field had 59 minutes to sort it out. The victor was Alex Bowman from Hendrick Motorsports who ended an 80-race winless streak in dramatic fashion.
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK | NO. 42 DOLLAR TREE TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
START: 12TH | FINISH: 35TH | POINTS: 30TH
During Saturday’s practice session, the No. 42 team unloaded with a favorable balance on their Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE. A strong qualifying session placed John Hunter Nemechek 12th on the starting grid for Sunday’s 75-lap race.
Just as the command was given for the drivers to fire the engines, a light rain shower passed over the City of Chicago but quickly subsided. Prior to starting the race, the No. 42 Dollar Tree team made the decision to start the race on slick Goodyear tires vs. the wet weather tires. On lap 4, Nemechek cracked the top 10 for the first time and drove up as high as the ninth position. With four laps remaining in Stage 1, the first yellow flag was displayed for the No. 7. While under yellow the heavier rains started to fall making for a wet race track. The No. 42 Dollar Tree team concluded Stage 1 in 11th place.
Prior to the start of the second stage, all of the cars that had slick tires on pitted for wet tires and fuel, including the No. 42. Nemechek would restart in the 11th spot.
A chaotic Stage 2 restart saw multiple cars spin because of the wet conditions. Nemechek managed to avoid those cars placing him in the seventh spot, moving him up from 10th place.
Nemechek radioed to the team it was hard to see due to the water spray coming from the cars. On lap 25, NASCAR decided to bring the field down pit road for safety reasons to allow for the system to pass and a one-hour nine-minute rain delay ensued.
Post rain delay, Nemechek was on a mission, as he methodically picked his driving line and drove his Toyota Camry XSE up to the fourth position. With 2 laps remaining in the second stage, Ben Beshore called his driver down pit road to swap out the wet weather tires for the dry slicks, a strategy move. The stage ended with Nemechek finishing in the 18th position as various pit strategies were underway. The North Carolina native restarted the final stage with approximately 17 minutes remaining in the race, the team restarted 18th.
One of five cars on slick tires, Nemechek started making some ground on the field. With two minutes left, he was turned around sending him into the tire barrier resulting in a flat left rear tire forcing him to pit. Once looking in line for a career-best finish, within minutes, Nemechek was relegated to a 35th-place finish.
ERIK JONES | NO. 43 UMEDICINE CHICAGO ADVENTHEALTH TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
START: 25TH | FINISH: 29TH | POINTS: 28TH
In true NASCAR fashion, the rain came just as the engines blared. NASCAR mandated all teams change out the slick tires for wet weather tires. The No. 43 UChicago Medicine AdventHealth team opted to change back to “slicks” (dry tires), on the pit road pass-through before the race officially began.
After a lap around the track, the rain intensified and Erik Jones decided to come down pit road as the green flag waved to put back on the wet weather tires. After struggling to move up positions, the team recognized they were still having clutch issues, but were unsure of the exact diagnosis. The stage ended under caution, and the No. 43 group strategized on their next move.
Stage 2 began and Jones took the wave around. The team kept the wet tires on, as the track was still wet in different areas throughout the course. The plan was to run one green flag lap and then pit to exchange tires; however, a lengthy rain shower made a visit to the track and had NASCAR in a red flag hold for one hour and nine minutes.
The race went back racing after the hold, and the No. 43 UMedicine Chicago AdventHealth Toyota came to pit road for service. Jones unfortunately had a loose wheel, so the team pitted again to change the tires and fix the damage the loose tire caused.
Stage 3 was a race against the clock and daylight. NASCAR had informed all teams that the race would end at 8:20 pm local time. The No. 43 crew kept this in mind during strategy discussions. Before Stage 3, the team discussed putting slicks on versus keeping on the wet weather tires. After a brief debate, they decided to pit to add new wet weather tires, adjustments, and fuel. Crew chief Dave Elenz said the wet weather tires would allow Jones to pass easier than the slicks. All cars were racing hard, as they were trying to beat the clock for positions.
Many cars hit barriers, a few more cautions were called, and the No. 43 UMedicine Chicago AdventHealth crew finished the race in 29th position.
NEXT RACE: The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Pocono Raceway on Sunday, July 14th. The broadcast kicks off at 2:30 p.m. ET live on USA Network and SiriusXM/ NASCAR Radio (Channel 90) and MRN Radio.
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, holistic 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.
BOUT 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.
