Homestead-Miami Speedway | RACE RECAP
HOMESTEAD, Fla. (Oct. 27, 2024) – The NASCAR Cup Series stopped in south Florida at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the Straight Talk Wireless 400 on Sunday afternoon. It was Tyler Reddick leading the field to the green, while the No. 43 of Erik Jones in the Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE started 28th and John Hunter Nemechek in the No. 42 Family Dollar Toyota Camry XSE rolled off in the 29th position. Tyler Reddick made a last-lap pass to advance his way to the Championship Four in Phoenix. Below is a look at how each LEGACY MOTOR CLUB entry fared.
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK | NO. 42 Family Dollar TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
START: 29TH | FINISH: 26TH | POINTS: 34TH
As the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season is coming to an end, John Hunter Nemechek and the No. 42 LEGACY MOTOR CLUB team came to Homestead-Miami Speedway looking to score the organization a back-to-back top 10 finish after last week’s ninth-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This week, the North Carolina native was back behind the wheel of the familiar black, red, orange and (pop of pink color to show awareness for Breast Cancer Awareness Month) Family Dollar Toyota Camry XSE. The team would roll off the grid in the 29th-position for the 267-lap Straight Talk Wireless 400 on Sunday afternoon just after 2:30 p.m. ET.
As Stage 1 got underway, the action picked up. When the field entered turn 3, on Lap 1, the No. 47 and the No. 7 got tangled, sending the No. 7 spinning. The field was checking up quickly to avoid the spinning No. 7. During that, Nemechek slightly bumped the No. 17 who was in front of him. Crew chief Brian Campe reviewed the photos and said that there may be a small gap in the hood, but nothing worth coming to pit road to address. Nemechek restarted the race in the 25th spot. During the next run, he would drop a couple positions, however, he started to maintain pace in the 29th position. His running position did not reflect his speed, as Nemechek was running top-15 lap times. On Lap 35, under green, the Family Dollar team got their first opportunity to work on their Toyota Camry XSE - the call was four tires, fuel, and an adjustment to help the tight balance.
The fast way around Homestead-Miami Speedway is around the top, just inches from the fence - but it is a fine line because if you across it, you could end up in the wall. That was the case when the yellow came out for another competitor on Lap 47. Under yellow, the feedback from Nemechek was the car was tight to start, but better for the second run. With tire wear being high, the team took the opportunity to come back down pit road for fresh tires, fuel, and no adjustments. With 20 laps remaining in Stage 1, encouragement came from spotter, Ryan Blanchard, as Nemechek worked his way up to 22nd in the running order, but would give a couple of those spots back as Nemechek would go on to finish Stage 1 in 26th.
Stage 2 began with the No. 42 Family Dollar team starting in the 20th position. This stage would see it go from green to green-white checked. Just prior to the green-flag stop on Lap 116, Nemechek said he started out ok but trended to the bad side on the long run, as a result, he lost several spots. The stop saw the team bolt on four tires, fuel, and take an air-pressure adjustment, as he gave up the 29th running spot. With 30 laps in the stage, Nemechek asked for lap times, as he was searching his way around the 1.5-mile track for a faster lane. Nemechek closed out the middle stage in 30th as he held on strong in the closing laps to stay on the lead lap.
With under 100 laps remaining in the final stage of the race, Nemechek and the No. 42 LEGACY MOTOR CLUB team fired off in 28th. The opening laps, Nemechek kept his elbows up as he surged up a couple spots and was looking for more, but he said he fired off really tight but his Toyota Camry XSE came to him as the run went on.
On Lap 231, the Family Dollar pit crew busted out a 9.3-second, four tire and fuel pit stop that sent Nemechek on his way. Nemechek, who was on fresher tires than most of the field, was making the most of it. A yellow with just about 10 laps to go, set up a “money stop”, four tires, fuel and an air-pressure adjustment to set him up for sprint to the finish. Nemechek entered the pit in 25th and gained one spot as they exited. With seven laps remaining, the field took the green flag. Nemechek brought the No. 42 Family Dollar Toyota Camry home in 26th.
ERIK JONES | NO. 43 Dollar Tree TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
START: 28TH | FINISH: 22ND | POINTS: 31ST
The Straight Talk Wireless 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway took off a few minutes after 2:30pm ET on Sunday afternoon. The No. 43 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE donned a pink scheme this weekend to bring awareness to breast cancer. The Toyota Camry XSE entry started in the 28th position to begin Stage 1. After a caution on Lap 1, the No. 43 moved up a few spots and restarted in the 23rd position after the caution. On Lap 11, Jones radioed to his crew that the car was feeling tight.
Crew chief, Ben Beshore, assured Jones that they would assess it when they came to pit next. On Lap 35, the Dollar Tree Toyota came down pit road to make adjustments and add four new tires and fuel. Shortly after the first pit stop, it was radioed to the driver that he was running top 10 lap times on Lap 41. A caution on Lap 48 allowed Jones to give feedback to his crew stating that the adjustment helped the speed, but not the way the car drove. Beshore told the driver of the Dollar Tree Toyota that they would re-do the previous adjustment and make other changes when they come down pit road, as well as adding “sticker” tires and fuel. The team took a longer pit stop to make adjustments under the left front in hopes to enhance the handling of the car. After going back to the field, the No. 43 Dollar Tree team completed Stage 1 in the 34th position.
The LEGACY MOTOR CLUB entry started Stage 2 in the 27th position. The radio was quiet, other than the sounds of Carelli spotting for Jones as he made his way around the speedway. The crew made a pit stop for an adjustment plus tires and fuel before sending the No. 43 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE back on track. Carelli kept relaying to the team strategies from competitors, which lines others are taking, and any other tactics he could observe to help with the overall performance of the car. The No. 43 team completed Stage 2 in the 33rd position, one lap down.
The pink, green and white Toyota Camry XSE started Stage 3 in the 34th position after a quick pit stop for tires and fuel by the LEGACY MOTOR CLUB team. There was a caution on Lap 186 allowing the No. 43 team to take the wave around, letting the crew get back on the lead lap. The Dollar Tree team did not pit during this caution as a result of taking the wave around to get back on the lead lap. On Lap 203, Jones was told to, “keep doing what you’re doing” as he drove along the 1.5-mile track. On Lap 222, the Dollar Tree Toyota came down pit road and pitted for four tires and fuel. During the stage, the No. 43 was bobbing between being on the lead lap and being a lap down. On Lap 254, a caution allowed the team to pit for tires and fuel. After the pit stop and caution, the team was able to restart on the lead lap in the 23rd position and gain one spot. The No. 43 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE completed the Straight Talk Wireless 400 in the 22nd position.
NEXT UP: The NASCAR Cup Series stops at Martinsville Speedway for the Xfinity 500. The race takes place on Sunday, Nov. 3 at 2:00 p.m. ET live on NBC, MRN Radio 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 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 Jimmie Johnson. 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.
