KANSAS SPEEDWAY | RACE RECAP
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (May 5, 2024) -- The AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway proved to be one of the most exciting races of the season with two LEGACY MOTOR CLUB entries in the top 10 with three laps to go in the event. An overtime thriller with a photo finish between Chris Buescher and Kyle Larson, decided Larson the winner by .001 seconds, the closest finish in NASCAR Cup Series history.
Here is how the race played out for the drivers of LEGACY MOTOR CLUB.
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK | No. 42 FAMILY DOLLAR TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
START: 29TH | FINISH: 13TH | POINTS: 21ST
42 RECAP: With rain showers in the vicinity of the Kansas City region at the originally scheduled start time of the AdventHealth 400, the race was forced into a three-hour rain delay. Once the rain cleared, John Hunter Nemechek and the No. 42 Family Dollar Toyota Camry XSE LEGACY MOTOR CLUB entry rolled off the grid in the 29th position.
The Family Dollar Toyota Camry XSE fired off solidly as Nemechek piloted the No. 42 machine up through the field. On Lap 9, Nemechek reported to the crew, “pretty good here,” spotter Ryan Blanchard agreed and continued to coach the 26-year-old driver around the 1.5-mile oval. By Lap 25 Nemechek had cracked the top-15, and quickly gained 14 positions since the start of the race.
Before making their first pit stop of the day, crew chief Ben Beshore asked his driver how his balance was and he answered with “Pretty good right here, maybe a little tight exit but I like where I am at,” as they relinquished the 13th running position to hit pit road.
On the next run, the No. 42 Family Dollar Camry XSE drifted to the free side. Beshore radioed to his driver that he was hearing similar reports from the rest of the competitors and believed the track was trending in that direction.
The first stage went caution-free and Nemechek finished in the 20th position, gaining nine spots from his initial starting position. At the stage break, Nemechek was penalized for speeding while exiting pit road, forcing him to the end of the longest line on the restart.
During a green flag pit stop in the middle of Stage 2, Nemechek overshot the pit box and was forced to back up the Family Dollar Camry XSE before service could begin. The miscue relegated the No. 42 team one lap down to the leaders as they continued to battle for the Free Pass spot the rest of Stage 2 but eventually would come up short and finish the second stage in 32nd, one lap down to the leaders.
Quickly after Stage 3 began the first yellow slowed the field down but Nemechek was able to work himself into the Free Pass position in 30th place. Nemechek radioed to his Family Dollar LEGACY MOTOR CLUB crew, “Now we can go race, and spotter Blanchard encouraged the driver to hit a mental reset.
With under 70 laps remaining, fuel strategy came into play and the No. 42 team took advantage eventually working themselves back inside the top 20 by lap 247; however, they were not done there. The final yellow flag was displayed on lap 262.
Beshore made the call to roll the dice and pit for two right-side tires, advancing the No. 42 five positions and setting them up for an eighth-place restarting position for a green-white-checkered overtime finish. Nemechek would eventually slip back a few spots by the time the checkered flag flew but the No. 42 Family Dollar team fought hard all day to regain the track position they had early in the race with a solid 13th place finish. It was the team's third top-15 finish of the 2024 season.
Quoting John Hunter Nemechek: "We fought hard for that one. We never gave up and made some mistakes but overcame them. Made some progress and I'm proud of the effort of the team. It had to be a good show for the fans too. Thanks to Dollar Tree Family Dollar for all their support for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB."
COREY HEIM FOR ERIK JONES | No. 43 DOLLAR TREE TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
START: 20TH | FINISH: 22ND
43 RECAP: Corey Heim qualified 20th for his second Cup Series start in the AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway filling in for Erik Jones. The No. 43 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE was off balance early in the opening stage, Heim reported the car was tight on the high side of the track. Crew chief Dave Elenz called Heim down pit road just before the 40-lap mark for four tires and fuel with an air pressure adjustment. Unfortunately, Heim was caught speeding on pit road and was required to serve a pass-through penalty, pinning him a lap down early. Heim finished Stage 1 in the 38th position, one lap down.
Heim found consistent speed to open Stage 2. The only feedback Heim had for the No. 43 was that the car was trending free but ran well in clean air. Heim found speed but was still one lap down and finished Stage 2 in the 35th position.
Heim sat 32nd as the final stage waved green and reported to the team that he fired off a bit slow during the restarts. Unfortunately, the No. 84 of Jimmie Johnson was involved in an incident bringing out the first of many cautions that would occur during the final stage. The No. 43 headed to pit road for a slight adjustment, hoping to help Heim in race traffic. Still a lap down, the No. 43 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE sat 33rd. Less than 20 laps later, the team earned the free pass, and Heim was back on the lead lap. From there, Heim set sail, moving up 5 positions, and was back inside the top 25 by lap 230. As he moved through the field, Heim made his way into the top 20 with under 20 laps to go and then sat right outside of the top 15 with under 10 laps remaining in regulation.
Elenz decided to call the No. 43 to pit road as the final caution of the day came out with five laps to go. The team took right-side tires and sat in the top 10 for the final two-lap shootout after moving up seven spots on pit road. Heim found consistent speed and was inside the top 10 but was hit in the final corner. Heim slid across the finish line backward, earning 22nd place for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB.
Quoting Corey Heim: In your second career Cup race, what did you learn out there and how would you overview your day? “Yeah, I mean, a long day for sure. Got behind early from a speeding penalty and just situationally, couldn’t get on the lucky dog (free pass) until the end of the race. Just struggled with track position, of course, at the end of the longest line, one lap down most of the race. But, once we got back on the lead lap in Stage 3 and freed the car up, I thought we were pretty good. Huge thank you to LEGACY MOTOR CLUB for having me along these two weeks. Dollar Tree, Family Dollar for everything they do and their support. Definitely wish we could’ve run close to the front today, but a good learning experience and we move forward.”
JIMMIE JOHNSON | No. 84 ADVENTHEALTH TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
START: 19TH | FINISH: 38TH
84 RECAP: Jimmie Johnson qualified 19th for the AdventHealth400 - a race he had won twice in his storied full-time NASCAR Cup Series career from the 19th position. After a three-hour rain delay, Johnson subbed in for Grand Marshall Richard Petty and gave the command on behalf of AdventHealth to start the engines for the 400-mile event.
The first green flag run saw Johnson's No. 84 AdventHealth Toyota Camry XSE "super tight" as he fell to 30th. On Lap 34 the team brought Johnson to pit road for four tires and fuel and adjusted on the car to loosen it up. By Lap 55 Johnson was running competitive lap times and the car was handling neutral. The No. 84 finished Stage 1 in the 30th position.
The team pitted again on Lap 84 for four tires, fuel, and adjustments which improved the handling even further, and Johnson moved from 28th to 21st in just five laps. He maintained the position until the car started to tighten up and he finished the second stage in 25th.
The team pitted at the stage break and packed the No. 84 AdventHealth Toyota full of fuel. At the green flag on Lap 173 Johnson vied for position with three and four wide racing. He was hit from behind on Lap 176 and spun into the infield grass, causing heavy damage to the No. 84 AdventHealth Toyota. Johnson was checked and released from the AdventHealth Infield Care Center and the No. 84 team retired for the day with a 38th place finish.
Quoting Jimmie Johnson: What did you experience there? “I just had contact from behind and really nothing I can do at that point, especially at that critical part of the corner turning in. And I know it wasn’t on purpose, but it’s just unfortunate.”
What did you see? It seemed like you slowed for something. “Just to make the turn. I was just slowing to make the turn. There’s traffic in front of me, so I’m trying to set up my line so I’m in clean air and not drive in the tire tracks of those in front of me. I was just setting up for the corner and got hit from behind.”
NEXT RACE: The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Darlington Raceway for the Goodyear 400 which takes place at 3 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
ABOUT OUR PARTNERS
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 DOLLAR TREE, INC.: Dollar Tree, a Fortune 200 Company, operates 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.
