Kansas Speedway | RACE RECAP
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (Sept. 29, 2024) – To start the second round of the NASCAR Playoffs, the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) visited Kansas Speedway on a beautiful fall Sunday afternoon. LEGACY MOTOR CLUB once again had three entries on track for the 267-lap event. Erik Jones in the No. 43 AdventHealth Toyota Camry XSE qualified 16th. John Hunter Nemechek in the No. 42 Pye-Barker Fire & Safety Toyota Camry XSE started 31st and Jimmie Johnson was back behind the wheel and started in 35th in his No. 84 Dollar Tree / Family Dollar Toyota Camry XSE. For the third straight race at Kansas Speedway, Christopher Bell earned the pole award but it was Ross Chastain in Victory Lane for the first time of the 2024 season.
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK | NO. 42 PYE-BARKER FIRE & SAFETY TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
START: 31ST | FINISH: 30TH | POINTS: 34TH
Kansas Speedway has historically been a strong track for North Carolina’s John Hunter Nemechek, having won in the NASCAR Truck Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series. He came into the weekend looking to add to the trophy case with the missing hardware from the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS). Starting from 31st after getting tight during his qualifying lap, Nemechek knew he had a tall task ahead of him with it being difficult to pass in traffic at the 1.5-mile intermediate oval.
Stage 1 of the 267-lap race was 80 laps but the field didn’t make it to the backstretch of lap 1 when a gaggle of cars running four wide ran out of real estate. As a result, multiple cars went spinning down the track, coming dangerously close to the No. 42 Pye-Barker Toyota Camry XSE of Nemechek. After that, the field settled in and strung out across the 1.5-mile intermediate oval. On lap 21 while running 31st, the second yellow flag was displayed, Nemechek reported in that he is a one and half loose running the top vs. the bottom. The LEGACY MOTOR CLUB team got their first opportunity to adjust on their Pye-Barker Camry. The stage ended with a long run, during that remaining 55-lap run, Nemechek said he lacked right rear grip. Crew chief Ben Beshore radioed to his driver to drive hard as it was going to be close if the leader would catch him before the end of the stage to put him a lap down. While the laps were ticking down, so was the gap between the leader and the No. 42 Pye-Barker entry. The stage ended and he managed to stay in front of the leader, keeping him on the lead lap. During the ensuing pit stops at the stage break, the team bolted on four tires, filled up on fuel and made a bigger swing at the adjustments. Also, during the stage break, the team went to work with diagnosing a radio issue; this was corrected before the field went back green.
Nemechek fired off in 27th to start the second stage but a quick yellow was displayed for LEGACY M.C. teammate, Erik Jones who spun through the infield. Nemechek said he fired off tight on that run; another pit stop for four tires, fuel and a balance adjustment. On lap 127, Nemechek was searching around for grip, he scraped the right side, but not hard enough to cause any damage. With just over 20 laps remaining in the second stage, a yellow once again slowed the field. Nemechek gave a detailed report back to his LEGACY M.C. crew that said he was free. The team made an extended pit stop to make an adjustment in the front end, they also used their scuff tires and filled it up for what was going to be a short 17-lap run to the Stage 2 finish. On the restart, the No. 42 Pye-Barker Toyota Camry XSE was running on the bottom groove, three-wide when the No. 7 who was running the middle, made an evasive move down the track and came across the nose of Nemechek, sending them both spinning. He was able to continue with some slight damage on the right front fender and to the splitter. Nemechek finished the second stage in 31st-place.
During the pit stop before the final stage got under way, what was expected to be a routine pit stop, a small fire erupted at the fuel fill point of the car. The crew completed the stop and no one was injured. Nemechek restarted in 31st.
During the first half of the final stage, Nemechek was calling in that he was still loose. The second to final stop of the day was under green flag conditions came at lap 218. Prior to the stop, the team tried to catch a yellow flag, however that didn’t happen forcing them to pit.
On lap 236, the team took the wave around to rejoin the lead lap. The remaining laps, Nemechek tried to gain more spots but passing was tough in traffic, as a result, a 30th-place finish.
ERIK JONES | NO. 43 AdventHealth TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
START: 16TH | FINISH: 35TH | POINTS: 32ND
The Hollywood Casino 400 kicked off Sunday with the No. 43 AdventHealth Toyota Camry XSE starting in the 16th position. A caution on Lap 1 allowed Jones, to radio to his crew that the car got a bit snug. After a restart and some laps around the track, the crew pitted for four tires, fuel and adjustments. On Lap 35, Jones noted that he had a loose wheel, which resulted in an unscheduled pit stop for four tires and fuel. As the No. 43 rode along the 1.5-mile track, the team went two laps down. The crew finished Stage 1 in the 34th position, Jones noted that the car was freeing up more and more as the run went on.
After a trip to pit road for the usual additions, the field restarted on Lap 32. Unfortunately, on lap 99, the No. 43 AdventHealth Toyota Camry XSE spun to bring out the caution and Jones admitted that he lost it off turn four. With both right-side tires being flat, the LEGACY MOTOR CLUB team pitted on lap 100 for tires and fuel. The crew pitted the car to repair the right front nose, and took out the previous right rear adjustments since the damage would free up the car. The No. 43 AdventHealth team received a penalty, restarting at the rear of the longest line.
On Lap 118, Jones reported that the car was way too loose, the team now four laps down. After a caution on Lap 149, the No. 43 AdventHealth team elected to take the wave around, gaining a lap back, now three laps down. Only 10 laps later, there was another caution and with relief, the AdventHealth team made it to pit road to make adjustments to the right rear to help tighten the handling of the car and to add fuel, no tires were added during the stop. The No. 43 AdventHealth Toyota Camry XSE completed Stage 2 in the 34th position, three laps down.
During the final stage, Jones mentioned to the crew that he needed more grip and the car was very free and sensitive to throttle. With a pit stop during the stage break, the team made repairs to the left front from previous damage.
The final stage saw the No. 43 AdventHealth restart from the 35th position, three laps down. From earlier damage, the AdventHealth branded Toyota Camry XSE realized the right front crush panel was missing, allowing fumes to get into the cockpit. Jones felt ill throughout the remainder of the race due to the fumes.
The No. 43 team took the wave around on lap 243, earning another lap back so they were only two laps down on the restart. The LEGACY MOTOR CLUB group completed the race at Kansas Speedway in the 35th position. Jones visited the AdventHealth Infield Care Center post-race and was released shortly after.
JIMMIE JOHNSON | NO. 84 CARVANA TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
START: 35TH | FINISH: 36TH
Jimmie Johnson started the race in Kansas from the 35th position. He was involved in an accident on Lap 1, when the No. 16 car lost control in front of him.
The team fixed the hood and damage to the right front of the No. 84 Dollar Tree Family Dollar Toyota and Johnson rejoined the field. The race went green on Lap 5. Despite heavy damage, Johnson made minimum speed and the Damage Vehicle Policy (DVP) clock was reset.
Reporting tight, a break came on Lap 19 in the form of a caution and Johnson pitted for the No. 84 team to work on the damaged car. Unfortunately, Johnson lost another lap in the repair.
With no time to make up ground, Stage 1 showed a 37th place finish for the No. 84 team. The team took rounds out of both the front and rear of the car and adjusted the toe for Johnson at the stage break.
On Lap 93 spotter Earl Barban said the No. 84 had a tire rub. Johnson lost seven laps over the next hundred due to repairs and slower lap times. He finished Stage 2 in 36th place.
The team continued to work on the handling of Johnson's Toyota throughout Stage 3. His final stop came on Lap 240 and Johnson finished the event in 36th, ten laps down.
"If it wasn't for bad luck, we wouldn't have any." - JJ
NEXT UP: Next week, the NASCAR Cup Series heads to Talladega Superspeedway. The YellaWood 500 takes place on Sunday, Oct. 6 at 2:00 p.m. ET live on NBC, 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 PYE-BARKER FIRE & SAFETY: The U.S. leader in fully integrated life safety systems, Pye-Barker Fire & Safety provides complete fire protection and security systems nationwide. With over 200 locations and 6,000 team members nationwide, Pye-Barker is an industry leader and ranks No. 954 on the Inc 5000 and No. 9 on the SDM 100.
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.
