Las Vegas Motor Speedway | RACE RECAP
LAS VEGAS (Oct. 20, 2024) – With just four races left in the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series schedule, the Series hit Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday for the South Point 400. LEGACY MOTOR CLUB had three entries this weekend for the South Point 400. John Hunter Nemechek piloted the No. 42 Pye-Barker Fire & Safety Toyota Camry XSE as he rolled off 26th. Erik Jones was behind the wheel of the No. 43 Massey Motor Freight Toyota Camry XSE starting in 27th. Jimmie Johnson drove the No. 84 Dollar Tree Family Dollar Toyota Camry XSE as he started in 29th. Christopher Bell lead the field to the green and Joey Logano punched his way to the championship round with his win today in Vegas.
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK | NO. 42 PYE-BARKER FIRE & SAFETY TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
START: 26TH | FINISH: 9TH | POINTS: 34TH
John Hunter Nemechek and the No. 42 Pye-Barker Fire & Safety team fired off 26th on the starting grid. The LEGACY MOTOR CLUB team felt they had a good car for the race following Saturday’s practice session. Being mired back in traffic, the team knew it would be difficult to go forward, as passing is difficult. During the first stage, Nemechek slipped back in the running order slightly to 32nd, minus one lap. Crew chief Brian Campe altered the strategy towards the end of the stage to take a wave around with 10 laps to go to get back on the lead lap. Nemechek and the No. 42 Pye-Barker Toyota team finished 27th. During the pit stop at the stage break, Nemechek got four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment to correct the tightness.
At the 99-lap mark of the race, Nemechek continued to work his way forward, as he was in 22nd. A couple laps later, he picked his way through and was up to 17th. Under green, the No. 42 Pye-Barker team ducked down pit road for service. They slipped back slightly to 22nd, but the North Carolina native stayed focused and worked his way back up to 13th at the end of the second stage. During the break, Nemechek radioed in that he needed more rear security, so the team made an air-pressure adjustment. He would start the final stage in 12th after that round of pit stops.
When the field took the green flag for the final stage, they fanned out three and four-wide. Nemechek held strong on the bottom and kept his elbows up. Nemechek ensued in a multiple-lap battle with the No. 8 for the 11th spot – in which Nemechek eventually won. A yellow on Lap 193 slowed the field and Nemechek requested that he be a little tighter on the final run. He would restart 12th with 69 laps remaining.
Crew chief Brian Campe said, “we see you working your butt off out there, take them one at a time, also save some fuel.”
On Lap 207, Campe relayed to his driver that “we’re just a couple laps short on fuel, but keep doing what you’re doing and we’ll be fine”, as the team is running in 13th and Nemechek was continuing to knock on the door of the top-10.
Campe told Nemechek to save fuel when possible and race when you can, as several cars in front of him couldn’t make it to the end. Nemechek was running in the 14th spot.
Pit stops started on Lap 226. At that point, the No. 42 Pye-Barker team was three laps shy of being able to make it to the end. However, when in Las Vegas… the team took the gamble and told their driver he needed save fuel. Nemechek did a masterful job of saving enough fuel and brought home a top-10, with a solid ninth-place finish.
QUOTING JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK: “Solid day. We didn’t start off great – started in 26th, I think we fell back to the 30s and Brian and the engineers – everyone on this 42 Pye Barker Fire & Safety Toyota team worked really hard to get the car right. I felt like our communication was good today. I just felt like everything went okay. We got track position, made some adjustments, woke the car up. I felt like we were running top-15 there for a little bit, and we opted to save fuel on the strategy that we played and came home ninth. Obviously, we want more – but at the same time, very, very solid day for this 42 group and something I feel like us and LEGACY MOTOR CLUB needed.”
ERIK JONES | NO. 43 Massey Motor Freight TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
START: 27TH | FINISH: 25TH | POINTS: 33RD
The South Point 400 saw the driver of the No. 43 Massey Motor Freight Toyota Camry XSE start in the 27th position. Throughout the first half of the stage, most of what was on the radio was spotter, Rick Carelli, sharing what lines and strategies other teams were using. On Lap 13, driver Erik Jones noted that the entry was not great, and he did not have a lot of rear security. On Lap 36, the Massey Motor Freight branded Toyota Camry XSE came down pit road for four tires and fuel. The No. 43 went a lap down during the stage, but as a result of a caution on Lap 64, the team received the “lucky dog”, free pass, which allowed them to stay on the lead lap following a wave around lap during the break.
The LEGACY MOTOR CLUB crew then pitted for four tires and fuel. After joining the pack after the stop, the No. 43 Massey Motor Freight Toyota Camry XSE lost a wheel on the track that resulted in a two-lap penalty. The No. 43 came down pit road and held still at the pit stall for two laps before rejoining the NASCAR field. With only a few laps left in the stage, the Massey Motor Freight entry finished Stage 1 in the 36th position.
During the stage break, the No. 43 team came down pit road for tires and fuel.
The powder blue and white No. 43 car started Stage 2 in the 36th position. A quick caution on Lap 90 allowed the team to take a wave around lap to get the free pass before coming to pit road to assess damage and add fuel. The No. 43 restarted one lap down after the caution. On Lap 138, Jones radioed to his team that the car was loose. The team encouraged Erik to save fuel to avoid going more than one lap down. The No. 43 crew finished Stage 2 in the 29th position, one lap down.
During the competition caution, the Massey Motor Freight crew came down pit road for tires and an extra dosage of fuel.
Stage 3 fired off with Erik Jones battling towards the back. The driver radioed to the crew that he didn’t have a lot of speed on the front side, and traffic balance was poor. A caution on Lap 194 had the team debating to stay out or come down pit road to pit. It was ultimately decided to make a pit stop for tires and fuel, as they were fighting for the lucky dog position. The Massey Motor Freight group restarted in the 28th position on Lap 199. Crew chief Ben Beshore and spotter Rick Carelli kept reminding Jones of the cars he was racing against to earn the lucky dog title to stay on the lead lap. The No. 43 Massey Motor Freight stayed consistent and completed the South Point 400 in the 25th position.
JIMMIE JOHNSON | NO. 84 Dollar Tree Family Dollar TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
START: 29TH | FINISH: 28TH
Jimmie Johnson started the South Point 400 from the 29th position. Early on, he jockeyed for position with LEGACY M.C. teammate, Erik Jones and Ryan Blaney. On Lap 15, while running 27th, Johnson reported he was tight and felt like he was better than the cars in front of him.
Johnson radioed a few laps later that he was tight in the center of the corners and free on and off. He had fallen back to 33rd, stating the car was unpredictable. The first pit stop came on Lap 35, under green. Johnson took four tires and fuel, with adjustments. On Lap 53, Jimmie radioed he was tight in the center and free off while running 33rd.
On Lap 64 a caution came out and Johnson's biggest complaint was that the car was tight, but the team decided to take on valuable track position and not pit. They took the wave around getting a lap back and Johnson restarted on Lap 70 in the 32nd position. Johnson finished Stage 1 in the 30th position, last car on the lead lap.
During the break, the No. 84 team opted for four tires and fuel. Johnson started Stage 2 from the 27th spot and soon after, a roll over crash on Lap 85 saw the caution come out again and Johnson narrowly avoided collection. The team stayed on track during the cleanup and would restart 22nd on Lap 96.
As the stage wore on, Johnson fell to 26th, but again radioed that his No. 84 Toyota was extremely tight. He pitted under green while running 21st on Lap 122 for four tires and fuel, and adjustments to loosen up the car.
On Lap 158 Johnson lost a lap to the leader as the stage came to a close. He was in 25th position and said the car was very loose. He finished 24th in Stage 2, and didn't get the free pass due to the leader passing the No. 4 car. Johnson said the car was very loose, so the team brought it to the pits for four tires, fuel, and to tighten up the car to set sail from the 28th position for the final stage.
On Lap 188 while running 26th, Johnson hit the wall with the rear of the No. 84. The crew looked at photos, and spotter Earl Barban said there wasn't any smoke, and it was determined there was no damage, so Johnson carried on.
Johnson pitted under caution on Lap 195 for four tires and fuel. The race restarted with 69 laps to go, and Johnson was racing teammate Jones for the free pass.
Throughout the final stage, Johnson fought the same loose condition he had throughout the day, finishing in 28th.
QUOTING JIMMIE JOHNSON:
“Not bad for this Dollar Tree, Family Dollar Toyota. We were in that lucky dog position, and as the race went on and some quality cars were trapped down a lap, it just made that really tough and we narrowly missed getting back on the lead lap multiple times, so trapped down a lap, and just ran along and did what we could, but it was great to see our other two cars with pace, especially the 42 (John Hunter Nemechek) car finishing there in ninth. That was a great day for us.”
NEXT UP: The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Homestead-Miami Speedway for the Straight Talk Wireless 400 on Sunday, Oct. 27 at 2:30 p.m. ET. Tune into the race on NBC, MRN Radio or 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 MASSEY MOTOR FREIGHT: Massey Motor Freight is the premier choice in the transportation and logistics industry. Our team of professional drivers uses the most modern and well-equipped fleet to deliver not only your cargo but also peace of mind. Massey Motor Freight is family-owned, customer-centric, and driver-focused, serving thousands of customers across North America. Whether it's heavy haul, temperature-controlled, or anything in between, Massey has you covered.
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.
