NASHVILLE SUPERSPEEDWAY | RACE RECAP
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (June 30, 2024) – The NASCAR Cup Series and LEGACY MOTOR CLUB made their way to the Nashville Superspeedway for their only visit of the season for the Ally 400 on Sunday, June 30. Denny Hamlin claimed the pole for the Ally 400 on Saturday while John Hunter Nemechek started 35th and Erik Jones started 34th. The race saw a 1:21min rain delay and five attempts at NASCAR overtime, in which Joey Logano won the event that went 31 laps over the regularly scheduled distance.
Below is a look at how the No. 42 Massey Motor Freight Toyota XSE driven by Nemechek and the No. 43 Dollar Tree Toyota XSE driven by Jones faired at Nashville.
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK | NO. 42 DOLLAR TREE TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
START: 35TH | FINISH: 31ST | POINTS: 27TH
42 Update: The 27-year-old John Hunter Nemechek came into the Nashville Superspeedway one of several drivers to be racing both on Saturday in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) and Sunday in the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) race. At end of NXS race, it was Nemechek who stood in victory lane.
Looking to take his success from Saturday and apply it to Sunday, Nemechek rolled off the grid in the 35th position with new partner Massey Motor Freight onboard the No. 42 LEGACY MOTOR CLUB Toyota Camry XSE.
With temperatures in the mid-90s at the drop of the green flag, teams knew it was going to be a fight all day long. The No. 42 who overcame adversity last week in New Hampshire by being two laps down, was back in that same spot following a pit road speeding penalty following the first pit stop of the Ally 400. During that first stage, the North Carolina native reported that his No. 42 Massey Motor Freight Toyota Camry XSE was tight and he wasn’t able to roll the middle. By the end of the stage, the No. 42 was running competitive lap times. The first of three stages concluded with the No. 42 LEGACY MOTOR CLUB team in the 37th spot, two laps down to the leader.
Prior to the start of the second stage, the No. 42 team took the wave around giving them one of their two laps back. The strategy was to hope for a quick yellow to allow for them to come down pit road and get fresh tires. However, the second stage went a long green flag stretch to start. With the No. 42 team just 10 laps away from the next scheduled stoppage, Nemechek lost the handling of his Toyota Camry XSE off turn four spinning into the grass resulting in two flat tires and some damage to the right front fender. After coming to the attention of his crew, the field went back racing for just over 20-laps before a storm descended on the 1.5-mile intermediate oval forcing the cars to pit road for a one hour 21 minute delay. Nemechek restarted 37th two laps down, with 45 laps remaining in the second stage. With damage to right front of his Camry, Nemechek did all he could to hold on. At the end of Stage 2, the No. 42 team was being scored in 37th, two laps down.
Two quick yellows to start Stage 3 allowed for the No. 42 team to get back on the lead lap in 34th with approximately 90 laps remaining, repeating the feat from last week at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
On lap 221, Ben Beshore made a strategy call by keeping his driver out on the track for track position positioning him up into fifth place. Beshore radioed to his driver to “max save fuel” as they were trending three laps short. During the short green flag stint, the No. 42 dropped several positions. From there a decision was made to come back down pit road for tires and fuel; the Massey Motor Freight team restarted in the 31st position.
Nemechek and the No. 42 Massey Motor Freight team managed to regain three of their laps back, however during overtime, the No. 42 was collected in a wreck that gave back everything they gained. The No. 42 finished 31st.
ERIK JONES | NO. 43 FAMILY DOLLAR TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
START: 34TH | FINISH: 34TH | POINTS: 28TH
43 Update: The No. 43 Family Dollar Toyota XSE took the green just before 3:00 pm ET on Sunday afternoon at Nashville Superspeedway from the 34th position. Jones was having a hard time driving the car on the straightaways and mentioned that the car was hitting all of the bump stops on exit of the corners.
The team made adjustments on the left side during their first stop, along with the usual four tires and fuel. Spotter Rick Carelli, trying to hold spirits high, stated that Jones had “really good straightaway speeds and exits”, along with some strategy on which lines to run in the corners. At the end of Stage 1, Jones had some critiques for his team to fix - noting that entry is fine, snug through the middle, and [the car] is “trying to spin itself out no matter what I do”. The LEGACY M.C. crew made adjustments before rolling off for Stage 2.
The Family Dollar Toyota Camry XSE started Stage 2 one lap down. There was a caution early in the stage - which allowed Jones to explain to his Family Dollar crew the issues with the car. Jones stated that there wasn’t one exact issue to pinpoint, meaning that the things he was having problems with weren’t consistent - stating the car would shove out in the front but do something different in the back. The team pitted for adjustments, with emphasis on the right rear, hoping to diminish the troubles.
After another caution, the No. 43 team was the “lucky dog”, gaining its lap back and the team made another pit stop to receive four new tires and fuel.
Then the rains came. A brief thunderstorm halted the race for the second week in a row. After the 1 hour 20 minute pause, the NASCAR Cup series went back to racing. Jones quickly moved up to P20 with positive feedback stating that the “car is way better”. Dave Elenz, crew chief of the No. 43 replied “We worked hard on it.” The No. 43 Family Dollar Toyota Camry XSE stayed steady and completed Stage 2 with a 20th-place finish.
Hoping to keep up the momentum, Jones maintained P21 after the restart. Battling with competition, the No. 43 told the team that the car was tight and during a caution, the Family Dollar Toyota Camry XSE made its way to pit road to receive adjustments.
On Lap 210, the right front tire on the No. 43 went flat, resulting in the car hitting the wall. Among the damage was a bent right front tire rod and a broken left rear toe link. The team made multiple stops to assess and fix the damage, but couldn’t get the car back to where it needed to be competitive. The No. 43 Toyota Camry XSE stayed on track for as long as possible before heading to the garage, ending the race early on lap 287. The No. 43 posted a 34th-place finish.
NEXT RACE: The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Chicago for the Grant Park 175 at the Chicago Street Course. The race will take place next Sunday, July 7 at 4:30 p.m. ET live on NBC or listen on SiriusXM – NASCAR Radio (channel 90) and MRN Radio.
NEXT RACE: The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Chicago for the Grant Park 175 at the Chicago Street Course. The race will take place next Sunday, July 7 at 4:30 p.m. ET live on NBC or listen on SiriusXM – NASCAR Radio (channel 90) and MRN Radio.
ABOUT OUR PARTNERS
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 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 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.
