NORTH WILKESBORO SPEEDWAY | RACE RECAP
NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. (May 19, 2024) -- A night of bright lights and hot action on the track, the NASCAR Cup Series stopped at the North Wilkesboro Speedway for the NASCAR All-Star Race on Sunday evening.
The NASCAR All-Star Open kicked off the evening of festivities for all of the teams that were not locked into NASCAR All-Star Race. Drivers that won a race during the 2023 or 2024 race seasons, past-winners of the All-Star Race or past NASCAR Cup Series champions who are currently competing full-time in the Series were all locked into Sunday night’s main event; all other teams needed to race their way through the 100-lap NASCAR All-Star Open. The LEGACY M.C. drivers were part of the 20-car field running the All-Star Open. Ty Gibbs won the NASCAR All-Star Open, Bubba Wallace finished second and Noah Gragson won the Fan Vote to all advance to the main event. The 200-lap main event saw the No.22 of Joey Logano dominate 200-lap race, leading 199 laps enroute to the victory and claiming the $1-million-dollar prize.
Here is how the race played out for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB:
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK | No. 42 DOLLAR TREE TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
START: 9TH | FINISH: 14TH | POINTS: 24TH
The No. 42 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE piloted by John Hunter Nemechek was one of the teams that needed to fight their way into the All-Star race as they rolled off the grid in ninth after Friday’s qualifying session was rained out and the starting order was set by the rulebook.
During the first 50 lap run, the No. 42 was battling a free race car which resulted in the 26-year-old driver to lose a couple spots at the start of the race. Once Nemechek was able to regain momentum, he started to climb back up the standings running as high as eighth at the time of the only pit stop made during the NASCAR All-Star Open. During the mandatory pit stop, crew chief Ben Beshore called for four Goodyear tires, fuel and an air-pressure adjustment to help the handling of their Toyota Camry XSE. A speeding penalty on pit road forcing the team to restart at the tail end of the field in the 19th spot.
Once the second half of the race got underway, a quick yellow flag slowed the field, but Nemechek wasn’t able to gain any spots in the short run.
With 30 laps to go, Nemechek radioed into his crew that he had no rear grip and he started to search for a new racing line moving his Toyota Camry up the track to run closer to the wall. The North Carolina native continued to battle picking up a couple spots in the late laps of the 100-lap race to bringing the No. 42 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE home in 14th-place. On the cool-down lap Nemechek radioed into his No. 42 crew, “Sorry guys.”
Quoting John Hunter Nemechek:
"Didn’t make the All-Star race and that sucks. We’ll see what we can do going to Charlotte [Motor Speedway] next week; a good racetrack, I don’t know, didn’t make the day, I made a mistake on pit road and that was it.”
ERIK JONES | No. 43 FAMILY DOLLAR TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
START: 11TH | FINISH: 18TH | POINTS: 27TH
Starting from the 11th-position, Jones reported within the first few laps that the No. 43 Family Dollar Toyota Camry XSE was ‘crazy loose’. While running 14th on Lap 26, Jones said the car was still very loose entering the corner and tight in the center.
As the opening 50-lap stint came to a close, Jones reported that the No. 43 Family Dollar Toyota Camry was struggling to roll any speed into the corners. He was16thwhen the caution flag flew halfway into the race. During the mandatory pit stop, the LEGACY MOTOR CLUB pit crew made a big swing with the adjustments as crew chief Dave Elenz called for air pressure and wedge adjustments, as well as opting for the red, softer tires that Goodyear brought for this race. Following the pit stops, Jones restarted 13th when the field took the green again.
A short green flag run ensued after the pit stop before the yellow flag was displayed for an accident. Jones reported back to his team that he was a bit free off the corners. The No. 43 gained two spots and restarted 11th with just under 40 laps to go. Jones would make a move into the top 10 just six laps later.
In the final 30 laps of the race, the balance on Jones’s Camry went away and he struggled to find speed due to the tire fall-off. Still battling a loose car, Jones also found it hard to have speed driving off the corners. The rest of the race went caution-free, and Jones and the No. 43 team never had the chance to recover, ultimately crossing the finish line in 18th place.
Quoting Erik Jones:
“Just a tough weekend. We couldn’t get our Family Dollar Toyota Camry XSE where it needed to be. With it being such a short race (100 laps) we didn’t have a lot of opportunities to make those adjustments and move back up. We will just have to work hard and get things right for Charlotte next weekend.”
NEXT RACE: The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the longest race of the year next Sunday, May 26. The race will begin at 6:00 p.m. ET, Race coverage will be on Fox, with radio coverage on PRN 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 www.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.
