TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY | RACE RECAP
FORT WORTH, TEXAS - (April 14, 2024) -- In a highly competitive race held on Sunday afternoon in Texas, the NASCAR Cup Series saw a wild finish with two overtimes, 23 lead changes among 13 drivers and Chase Elliott as the race winner.
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK | No. 42 ROMCO EQUIPMENT TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
START: 30TH
FINISH: 34TH
POINTS: 20TH
42 RECAP: John Hunter Nemechek started the race at Texas Motor Speedway in the 30th position. Knowing he had some work to do he started making his way forward and finishing the first stage in 22nd. On Lap 102 he was involved in a three-car incident causing minor damage. The No. 42 ROMCO team fixed the Toyota Camry and he returned to the field. Nemechek finished Stage 2 in 26th. He continued to battle forward after the team fixed the steering and unfortunately was involved in a second incident on Lap 230 ending his day with a 34th place finish.
Quoting John Hunter Nemechek: Can you talk about the two incidents on the track?
“Yeah, he (Christopher Bell) started spinning and I did the same thing. I hit the brakes pretty hard, and it spun, and I had nowhere to go. It’s part of it, I guess. We fixed the tow. I had a really fast ROMCO Equipment Toyota Camry XSE. On the second one, I drove on the outside of the 2 (Austin Cindric) and it just snapped. I guess it is part of this car. I guess I learned a lesson the hard way.”
ERIK JONES | No. 43 DOLLAR TREE TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
START: 27TH
FINISH: 19TH
POINTS: 19TH
43 RECAP: Erik Jones qualified 27th for this weekend's race at Texas Motor Speedway. In the early portions of the race, Jones battled with a tight race car, and as the race developed, Jones reported to crew chief Dave Elenz that he was tight in and off turns 1 and 2 and "plowing" into turn 3. As the caution came out on lap 50, Jones elaborated on the feel of his Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE, saying the bumps in turns 3 and 4 were so aggressive that the car felt like it was jumping.
The No. 43 came down pit road during the caution, taking four tires and an air pressure adjustment to help with the balance. On lap 79, Jones reported that he was still tight and had trouble driving in traffic. Jones finished Stage 1 27th.
Just before the halfway point of Stage 2, Jones cracked the top 20 after another pit stop for balance adjustments. This adjustment proved to be fruitful for the No. 43. Turns 1 and 2 were much better, but Jones still struggled with balance in turns three and four.
By lap 138, another caution had waved, and thanks to an early pit stop, Jones cycled into the top five. Following the caution, Jones restarted fourth with 23 laps to go until the end of Stage 2. Jones quickly made headway after passing the No. 47 for second and ran a portion of Stage 2 in second position. In the last few laps of the stage, Jones fell two positions but managed to earn valuable stage points, concluding Stage 2 in fourth.
Jones reported that the car had become very free late in the run, and the team made the corresponding adjustments during the stage break pit stop. Jones worked his way through the competition from there and was 12th with 85 laps remaining. Jones advanced two positions and was in the top-10 with teams expecting just one more green flag pit stop.
With the race nearing its end, Jones had limited time to make up track position. As a result, Jones finished 19th.
Quoting Erik Jones: "Good strategy call there to get some points in stage two with our Dollar Tree Camry, but the cautions didn’t fall there in the end like we needed. We just have to get better.”
JIMMIE JOHNSON | No. 84 ADVENTHEALTH TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
START: 37TH
FINISH: 29TH
84 RECAP: Jimmie Johnson had a crash in practice on Saturday and could not make a qualifying attempt, however, the LEGACY M.C. team was able to repair the car for Sunday's main event. Starting out in 37th, it took a bit for Johnson to find his groove and get a feel for the loose racecar. He spun on Lap 50 bringing out the first caution of the day, but the car had no damage and the team changed tires and sent Johnson back to the track.
As the race wore on, Johnson said the No. 84 AdventHealth Toyota Camry was so loose and unpredictable over the bumps in turns 3 and 4, that the team led by crew chief Jason Burdett needed to make adjustments.
The team made some major changes to give Johnson stability in the car and he logged laps. On Lap 122, Johnson raced his way back onto the lead lap and continued to move forward and dodge many wrecks on track. Johnson finished 29th but learned so much information about the NextGen car, how it performs in traffic, and got some quality seat time throughout the entire race to build on for the future.
Quoting Jimmie Johnson: Can you talk about your first mile-and-a-half aboard a Camry?
“Certainly, learned a lot today with our AdventHealth Camry. It’s the most laps I’ve had in this new car. Just trying to understand how you make speed, how you adjust the car, really going through a whole weekend of practice, into qualifying and adjustments and changing over for the race. I now have an idea of what to do. I didn’t run enough in Charlotte, so I feel like I learned a lot this weekend to help myself. We have some work to do. We are not where we need to be as a company, but we will keep working hard and get there.”
NEXT RACE: The NASCAR Cup Series moves east for next Sunday’s GEICO 500 at the famed Talladega Superspeedway (3 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Kyle Busch is the defending race winner.
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 ROMCO EQUIPMENT CO.: Founded in 1961, ROMCO, a Texas-based company and member of the SMT Group of companies since its acquisition in 2022, adopts a segmented industry approach to cater to the diverse needs of the equipment market. Through four specialized divisions, we focus on delivering top-notch solutions for construction, paving, aggregate and power equipment requirements.
ROMCO operates through a network of 17 locations in Texas and Southern New Mexico maintaining our proud history of service and commitment to growth. As a comprehensive full-service distributor, we represent prestigious brands such as Volvo Construction Equipment, Cementech, Atlas Copco, K-Tec Earthmovers, FRD Kent, Genesis, Yanmar, ASV, CK Power, Terramac, HKD Blue, Rockland, Gomaco, Atlas, Mantsinen, Shuttlewagon, Leeboy, Bearcat, Roadwidener, Finn, Sandvik, McLanahan, Phoenix, Keestrack, Noble and Kafka.
Explore our extensive offerings and discover more about our unwavering commitment to excellence at www.romco.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 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.
