In the last two years, a lot has been made about LEGACY MOTOR CLUB’s struggles in the NASCAR Cup Series, ever since the organization elected to align itself with Toyota GAZOO Racing.
While the results weren’t always positive, the organization (whose majority owner is seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson) has finally begun to find their stride at the midway point of their second season with the manufacturer.
Sunday at Pocono Raceway, John Hunter Nemechek brought the No. 42 Pye-Barker Fire & Safety Toyota Camry XSE home in the sixth position, matching an impressive result from the week before at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
The Mooresville, North Carolina-native has now recorded six finishes inside the top-10 for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, which, with 19 races remaining on the schedule, is just one short of the organization’s single-season record set in 2023 with Erik Jones.
After an impressive qualifying run on Saturday, Nemechek started Sunday’s The Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway from fourth place. After quickly dropping outside of the top-10, Nemechek and crew chief Travis Mack elected to forfeit any potential stage points for a solid finish at the end of the race.
The final pit stop of the afternoon was timed perfectly for Nemechek, who took right-side tires when a caution came out for Shane Van Gisbergen spinning in Turn 1, allowing him to cycle just inside the top-15 – and after those who stayed out on the racetrack pitted, the No. 42 jumped into the top-10.
“Both cars had speed this weekend right off the truck and qualified really well. It was my best qualifying effort in the Cup Series, and we raced well also,” said Nemechek. “I’m proud of everything they’ve put in at LEGACY MOTOR CLUB – all the men and women and the effort they’ve been putting in.”
“Looking forward to continuing to come to the racetrack when you have the speed. Just a testament to this No. 42 team. Travis Mack (crew chief), and I have been working really hard, and we’ve been communicating well. Sydney, our primary engineer, Dex, Carl, Josh, and everyone who works on this thing. I’m just proud of the effort.”
Erik Jones, the driver of the No. 43 Toyota Camry XSE, also put together a solid performance at Pocono, picking up a 13th-place finish. While the Byron, Michigan-native only has a pair of top 10s on the season at Texas and Nashville, the speed has very much been present.
“We had a really good No. 43 Family Dollar Toyota Camry XSE today, but it’s frustrating how sometimes strategies can go your way and other times it doesn’t. Pocono is a track where strategy plays a big part in your finish more times than not,” said Jones. “The team did a good job of bringing a car with a ton of speed, but that last caution caught us at a bad time in the middle of green flag pit stops. I think we were a top-five car, but we needed things to work out better. We’ll learn from it and move on to Atlanta.”
Since Talladega in April, Jones has climbed 12 spots in NASCAR Cup Series point standings, from 30th to 18th, while his teammate John Hunter Nemechek has jumped six spots, from 27th to 21st in points.
With just nine races remaining until the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs begin, Jones and Nemechek are both likely in must-win situations, and with the increase in speed for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, a surprise victory doesn’t seem out of the realm of possibility.
