Information By: JP PAYNE / LEGACY MOTOR CLUB – STATESVILLE, NC
CLUB ENTRY LIST
- JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK – POINT STANDINGS: 22nd
- COREY HEIM for ERIK JONES – OWNER POINT STANDINGS: 20th
JIMMIE JOHNSON
CLUB NOTES
Speedy recovery: As announced earlier this week, Erik Jones will not compete in this weekend’s race at Dover Motor Speedway. Jones suffered a compression fracture during an accident at Talladega so LEGACY M.C.’s reserve driver Corey Heim will be the substitute driver in the No. 43 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE.
Dollar Tree x Petty 75: LEGACY MOTOR CLUB and primary partner Dollar Tree will honor the 75th anniversary of the Petty family with a special edition Toyota Camry XSE. The paint scheme on the No. 42 for Dover is going to be nostalgic for Petty fans, as Dollar Tree vendor STP Fuel Additives is featured in the familiar Petty Blue and Day-Glo Red colors.
JJ’s concrete playground: Jimmie Johnson is an 11-time winner at Dover. In 2017, Johnson’s 83rd trip to victory lane as a full-time series competitor came at Dover. This weekend will be the seven-time champions’ first trip back to one of his most successful racetracks since stepping away from full-time competition after the 2020 season
Laps led: In addition to holding the record for most wins at Dover, Johnson is the all-time Dover leader in laps led with 3,113.
Heim Time: Heim is off to a blistering start in the Truck Series this year with TRICON Garage. He currently sits second in the points standings, only trailing the leader Christian Ekes by two points. This season, Heim won at Circuit of the Americas (COTA), has earned five top-fives, and has not finished a race outside of the top-10 to date. Heim has an average finish of 3.9 this season with 49 laps led.
Moving up: Heim also runs part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with Sam Hunt Racing and the No. 26 Toyota GR Supra, where he has competed in five races this season. Heim earned one top-five and one top-10 finish in those five starts, including 15 laps led.
Xfinity success: Nemechek has made seven attempts at the one-mile track of Dover Motor Speedway, earning one top-five and four top-10s. His best finish came at his most recent attempt last year when he qualified 22nd and drove his Toyota GR Supra to a 5th-place finish, which was his only top-five finish at the track.
Ben’s best: Crew chief Ben Beshore had success at Dover with driver Kyle Busch in 2021 and 2022. Beshore coached Busch to a seventh-place finish in 2022 with 103 laps led. Notably, a Beshore-led team has never started outside of the top 10 with an average start of eighth.
Burdett at Dover: Crew chief Jason Burdett has three wins at the Monster Mile during his stint in the Xfinity Series. He has one win with Regan Smith and two with Justin Allgaier. Additionally, Burdett has 12 top-five and 14 top-10 finishes. Across 15 starts, a car Burdett has been the crew chief on has never finished worse than 11th.
To the lead: Last weekend at Talladega, Nemechek led the field for 20 laps marking the most laps led by a LEGACY M.C. driver in a race since the team’s debut in 2023. Before Talladega, Nemechek had only led one lap in the Cup Series, at Charlotte Motor Speedway during his rookie year in 2020.
Clays for Causes: The Erik Jones Foundation will host its annual Clays for Causes fundraiser on Tuesday, May 21st, in Polkton, N.C. The event will feature various sports, a silent auction, and other fun activities. Event details and tickets can be found here, and proceeds will be reinvested into the mission of the Erik Jones Foundation.
CLUB QUOTES
John Hunter Nemechek, Driver of the No. 42 ACME Toyota Camry XSE:
“Going to Dover for the first time in a NextGen car – I know there will be a lot to learn in a short period of time to get better every single lap and try to be there at the end to contend in the No. 42 ACME Toyota Camry.”
Ben Beshore, Crew chief of the No. 42 ACME Toyota Camry XSE:
“Dover is one of those tough ones where you go there one time with a good setup and go back again with the same setup and it isn’t as good. It’s a constantly evolving track. We will rely on our tools to get the car as close as we can from a setup standpoint and then take some time during practice to get it to where John Hunter is comfortable with it. We will have some different adjustments ready to go so we can.
Corey Heim, Driver of the No. 43 Dollar Tree x Petty75 Toyota Camry XSE:
“First of all, I want to wish Erik a fast recovery while he works through the rehabilitation process. Second, I want to thank LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, Jimmie (Johnson), and Maury Gallagher for considering me through these unforeseen circumstances and giving me the opportunity this weekend at Dover. I hadn’t ever anticipated making my Cup Series debut through a harsh situation like this, but I’m ready to make the most out of it.”
Jimmie Johnson
Driver of the No. 84 Dollar Tree / Family Dollar Toyota Camry XSE:
“As a co-owner, it’s been a tough week for the CLUB, with Erik (Jones) getting injured. I’m glad Corey (Heim) is able to work with us and we want to give Erik all the time he needs to recover 100%. As far as getting to the track, I am truly excited to get back to my favorite track of all time – Dover. I got to pick where I wanted to race this year and so of course one of them I picked had to be Dover. It’s a different car, a different time in NASCAR so I know it will be a different experience going back, but I am certainly hopeful that the 11 wins and all the success will cross over and show up in our performance. I can’t wait to get on track in the No. 84 Dollar Tree Family Dollar Toyota Camry XSE.”
Jason Burdett
Crew chief of the No. 84 Dollar Tree / Family Dollar Toyota Camry XSE:
What are your team goals for the weekend, and what does a successful race look like?
“Our team goal for the weekend is to have a solid day. Dover is a challenging track in general, so if we can go there and get the balance close for him, he can be comfortable and make all of the laps. I think he will generally get better and better as the weekend goes on; he is obviously really good at Dover and has had a lot of success there. From our standpoint, if we can give him a car that drives good and he feels comfortable with so he can drive it the way he is accustomed to driving it, I think that will be a good spot for us. Our goals for the race, as far as a finish, I think we will need to see how that plays out, get through practice, and have a good solid practice. Then, depending on how qualifying goes that will give us an indication of different things that we have for Sunday. Pit strategy and everything else is a part of that, but I think if we can get out of there with a top-15 solid day and have everyone execute on pit road and on the track, it will be a really good day for us.”
PETTY 75TH ANNIVERSARY
ABOUT PETTY 75th: The 2024 season marks a significant milestone in the history of the Petty family as they have helped define stock car racing for 75 years. Their commitment to the sport and the people who make it possible – behind the wheel, under the hood, in the back office, and beyond – has shaped the growth and success of NASCAR. Their LEGACY lives on with the countless fans, drivers, technicians, and team members they touched. Throughout 2024, LEGACY M.C. will celebrate the Petty family and share countless memories with friends and fans at race tracks across the country.
RP at Dover: Richard Petty has a dominant record at the “Monster Mile.” Petty won three of the first five races at the track (1969, 1970, and Fall 1971), including the inaugural race in 1969. Petty’s next four wins came across 10 years (1974-1984), winning in Fall 1974, Fall 1975, Fall 1979, and Spring 1984. “The King’s” seven wins and 2,206 laps led came with five different manufacturers, showing his dominance regardless of the engine.
KP at Dover: In 1995, Kyle Petty had one of his most dominant wins at Dover. Petty qualified 37th out of 42 cars and ran the No. 42 to a commanding 271 out of 500 possible laps led en route to his eighth and final win of his Cup Series career. This was his lowest career starting position that led to a win; his second lowest starting position was a 12th-place qualifying effort for his first win at Richmond in 1986.
The King’s Hat: This weekend, the monster-sized King’s Hat will be located just outside the fan zone, across from Miles the Monster.