Story By: JP PAYNE / LEGACY MOTOR CLUB – STATESVILLE, NC
CLUB ENTRY LIST
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
POINT STANDINGS: 24th
ERIK JONES
POINT STANDINGS: 27th
CLUB NOTES
The “Double”: It was recently announced that LEGACY M.C. co-owner and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson is joining NBC Sports for their motorsports coverage in four upcoming races in 2024. Johnson will contribute to pre-race and race coverage of NBC Sports’ presentation of the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 from Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) on May 26 on NBC and Peacock. Johnson previously joined NBC in the network’s coverage of “The Month of May” and the Indianapolis 500 in 2021. Johnson was crowned the 2022 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year after competing in the event for Chip Ganassi Racing where he started 12th and finished 28th. Additionally, Johnson will serve as an analyst on NBC Sports’ NASCAR coverage of the events at Daytona Superspeedway on Aug. 24 and Talladega Superspeedway on Oct. 6, one of three playoff races in the Round of 12. He will also contribute to NBC Sports’ coverage for select NASCAR races in which he is competing this year, including the NASCAR Cup Series Championship from Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 10.
EJ All-Star: Over the years, Erik Jones has had seven NASCAR All-Star weekend appearances, with his first coming back in 2017. Of those, Jones has made the NASCAR All-Star race a total of four times with some memorable moments through the years. Jones and the No. 43 Family Dollar LEGACY MOTOR CLUB team looks to transfer this weekend through the NASCAR All Star Open for their shot at $1 million dollars.
JHN Returns: John Hunter Nemechek will return to the North Wilkesboro Speedway 0.625-mile oval this weekend for the first time since running an Allison Legacy Racing Series car at the 0.625-mile paved oval more than 12-years ago. This weekend he will be turning his first laps around the North Wilkesboro Speedway behind the wheel of a NASCAR Cup Series car. It will be the 26-year-old driver’s second attempt at a NASCAR All-Star Open event.
Throwback: Last week during Nemechek’s Race Hub appearance, he announced that this weekend’s NASCAR All-Star Weekend will feature a special scheme on the No. 42 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE. The LEGACY MOTOR CLUB entry will dawn a Harry Gant scheme with the iconic green, white, and gold colors. One of the 18 career wins the Taylorsville, N.C., NASCAR veteran collected came at the North Wilkesboro Speedway on September 29, 1985.
OLIPOPPIN’ with Luke Combs: Last week, two-time CMA Entertainer of the Year and multi-platinum award winning country music star Luke Combs released a teaser for his new song, “Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma”. In credits for the music video, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB’s Nemechek was listed with a starring role thanks to the partnership with OLIPOP. The song and official music video will be released Thursday, May 16 at 8:00 a.m. ET on Luke Combs’ official channels at www.lukecombs.com and shared through John Hunter Nemechek’s social media outlets. Check out a tease of the music video now by visiting, HERE.
May with the EJF: May marks an important month for the Erik Jones Foundation (EJF) as it represents melanoma awareness month. The EJF focuses on three key pillars: early cancer detection and prevention, childhood literacy, and animal welfare. For a full list of events with the EJF in May, click here.
Going for G.O.L.D.: Partners Dollar Tree and Family Dollar will honor store #9617 this weekend as a part of the company’s “Go For G.O.L.D.” (Grand Opening Look Daily) program. The Dollar Tree and Family Dollar primaries will highlight these stores on the deck lid of all three LEGACY M.C. entries throughout the race season. Store #9617 is located in North Wilkesboro, N.C.
Thinking of DC8: All LEGACY M.C. entries will run decals through the Charlotte Motor Speedway race in support of the Dollar Tree Distribution Center 8 (DC8) in Marietta, Oklahoma. DC8 was impacted by the devastating tornadoes that hit the Oklahoma region last weekend. Although the distribution center was severely damaged, fortunately, none of the 456 associates employed by the distribution center were injured by the disaster.
Fan Vote: Fans can vote for their favorite LEGACY MOTOR CLUB driver to make it in the NASCAR All-Star race by visiting www.NASCAR.com/fanvote. Fans are eligible to vote up to five times per day.
Celebrating Mother’s Day: Jones and his mother, Carol, sat down with NASCAR on Fox’s Shannon Spake at the townhome the young driver moved to when he first left Michigan. Click here to check out the Mother’s Day feature.
CLUB QUOTES
John Hunter Nemechek
Driver of the No. 42 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE:
With this weekend being a non-points race and knowing you need to finish top two or win the NASCAR All-Star Fan Vote to lock into the All-Star race, do you take a more aggressive approach?
“Some will probably take a more aggressive approach, some may not take as an aggressive approach, but you definitely want to run as good as you possibly can and finish top two to get in; I mean who doesn’t want to have a shot to go race for $1 million in the All-Star race.”
What are you doing to prepare for this track?
“I ran North Wilkesboro on the old pavement back in 2010 or 2011 in an Allison Legacy car, it’s definitely changed a lot since then, and now with the repave, it sounds like there’s a lot of grip, so I’m not exactly sure what to think about it, everyone’s in the same boat of going there and having to jump in and adapt really quick and hope that the setup is where they need it to be.”
What do expect the racing to be like with the new pavement vs. what you saw and heard last year in the return to the track?
“I think there’s going to be a lot of grip, not sure if we’re going to be able to move around a lot or if [the groove] is going be right along on the bottom. It definitely is going to be interesting; last year, there was grip in the patches that they put down and not a lot of grip elsewhere on the racetrack, so it is definitely going to be completely different. Last year, they had rain, so who knows, could be in for a very exciting weekend.
Ben Beshore
Crew chief of the No. 42 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE:
NASCAR is returning to North Wilkesboro this weekend. With no points on the line, and knowing you need to finish in the top two of the open or win the NASCAR All-Star Fan vote, do you take a more aggressive approach than what you may during a regular season event?
“Yes, for sure. Qualifying will be important, and with the race being a shorter distance than normal, we will focus on short-run speed. “
With new pavement down on the 0.625-mile oval, what type of racing do you feel we’ll see?
“I think we’ll have to see how practice goes. Typically, repaved tracks take a while for the groove to widen out, so it may be very hard to pass unless a second lane comes in.”
What would it mean to make the NASCAR All-Star race?
“It would mean a lot to the team from a confidence standpoint. We were able to race our way into the Clash in February and hope to do the same this weekend. “
Erik Jones
Driver of the No. 43 Family Dollar Toyota Camry XSE:
How do you feel about the track’s repave going into this year’s All-Star Open race?
“North Wilkesboro this year looks a little bit different, this year it looks like we are going to have to race our way in, so that will be our first challenge, and the track is going to be quite a bit different this year with the repave. We will go through and learn that during practice and see what we need out of the race car with that, but we had a good car there last year during the race, and we were able to run up in the top 10, sixth and seventh place most of the day. So, I am excited to get back; it is a really cool race and a really cool atmosphere. I think North Wilkesboro is a great place for the All-Star race now, and hopefully, we can race our way in and go run well in the All-Star race.”
Dave Elenz
Crew chief of the No. 43 Family Dollar Toyota Camry XSE:
Will your strategy change at all because you’re in the open race this year, and how do you think the repave will change the racing style?
“Last year, it was pretty exciting to be able to go to North Wilkesboro. The old pavement provided quite a few challenges; we really didn’t know what we were going to have until we got there. This year we will have another challenge with the repave, but it should be a little more consistent and easier to get a hold of. I think the repave will provide some interesting opportunities for tire strategies, and the “open” will be a little more interesting because it will be a short race, so you’re going to want to go all out and make it to the end. It will be interesting to see how the tires play out on the repave and what the fall-off is going to be like.”
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.
Lee Petty at NW: Lee Petty has three wins at North Wilkesboro Speedway, all coming consecutively, as he swept the 1959 and spring race of 1960. Petty drove the No. 42 to 12 top-five and 16 top-10 finishes, and 265 laps led. The elder Petty had an average start of 8.5 and an average finish of 7.1 across his 20 starts.
The King at NW: Richard Petty has 15 wins at North Wilkesboro Speedway, taking his first victory in 1962 and his final in 1981. “The King” won three in a row on two occasions, sweeping the 1962 season and the spring of 1963. Ten years later, Petty again won three in a row, sweeping the 1972 season and the spring race of 1973. Across his 66 starts at the historic short track, Petty has 33 top-five, 42 top-10’s, , and has led 5,315 laps along the way.
Kyle Petty at NW: Kyle Petty had a great career at North Wilkesboro Speedway, earning seven top-five and 13 top-10 finishes. Petty led 155 laps in 32 attempts at the 0.625-mile speedway with an average start of 15.0 and an average finish of 15.9. He also earned the pole position in the fall of 1990.
Three Generations of Racers: Three generations of Petty’s have a dominant LEGACY at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Lee, Richard, and Kyle totaled 18 wins, four pole positions, and 5,735 laps led. The three combined for 118 starts at the track, earning 52 top-five and 71 top-10 finishes in the Cup Series, establishing themselves as one of the most dominant families for 75 years in the history of the sport.
King’s Hat: The North Wilkesboro “King’s Hat” display will be unveiled on Friday at 2:00 p.m. at the main gate in the Fan Zone. The display will remain in the Fan Zone throughout the weekend for fans to see throughout the race weekend.