Legacy Duo Rallies Through Adversity At Daytona

Erik Jones (43) and John Hunter Nemechek in action at Daytona Int'l Speedway. (John Harrelson/NKP for Toyota Racing Photo)

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Webster’s Dictionary defines a legacy as “the way something or someone will be remembered by future generations, often built through perseverance and rising above obstacles.”

Upon taking a NASCAR Cup Series team ownership stake alongside Las Vegas businessman Maury Gallagher, seven-time driving champion Jimmie Johnson hoped to build up the story of the rebranded Legacy Motor Club.

And despite not finishing in the top 10 in Saturday’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona Int’l Speedway, teammates Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek built at least a foundational step of positivity for the aptly named organization.

The duo finished 15th and 17th, respectively, in rallying efforts at the 2.5-mile World Center of Racing.

Nemechek’s night looked all but over when he was spun from a three-wide battle for the lead on the backstretch at lap 140. After a series of pushes from Kyle Larson in the middle lane, who was in line behind him, Nemechek’s No. 42 was offset.

The second-generation driver was then turned hard into Justin Haley, who was leading the inside line, sending the No. 42 Toyota Camry XSE for a wild ride at 197 mph.

The 27-year-old spun into the paved runoff area, but luckily managed to keep his car out of the inside SAFER Barrier. With just 21 laps to go, Nemechek seemed to be out of luck, and out of time. Another promising finish looked to be stripped away due to a wreck, an unfortunate trend this summer for Nemechek.

Run well, find yourself in contention, then have something happen to spoil a good finish has been the continued refrain recently for Nemechek, in particular.

He qualified 10th at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July, but finished 29th. At the Chicago (Ill.) Street Race he started 12th, got as high as fourth, but wrecked with 20 laps to go and finished 35th.

At Daytona, Nemechek fought back to not put himself in a similar hole. He drove himself back inside the top 20, avoiding wrecks along the way. To begin overtime, Nemechek was sixth, inside the top 10 and in position for a remarkable top-five finish.

On the final lap of the two-lap shootout, Nemechek attempted to create a third lane, but with no drafting help he was shuffled back to 18th. It might not have looked pretty on paper, but for what the night could have been, it was a top 15 with a clean race car.

The Mooresville, N.C., native captured his fifth top 15 of the season, to go along with his Cup career-high four top 10s already this year.

Erik Jones sits on pit road at Daytona Int'l Speedway. (Nigel Kinrade/NKP for Toyota Racing photo)

Jones experienced similar trials and tribulations to Nemechek. On lap 81, he was running inside the top 15 when he sustained a flat left-front tire. He came to pit road, and from there had to scrap his way through the pack for the rest of the race just to put himself in position to contend for a top-20 finish.

“Talking to the [Legacy M.C.] shop and the war room, we knew Erik’s car had some damage from the first big crash [at lap 60], and we thought the toe [angle] might be off in the front,” Johnson explained at the time on the NBC broadcast. “When I saw the flat, I thought maybe it had just worn through the tire because of that, but with all the other chaos at that point we really weren’t sure what happened.”

The Byron, Mich., native fought back by race’s end, however, collecting his ninth top 20 at Daytona and raising his Cup Series season total to 13 finishes of 20th or better.

While it wasn’t necessarily pretty at times, it was the best joint effort by the Legacy teammates since New Hampshire Motor Speedway in June, when Nemechek finished eighth and Jones was 13th.

“I’m proud of the way Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek [both] battled through an eventful day and came out with a solid result,” Johnson later wrote on X (formely known as Twitter). “That’s Daytona for you.”

Many would think Jones’s best shot at a win was last weekend at Daytona, however the site of the regular season finale would say otherwise.

Since 2017, Jones has two Southern 500 wins, eight top 10s and 129 laps led at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, where the Cup Series will hold its last of 26 races prior to the 10-race playoff stretch.

And just three months ago, after missing two races due to a compression fracture and chipped vertebra in his back, the gritty 28-year-old came right back and finished 19th in the May race at the Track Too Tough to Tame.

If there’s a track where Legacy Motor Club can continue to make progress, it could be at Darlington with a strong night out of Jones and the No. 43 team.

The full picture has been a rough one to this point for Toyota’s third Cup Series team, but as the saying goes, “slow progress is better than no progress,” an adage that was on full display at Daytona.

Coverage of the NASCAR Cup Series regular season finale, the diamond running of the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington, begins Sunday, Sept. 1 at 6 p.m. ET on USA, the Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.