Race Information
Round: NASCAR Cup Series Race No. 34 of 36 (Playoffs Round of 8)
Track Location: Homestead-Miami Speedway – Homestead, Florida
Race Name: 4Ever 400 Presented by Mobil 1
Broadcast: Sunday, October 22nd at 2:30 PM ET live on NBC (TV), MRN (Radio), and SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90
Team Entrants:
No. 42 | John Hunter Nemechek & Luke Lambert – Sunseeker Resort Team
No. 43 | Erik Jones & Dave Elenz – Allegiant Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Sunseeker Resort Team
Homestead-Miami Speedway Stats
-NCS: Starts: 3; Best Start: 4th (2022); Best Finish: 19th (2020)
-NXS: Starts: 2; Best Start: 3rd (2018); Best Finish: 3rd (2018); Top-5s: 1; Top-10s: 2; Laps Led: 52
-NCTS: Starts: 5; Best Start: 2nd (2015); Best Finish: 2nd (2015); Top-5s: 1; Top-10s: 2; Laps Led: 24
2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series Season Stats
-Starts: 30; Wins: 7 (Auto Club, Martinsville I, Atlanta I, New Hampshire, Michigan, Kansas II, Texas); Poles: 2 (Darlington I & Darlington II); Top-5s: 16, Top-10s: 23; Current Points Position: 1st (+47)
About Sunseeker Resort: Opening in 2023, Florida’s newest luxury resort located in Charlotte Harbor is the first resort property of Sunseeker Resorts, a wholly owned subsidiary of Allegiant Travel Company. Sunseeker Resort Charlotte Harbor occupies over 22 waterfront acres with 785 guest rooms, including 189 Signature Sunsuites™. Set upon the Peace River and Florida Gulf Coast, this premier resort offers 20 original food and beverage concepts; including seven stand-alone restaurants, eleven bars and lounges, two poolside offerings and a 25,000-square-foot multi-dining experience. Additional hotel amenities include a waterfront promenade, two unique rooftop and waterfront pool experiences, 60,000-square-feet of combined convention space, full-service spa and salon, a 7,100-square-foot state-of-the-art fitness center with four group exercise studios with specialty instructor lead classes, three retail and market shops, and an 18-hole championship level golf club exclusive to hotel guests only. The resort is conveniently located within a short drive of Punta Gorda, Fort Myers, Sarasota, St. Petersburg-Clearwater, and Tampa airports. For more information, visit www.sunseekerresorts.com. Follow us on Instagram: @sunseekerresorts and like us on Facebook: @sunseekerresorts.
Starting Early: Through a collaborative effort with LEGACY MOTOR CLUB’s current manufacturer partner, Chevrolet, and the team’s future partners at Toyota, a one-race deal was struck to place John Hunter Nemechek in the No. 42 entry at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Nemechek was signed to drive the No. 42 full-time in 2024 last month, and will now be able to gain some much-needed track time in the NextGen car before he assumes his role within the team next season. This will be his first Cup start of 2023, and Nemechek will run double duty as he continues his NASCAR Xfinity Series championship bid on Saturday.
Hocevar To Finish Season: Carson Hocevar, who has driven the No. 42 Chevrolet in six races, will return to the seat for the final two NASCAR Cup Series events held at Martinsville Speedway on October 29th as well as the season finale at Phoenix Raceway on November 5th. Hocevar is vying for his first Championship 4 berth in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series this weekend, where he enters Homestead-Miami 23 points above the cutline. His three Truck Series race wins at Texas Motor Speedway, Nashville Superspeedway, and Richmond Raceway are tied for the most of any driver in the series. Hocevar will join Luke Lambert on top of the No. 42 pit box on Sunday as he continues to study for his upcoming full-time Cup debut in 2024.
Xfinity Series Points Leader: Nemechek has excelled in the NASCAR Xfinity Series this season. Posting series-high totals of wins (seven), top-fives (16), and top-10 finishes (23), his Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 team has solidified themselves as one of the top championship favorites. Entering the 31st race of the year at Homestead-Miami, Nemechek has a 47 point gap to the cutline, and leads the overall standings by 26 over Justin Allgaier.
Homestead Experience: Nemechek has competed in 10 races across NASCAR’s three national series at Homestead-Miami Speedway, including three Cup Series starts, two Xfinity Series starts, and five Truck Series starts. Last year, he drove in a one-off Cup race with 23XI Racing, marking his only start to date with the NextGen car. He took to the car quickly, qualifying in fourth and driving in the top-five throughout the day. An early spin relegated Nemechek to a 27th-place finish, but the added track time was certainly a positive note. Prior to that race, he attended an organizational test session at the track, where he made laps for two full days which helped lay the groundwork for a solid weekend.
Luke at Homestead: Luke Lambert has worked 10 NASCAR Cup Series races held at Homestead-Miami Speedway in his career. He has had three top-10 finishes, including a second-place result with Ryan Newman, who would finish second in the championship standings in 2014. In his most recent Cup start at Homestead in 2021, Lambert’s driver Chris Buescher led for 57 laps. Two NASCAR Xfinity Series starts yielded two top-10 finishes for Luke, and last year, his No. 9 JR Motorsports team dominated, leading 127 laps en route to their eighth race win of the season.
Carson Appearances: Fans attending the 4Ever 400 Presented by Mobil 1 will have a few opportunities to meet Carson Hocevar:
LEGACY M.C. Merchandise Hauler Autograph Session | Sunday, Oct. 22nd: Carson will sign autographs at the LEGACY MOTOR CLUB merchandise hauler in the Homestead-Miami Speedway Fan Zone from 11:30 AM to 12:00 PM on race day.
Team Chevy Stage Q&A Session | Sunday, Oct. 22nd: Following immediately from his autograph session at the merchandise hauler, Hocevar will join fans at the Team Chevy stage and partake in a Q&A session from 12:00 PM to 12:15 PM.
Breast Cancer Awareness: As we enter the month of October, a team tradition that has taken place for many years will continue for the next two races at Homestead-Miami Speedway and Martinsville Speedway. Both LEGACY MOTOR CLUB™ cars will carry pink ribbons onboard to honor family members of the respective car’s crew members that have been affected by breast cancer.
Quoting John Hunter Nemechek: How valuable will this race be to prepare you for next season, when you make your return to Cup full-time?
“I think having this opportunity will be huge for us. When I raced in the Cup Series before, it was with the older-style Gen 6 car, so I don’t have all that much experience with the NextGen car. There’s been so much cooperation to be able to pull this off, whether that be from between the manufacturers and both of the teams, and I’m really thankful that everyone was able to work together to make this possible. We’re not going to put much pressure on ourselves this weekend, but I’ll look at it more as a great opportunity to learn and prepare. I had a chance to run this race last year, but a lot has changed since then that I’ll likely still need to get acclimated. With the small amount of practice that I’ll have, I’ll definitely lean on Luke (Lambert)’s experience and talk in-depth with Erik (Jones). We still have a championship to fight for on Saturday, so I don’t want to take anything away from my No. 20 guys, but I am really looking forward to stepping in the No. 42 car for the first time this weekend.”
Erik Jones, No. 43 Allegiant Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Homestead-Miami Speedway Stats
NCS Starts: 6; Best start: 7th (2018) Best finish: 3rd (2019); Top-5s: 1; Top-10s: 1
NXS Starts: 2; Best start: 3rd (2016) Best finish: 3rd (2015); Top-5s: 1; Top-10s: 2; Laps led: 4
NCTS Starts: 1; Best start: 5th (2015) Best finish: 6th (2015); Top-10s: 1
2023 NASCAR Cup Series Season Stats
Starts: 33; Best start: 8th (COTA); Best finish: 3rd (Kansas II); Top-5s: 1; Top-10s: 7; Laps led: 24; Points position: 27th
About Allegiant: Las Vegas-based Allegiant (NASDAQ: ALGT) is an integrated travel company with an airline at its heart, focused on connecting customers with the people, places and experiences that matter most. Since 1999, Allegiant Air has linked travelers in small-to-medium cities to world-class vacation destinations with all-nonstop flights and industry-low average fares. Today, Allegiant’s fleet serves communities across the nation, with base airfares less than half the cost of the average domestic roundtrip ticket. For more information, visit us at Allegiant.com.
Vegas in the Rearview: Erik Jones started his day at Las Vegas Motor Speedway from 25th position. A cut tire during the opening stage posed a significant setback as Jones was running 15th at the time. Despite the repairs, Jones and the No. 43 team struggled to find competitive speed in the later stages, which resulted in Jones falling a lap down while the crew made repairs. Jones got the “Lucky Dog”, reclaiming his position on the lead lap, managing to work his way back into the top-20 as the race progressed. Ultimately, the No. 43 Allegiant Chevrolet concluded the day in the 28th position.
Truck Champ: Jones made history by becoming the youngest champion in the NASCAR Truck Series, securing the title at just 19 years, five months, and 20 days old with a sixth-place finish for Kyle Busch Motorsports at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2015. As of today, Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) holds an impressive seven owners championships and has produced two championship-winning drivers, Jones being one of them.
Best finish in Miami: During his most notable performance at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2019, Jones qualified 16th for the final race of the season. However, Jones faced a challenge in the first stage, coming close to falling a lap down. In the second stage, Jones made a remarkable comeback, surging into the top-10 and concluding the stage in the eighth position. In the race’s final leg, Jones continued his momentum, finishing third.
Dave at Homestead: Crew chief Dave Elenz boasts an impressive record in the NASCAR Xfinity Series during his tenure with JR Motorsports. In eight starts, Elenz coached five different drivers to one victory, five top-five, and five top-10 finishes. Notably, his win was with Tyler Reddick during the 2018 championship race, securing the title by a margin of over six seconds. Elenz worked alongside LEGACY MOTOR CLUB’s 42 team Spotter, Earl Barban, during the race. This victory marked Elenz’s second Xfinity Series title, as he had previously coached William Byron to a championship with a third-place finish at Homestead to win the 2017 title.
Air Force Reserve: LEGACY MOTOR CLUB will host guests from Homestead Air Reserve Base and Robins Air Force Base at Homestead Miami Speedway this weekend. Erik Jones and the No. 43 team will honor the United States Air Force Reserve with a unique decal on the Allegiant Chevrolet for the upcoming race weekend.
Meet Erik: Fans will have the opportunity to meet Erik Jones as he will join Chevrolet Racing in the Fan Zone for a Q&A from 10:45-11:00 a.m. on Sunday, October 22nd, Jones will then head over to sign autographs for approximately 100 fans at the United States Air Force activation display starting at 11:10 a.m.
Quoting Erik Jones: “Homestead is a good place. It’s a track that we struggled at a bit last year, but I feel like our 1.5-mile stuff has gotten a good chunk better than our last trip. It is a tricky place. It is tough. It is slick and worn out, and you run against the fence, so there are a lot of things that you must do right in order to have a good day there. I like racing there, and I am hoping we can put together a good day to keep our momentum going.”
ABOUT LEGACY MOTOR CLUB:
LEGACY MOTOR CLUB is a professional auto racing club owned by businessman and entrepreneur Maurice J. Gallagher and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion (NCS) Jimmie Johnson. The club competes full-time in the NCS fielding the Nos. 42 and 43 Chevrolet Camaro entries, respectively, along with the No. 84 part-time entry for Johnson in 2023. Richard Petty “The King” serves as team ambassador.
In 2021, Gallagher acquired Richard Petty Motorsports and renamed the team to Petty GMS. With the addition of Johnson to the ownership structure in 2023, the organization rebranded to LEGACY MOTOR CLUB (LEGACY M.C.). 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.
Based in Statesville, N.C., LEGACY M.C. operates alongside GMS Racing (GMS), which currently fields three full-time entries in the NASCAR Truck Series. Since the formation of GMS in 2012, Gallagher and Mike Beam, team president, have shared incredible success. GMS Racing captured the 2015 ARCA Racing Series championship, the 2016 and 2020 NASCAR Truck Series championships and the 2019 and 2020 ARCA East championships, accumulating over 65 wins across six national racing circuits.
SOCIAL MEDIA:
To keep up-to-date with the latest news, information and exclusive content, follow LEGACY MOTOR CLUB on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
