Race Information
Round: NASCAR Cup Series Race No. 36 of 36 (Championship 4)
Track Location: Phoenix Raceway – Avondale, Arizona
Race Name: NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race
Broadcast: Sunday, November 5th at 3:00 PM ET live on NBC (TV), MRN (Radio), and SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90
Team Entrants:
No. 42 | Carson Hocevar & Luke Lambert – Sunseeker Resort Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
No. 43 | Erik Jones & Dave Elenz – Allegiant Allways Rewards Chevrolet Camaro ZL
Carson Hocevar, No. 42 Sunseeker Resort Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Phoenix Raceway Stats
-Carson Hocevar will make his first NASCAR Cup Series start this weekend at Phoenix Raceway.
-NCTS: Starts: 4; Best Start: 6th (2021); Best Finish: 9th (2021); Top-10s: 2
2023 NASCAR Cup Series Season Stats
-Starts: 8; Best Start: 16th (Bristol); Best Finish: 11th (Bristol); No. 42 Owners Points: 32nd
2023 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Season Stats
-Starts: 22; Wins: 4 (Texas, Nashville, Richmond, Homestead-Miami); Best Start: 2nd (twice); Top-5s: 11; Top-10s: 13; Laps Led: 271; Current Points Position: Tied for 1st
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.
Moving On: Sunday’s event at Phoenix Raceway will mark Carson Hocevar’s final NASCAR Cup Series start for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB™. Hocevar was tabbed to drive the No. 42 Sunseeker Resort Chevrolet in nine races towards the end of the season, and has since been picked up for a full-time opportunity to compete for Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors in 2024. LEGACY M.C. is thankful to Hocevar for his role in the team’s season, and wishes him all the best as he races on Sundays next year.
Thank you Chevrolet: The season finale will close the chapter on LEGACY M.C.’s relationship with its current manufacturer partner, Chevrolet. The longstanding relationship with GM and Chevrolet has lasted for several years through previous iterations of the team, and over the years the partnership has produced several moments of success. While a new chapter lies ahead, our team will forever be grateful for the relationships made and a winning history with our friends at Chevrolet.
On the Horizon: 2024 will bring several exciting changes to the LEGACY MOTOR CLUB organization, including a transition to its future manufacturer, Toyota, along with the addition of John Hunter Nemechek, who will pilot the No. 42 entry on a full-time basis in his return to the Cup Series. It is shaping up to be a great off season for the team, and all sights are on a successful effort of racing next year.
Championship Hopeful: It’s a big weekend for Hocevar as he will contend for the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series championship on Friday night. This season has been a breakout year for the 20-year-old, where he has picked up four wins along the way. Carson earned his first-career win at Texas Motor Speedway, and followed that performance up with victories at Nashville Superspeedway, Richmond Raceway, and Homestead-Miami Speedway. His No. 42 Niece Motorsports team has led the series in the win column, and this will be his first Championship 4 appearance. Drivers he will be competing against include GMS Racing’s Grant Enfinger, TRICON Garage’s Corey Heim, and ThorSport Racing’s Ben Rhodes. The CRAFTSMAN 150 will go green at 10:00 PM ET with coverage shown live on FS1.
Luke at Phoenix: Luke Lambert has called the shots for 19 NASCAR Cup Series races at Phoenix Raceway during his career as a crew chief dating back to 2011. Lambert guided Ryan Newman to the victory in the spring race of 2017, and has notched a total of three top-fives and four top-10 finishes along the way. His success doesn’t stop in the Cup Series however, as in four NASCAR Xfinity Series races, Lambert’s drivers have won twice – with the first being Elliott Sadler in the spring of 2012, and the second being Noah Gragson in the spring of last year. Back in March, the No. 42 team finished 29th in the “Valley of the Sun”.
Carson Appearances: Fans attending the NASCAR Cup Series Championship race will have three opportunities to meet LEGACY MOTOR CLUB’s driver of the No. 42 Chevrolet:
NCTS Championship 4 Q&A Session | Friday, Nov. 3rd: Hocevar will join his fellow Championship 4 contenders on the stage located in the Phoenix Raceway Infield Fan Zone to discuss the Truck Series finale on Friday from 2:00 PM to 2:15 PM local time.
Team Chevy Stage Q&A Session | Saturday, Nov. 4th: Located in the Phoenix Raceway Fan Zone, Hocevar will answer fans’ questions at the Team Chevy display on Saturday from 10:30 AM to 10:45 AM local time.
LEGACY M.C. Merchandise Rig Autograph Session | Sunday, Nov. 5th: Carson will sign autographs at the LEGACY MOTOR CLUB merchandise trailer in the Phoenix Raceway Fan Zone on Sunday from 10:00 AM to 10:30 AM local time.
Quoting Carson Hocevar: This is a big weekend for you in the Truck Series, but as you look ahead to your final Cup Series start with LEGACY M.C., what are some of the biggest takeaways that you can bring into your first full-time season next year?
“I’m very excited, this is a big weekend I feel I’ve worked my whole career for. To be able to race in the Cup Series and know I’ll be in a Cup car full time after this weekend, but to also fight for a championship and do both in the same weekend is something I am very grateful and thankful for everyone that’s helped and pushed to get me here. It has been a great experience to be able to work with both LEGACY M.C. and Niece Motorsports this weekend and this year as a whole! We learned a lot this season and I am thankful knowing that I can have this experience heading into 2024, but am laser-focused on the task at hand.”
Erik Jones, No. 43 Allegiant Allways Rewards Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Phoenix Raceway Stats
NCS Starts: 14; Best start: 7th (Fall 2015 & Fall 2018) Best finish: 4th (Fall 2017); Top-5s; Top-10s: 4; Laps led: 25
NXS Starts: 7; Best start: Pole (Spring 2016 & Fall 2017) Best finish: 2nd (Spring 2016); Top-5s; Top-10s: 4; Laps led: 25
NCTS Starts: 3; Best start: Pole (2014 & 2015) Best finish: 1st (2013); Top-5s: 2; Top-10s: 3; Laps led: 304
2023 NASCAR Cup Series Season Stats
Starts: 35; 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.
Martinsville in the Rearview: Erik Jones and the Allegiant Allways Rewards team qualified in the 29th position. Due to strategy, the No. 43 team took the wave-around, eventually finding themselves in the top-five. Jones held on to the fourth position during the final stage of the race, but unfortunately, the caution they were waiting for never materialized. With only 20 laps left, Jones was forced to pit for fuel and finished in the 21st position.
Best finish in the desert: Jones delivered an impressive performance in the desert during the fall of 2017. Starting just outside the top-10, he drove his way to a seventh-place finish in Stage 1. As Stage 2 waved green, Jones restarted in the eighth position and ran into the top five, ultimately clinching a third-place finish at the end of Stage 2. Jones had consistent speed throughout the last stage, resulting in an impressive fourth-place finish, marking his fifth top-five finish of the season. Matt Kenseth, Competition Advisor for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, took home the checkered flag.
Last time around: During this year’s spring race at Phoenix Raceway, Erik Jones qualified in 10th position but ran into challenges finding speed during the early stages of the race. By the end of Stage 1, Jones had slipped to the 14th position. However, with adjustments made to the Allegiant Chevrolet, Jones improved long-run speed, working his way into contention. Hoping for a caution, the No. 43 team chose to run long. This strategy paid off as Jones took the lead for 14 laps, from lap 247 to 260, marking his most laps led in a single race for the year. Jones came home with a 21st-place finish.
Familiar with the Pole: Jones has shown remarkable pole-winning speed in both the Xfinity and Truck Series, at Phoenix, securing four pole positions in 10 races. Two of these poles were won during his time with Kyle Busch Motorsports in the Truck Series, in both 2014 and 2015, on his way to winning the Truck Series championship during the 2015 season. The other two poles were secured during his time in the Xfinity Series, with starts on the front row for the 2016 spring race in 2016 and the fall race in 2017.
Dominating the Trucks: Jones has a commanding presence in the Truck Series at Phoenix Raceway, leading an impressive 304 laps over the course of just three races and securing two wins. With an average start of 1.3 and an average finish of 3.7, there was only one race that didn’t lead to a trip to victory lane.
Dave in Phoenix: Crew chief Dave Elenz has left his mark on the Phoenix track in the Xfinity Series, owning one victory, five top-five, and 10 top-10 finishes over 14 starts. Elenz has guided seven drivers to an impressive average start of 9.6 with an average finish of 11.3, during which his drivers have led 55 laps. Elenz coached William Byron to the pole position in the spring of 2017 and later led Byron to victory lane in Phoenix during the fall race that same year.
Off-Track Efforts: The Erik Jones Foundation has teamed up with the Sun Bus to offer free skin cancer checks throughout the championship weekend. The Erik Jones Foundation is built on three pillars, igniting children’s passion for reading, encouraging early cancer detection and care, and promoting animal welfare. Guests are encouraged to sign up for their free skin check here.
Wings of Blue: Jones will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join the United States Air Force for a trip with the “Wings of Blue team”. Known for their daring tricks and heroic jumps, Jones will join the Wings of Blue at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs for a skydiving experience before he heads to Phoenix.
Meet Erik: Erik Jones will sign autographs for approximately 100 fans at the United States Air Force activation display in the fan midway from 9:20 a.m. to 9:50 a.m. on Sunday, November 5th.
Quoting Erik Jones: “Phoenix is a good track for us. With us finishing out the season here, we want to go out on a good note and have a strong run going into the off-season. Obviously, the guys competing in the championship will be tough to go up against, but I think overall we should have a decent day in Phoenix with our Allegiant Allways Rewards Chevrolet team, and then go into our offseason strong.”
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.
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