CLUB NOTES
The first race of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs kicks off at Atlanta Motor Speedway during the Quaker State 400 this weekend. With the top 16 playoff drivers in contention for the NASCAR Cup Series championship, the rest of the drivers are looking to play the spoiler. The racing at Atlanta is similar to a Superspeedway with tight packs of cars, and anything can happen – fast.
Atlanta 1 Recap: It was only the second race of the 2024 season when the NASCAR Cup Series visited Atlanta Motor Speedway last. On lap two of the race, the No. 42 of John Hunter Nemechek and the No. 43 of Erik Jones, along with several others, were collected in ‘The Big One’ that resulted in damage to both of the LEGACY MOTOR CLUB entries. Both drivers managed to continue after the accident but fell out of contention early. Nemechek finished in 21st and 25th for Jones.
EJ Stats: Since joining the NASCAR Cup Series full-time in 2017, Jones has managed to earn one top-5, two top-10s, and 4 top-15s at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Over half of those stats coming from the tag team of the driver and crew chief, Dave Elenz.
Elenz Stats: Crew chief veteran, Elenz, has some stats to boast about regarding finishes at the Hampton, Georgia track. In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, during his full-time stint, Elenz led William Byron to a seventh-place finish, Tyler Reddick to a 19th place finish, and Noah Gragson to ninth, second, fourth, and third-place finishes. Since joining with Jones in 2022, the duo has only finished outside of the top-15 once, this past spring.
JHN Stats: Nemechek will be making his third Cup Series start at Atlanta; his second on the new configuration. In the other top series of NASCAR, Nemechek has five NASCAR Xfinity Starts were he tallied three top-10s including a fourth-place (2018) and a victory (2023). In 2016, Nemechek capitalized on a late-race restart where he led the final eight laps to secure his second-career NASCAR Truck Series victory on the old pavement. Last season, he made a thrilling pass with only three laps to go and hung on to win the fifth NASCAR Xfinity Series race of his career.
Beshore Stats: No. 42 LEGACY MOTOR CLUB crew chief, Ben Beshore also has an impressive record at Atlanta with over 66% of his finishes across the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series resulting in a top-10 finish.
Partner Spotlight: OLIPOP, the healthy prebiotic soda makes its debut as the primary sponsor in the NASCAR Cup Series this weekend, as it will dawn the No. 42 OLIPOP Ridge Rush Toyota Camry XSE. The scheme will feature the white and green colors of OLIPOP’s new flavor, Ridge Rush. OLIPOP is renowned for its innovative approach to soda, offers a diverse range of flavors, from nostalgic Vintage Cola and Classic Root Beer to unique Strawberry Vanilla, Watermelon Lime, and more. OLIPOP sales have surpassed major soda brands, illustrating not only the shift in consumers’ evolving preferences towards health-conscious choices, but also the way OLIPOP is changing the traditional soda category on a larger scale. To read more about OLIPOP visit their website: OLIPOP | Healthy Prebiotic Soda (drinkolipop.com)
Going for G.O.L.D.: Partners Dollar Tree and Family Dollar will honor store #5987 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 # 5987 is conveniently located in Hampton, Ga., just over mile from the Atlanta Motor Speedway.
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 racetracks across the country.
Petty at Atlanta: Atlanta Motor Speedway is the site the of The King’s last NASCAR Cup Series race in 1992.
The King’s Hat: The King’s Hat that was unveiled back in February and is on display in the Fan Zone. Be sure to check out Atlanta Motor Speedway’s social media for exact location and activities planned for race weekend.
CLUB QUOTES
John Hunter Nemechek, Driver of the No. 42 OLIPOP Ridge Rush Toyota Camry XSE:
“This weekend will definitely be different than the race earlier in the year. There are a lot variables with the heat, you probably going to see cars slip and sliding around and we likely won’t be finishing under the lights like in the spring. Hopefully we can avoid ‘The Big One’ and it’s not on Lap 1 or 2 and we can just manage our day. It’s another restrictor plate track where you got to have track position at the end, but you also have to survive to get to the end. It’s harder to run side-by-side or three wide than it is at a place like Daytona or Talladega. I think it’s going to be intense first race of the playoffs and everyone going for broke – it’s going to be intense.
I want to go be a spoiler – you know who is racing for a championship but you’re still racing against them every week to try and go win the race. You probably go and race those [playoff drivers] with a little different mindset, not really much of one. You just don’t want to be the reason they miss the next round cause that could come back to bite you – if we were in their position, we would want that same respect.”
Ben Beshore, Crew chief of the No. 42 OLIPOP Ridge Rush Toyota Camry XSE:
“Atlanta’s new pavement lets the tires last a long time. There are normally a lot of cautions so there are opportunities to try different strategies. If you try to stay out to get track position, you pay the price on the next pit stop since you have to put more fuel in the car, so we’ll be evaluating that throughout the race to try to keep as much track position as possible but not put ourselves in a spot where we risk having to do a green flag pit stop. This is the type of race with a lot of cautions normally, so we’ll be trying to survive to the end to put ourselves in a position for a good finish.”
Erik Jones, Driver of the No. 43 Family Dollar Toyota Camry XSE:
“Atlanta is pretty different than Daytona and Talladega, it’s a mile and a half, it’s been kind of converted to a superspeedway with the banking and the rules package. It makes for handling being way more important than what it is at a place like Daytona or Talladega – it makes for kind of a challenge in balance of how fast you want to make your car and how well you want to drive, kind of a tough balance, it makes it a unique race and a fun race.
Racing in the fall, I think we assume the temperate is going to be a lot cooler, we will see how we get there how the weekend plays out, but that cool temperature definitely adds up to some handling performance. It’s definitely going to drive better than the heat of the spring, so that will be unique in trying to build more speed into the car.
Racing in the playoffs is a bit different when you’re not in it. Early on here, I think you’re still pretty aggressive with these guys. We want to go out and run well. Atlanta is a great chance for us to run well and not only run well but contend for a win. We’re not going to give up on that. Later, as we get into playoffs, there’s a certain level of respect that you have to give to the guys, but early on here I think we still have to go for it.”
Dave Elenz, Crew chief of the No. 43 Family Dollar Toyota Camry XSE:
“Atlanta is a definitely little different than Daytona and Talladega. Wide open throttle is harder to achieve there. We can do it in qualifying, but as soon as you get in the pack, you have to start lifting to make the corners. That presents a challenge – it’s not as easy as it is as Daytona just trimming it out, and Talladega the same way. We must work on handling it while keeping the speed in it.
From race one to race two, it gets harder obviously and the temps make it even more difficult to stay wide open, so we have to put more handling in the car and more downforce in the car which comes at the expense of speed, but we’re just trying to keep on throttle time as much as we can. So, they’re quite a different race from the spring to the fall and it’s quite different than what the other two plate races are even though they are the same rules package for speedways.
As far as racing others in the playoffs, at the start of the playoffs, there are so many people in the playoffs, it’s hard to race people differently – it’s half the field. You’re mindful of what they have going on and when you’re picking pits, you’re respectful of what they have going on, but you still race your race to the best you can. Even when you get into Phoenix, the Champion didn’t win the race last year, there are still people trying to win the race and that’s what we’ll be doing. Obviously, you don’t want to be the one to take a playoff guy out, so we’ll be respectful of it, but we’re still going to run our race, best we can.”
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
Erik Jones and Matt Kenseth, both former Southern 500 winners chat following the practice session at Darlington Raceway last weekend. (Photo by: NKP for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB.)
BROADCAST INFO
ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 8TH @ 3:00 PM ET
ABOUT OUR PARTNERS
ABOUT LEGACY MOTOR CLUB: LEGACY MOTOR CLUB™ is a professional auto racing club owned by businessman and entrepreneur Maurice “Maury” J. Gallagher and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson. The CLUB competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series fielding the No. 42 Toyota Camry XSE of John Hunter Nemechek, the No. 43 Toyota Camry XSE of Erik Jones, and the No. 84 limited schedule entry for Johnson. LEGACY M.C. also competes in the Extreme E Series. Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty “The King” serves as CLUB Ambassador. 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. To keep up-to-date with the latest news, information and exclusive content, follow LEGACY MOTOR CLUB™ on Facebook, X, Instagram and at www.LEGACYMOTORCLUB.com.
ABOUT DOLLAR TREE, INC.: Dollar Tree, a Fortune 200 Company, operated 16,622 stores across 48 states and five Canadian provinces as of October 28, 2023. Stores operate under the brands of Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, and Dollar Tree Canada. To learn more about the Company, visit www.DollarTree.com.
ABOUT OLIPOP: Launched in 2018, OLIPOP created the first healthy alternative to soda with only 2-5 grams of sugar and 9 grams of fiber. OLIPOP, now the fastest growing functional beverage, was formulated by CEO, Ben Goodwin, and a team of leading scientists to capture the nostalgic soda flavors you want, but with the benefits of plant-based fiber, prebiotics, and other botanical ingredients to support digestive health. OLIPOP is available in a variety of flavors including classic options like Vintage Cola, Classic Root Beer and Lemon Lime and innovative flavors like Strawberry Vanilla, Banana Cream, and Tropical Punch. OLIPOP is non-GMO, paleo, vegan, and gluten-free and is available online at www.drinkolipop.com as well as almost 30,000 grocers nationwide, including Target, Walmart, Whole Foods, Kroger and more.
