HOMESTEAD, Fla. (March 23, 2025) – The NASCAR Cup Series visited South Florida and the Homestead-Miami Speedway for the Straight Talk Wireless 400 on Sunday, March 23. In qualifying, John Hunter Nemechek, driver of the No. 42 Pye-Barker Toyota Camry XSE delivered LEGACY MOTOR CLUB’s third straight top 10 starting position with a seventh-place result. Teammate Erik Jones, driver of the No. 43 Family Dollar Toyota Camry XSE lined up 28th on the grid. Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman led the field to the green flag on Sunday and it was Kyle Larson who was victorious at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Below is a look at how each of the LEGACY MOTOR CLUB entries fared.
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK NO. 42 PYE-BARKER FIRE & SAFETY TOYOTA CAMRY XSE RACE RECAP:
START: 7TH | FINISH: 23RD | POINTS: 18TH
A strong practice and qualifying effort on Saturday secured the No. 42 Pye-Barker Fire & Safety team a seventh-place starting position in the front half of the field for Sunday’s Straight Talk Wireless 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
In the opening stage, Nemechek and his No. 42 Pye-Barker Toyota Camry XSE struggled with a tight-handling race car. As a result, the North Carolina native slipped as far back as 24th in the running order. Just as the race leader was closing in to put Nemechek a lap down, the first caution of the day waved, bunching up the 37-car field. This gave the Pye-Barker pit crew a chance to go to work on the car’s handling. Crew chief Travis Mack made adjustments to add more grip, helping Nemechek finish Stage 1 in 21st.
During the stage break, the LEGACY MC pit crew delivered a flawless four-tire and fuel stop in just 8.86 seconds—their fastest pit stop in competition—gaining Nemechek five positions on the track.
Stage 2 ran caution-free, giving teams no opportunity for mid-stage adjustments. Nemechek continued to battle a tight-handling car on the short runs, but during the long green-flag stretch, the balance began to improve. He maintained his position and crossed the line 21st at the end of the stage. During the next pit stop, the Pye-Barker crew executed with even greater precision, lowering their time to 8.68 seconds. Their speed on pit road gained Nemechek several spots, allowing him to restart 16th for the final stage.
With 60 laps to go, the caution flag flew for the No. 12 car, which suffered a motor failure. During the ensuing pit stop, Mack opted for a longer stop to make adjustments to the No. 42 Toyota Camry XSE and repair some cosmetic damage to the hood. Though Nemechek dropped to 28th, he was able to make up several positions on the restart. However, he quickly radioed the crew, reporting that he was still struggling with a lack of grip. The race would remain green for the rest of the race. Nemechek and the No. Pye-Barker team battled for a 23rd- place finish.
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK QUOTABLE:
“We had a challenging day. We qualified well this weekend, but the race didn’t go as planned. The handling was off—we struggled with both tight and loose conditions, as well as in traffic. Overall, it was a tough race for us and the No. 42 team. Finishing 23rd wasn’t what we hoped for, but considering last year’s result, it wasn’t terrible. We’re always striving for more, so it’s back to the drawing board.”
ERIK JONES NO. 43 FAMILY DOLLAR TOYOTA CAMRY XSE RACE RECAP:
START: 28TH | FINISH: 15TH | POINTS: 23RD
Erik Jones started the 400-mile events at Homestead Miami Speedway from the 28th position. Due to the team working on the No. 43 Family Dollar Toyota to repair the hole in the floorboard which happened during practice on Saturday, the team had to drop to the back of the field to start the race. On Lap 10, Jones reported the No. 43 was tight, especially on exit of the corner. Crew chief Ben Beshore said they would loosen the Toyota at the pit stop as Jones passed cars to the 30th position on Lap 20. As the run wore on Jones said the car freed up a little and was in 16th by the time the pit cycle started. He brought the car to pit road on Lap 36 for tires and fuel. Jones, while running 25th was passed by the leader with 18 laps remaining in the stage and would get the free pass when a caution came out on Lap 70. Jones pitted for scuffed tires and fuel when pit road opened and finished Stage 1 in 24th place.
Stage 2 started with Jones and the No. 43 team running in 22nd. It proved challenging as Jones said he was ‘stuck’ and so the team made an adjustment on Lap 124. Midway through the stage Jones said the car was much better and was running 25th. Jones made it up to 22nd but got loose at the very end of the run so he finished Stage 2 in 23rd. With 100 laps remaining Jones brought the No. 43 to the attention of the pit crew for four tires and fuel.
Jones started Stage 3 from the 20th position. With 67 laps remaining Jones radioed to Beshore the car was “really good” and the team said there would be 15 laps before the next pit stop. Jones pitted from 19th position under caution on Lap 212 for four tires and fuel, no adjustments. Jones was happy with the car restarting 18th on Lap 216.
In the closing laps, Jones continued his forward march as he was in 16th place with 25 to go. He was quiet on the radio as the No. 43 Family Dollar Toyota handled well. He passed competitor Chase Elliott with 21 to go to take away 15th position. With 15 to go Jones passed Joey Logano for 14th. In the final ten laps Jones jockeyed for position but would have to settle for 15th on the day.
ERIK JONES QUOTABLE:
“I wish it would have been a 500-mile race; I’m kind of a ‘long run’ guy. It was a good effort today by the entire LEGACY MOTOR CLUB team, we never gave up and are making gains.”
NEXT UP: The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Martinsville, Va., to the track known as the “Paperclip”, Martinsville Speedway for the Cook Out 400 on Sunday, March 30. The race will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1, MAX, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Channel 90 at 3:00 p.m. ET
ABOUT LEGACY MOTOR CLUB: (LEGACY MC) is a premier auto racing organization co-owned by seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and 2024 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee, Jimmie Johnson and Knighthead Capital Management, LLC. Drawing from a rich tradition of success, LEGACY MC is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of motorsport and setting new standards of excellence. The CLUB competes under the Toyota Gazoo Racing banner in the NASCAR Cup Series with the No. 43 Toyota Camry XSE piloted by Erik Jones and the No. 42 Toyota Camry XSE driven by John Hunter Nemechek. Johnson also races on a limited basis in the No. 84 Toyota Camry XSE. With NASCAR legend and Hall of Famer Richard Petty, “The King”, serving as CLUB Ambassador, LEGACY MC blends timeless racing traditions with a new forward-thinking vision. As an inclusive community for motorsport enthusiasts, LEGACY MC honors both its storied past and the promising future of its members, always striving for victory and championship glory at the pinnacle of NASCAR competition.
