JONES LEADS TOYOTA AT TEXAS WITH A TOP-FIVE FINISH IN 300TH CAREER START
LEGACY MOTOR CLUB puts two Camrys in the top-10 for the second time this season
FORT WORTH (May 4, 2025) – In his 300th career start, Erik Jones had an impressive day, earning stage points and leading Toyota with a fifth-place run at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday afternoon. It is Jones’ first top-five finish of the season.
Jones led an impressive day for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB as his teammate, John Hunter Nemechek, finished eighth. It is the second time this season the team has earned two top-10 finishes in the same race.
Toyota GAZOO Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Texas Motor Speedway
Race 11 of 36 – 400.5 miles, 267 laps
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Joey Logano*
2nd, Ross Chastain*
3rd, Ryan Blaney*
4th, Kyle Larson*
5th, ERIK JONES
8th, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
9th, CHRISTOPHER BELL
14th, RILEY HERBST
21st, TYLER REDDICK
23rd, TY GIBBS
27th, CHASE BRISCOE
32nd, BUBBA WALLACE
38th, DENNY HAMLIN
*non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
ERIK JONES, No. 43 AdventHealth Toyota Camry XSE, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB
Finishing Position: 5th
You kept gaining track position late in the race. What was this run like for you?
“It was a sloppy day in a lot of ways. We had two pit road penalties, but just happy to come back from it and get a top-five. It would have been pretty disappointing to have a car this good, kind of our first car this year that’s been pretty strong to throw it away. I thought we were headed that way, but it turned out well. Thankful for Advent Health, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, and Toyota to get a good run and hopefully we can get rolling. I would love this to be the start of our summer stretch and just keep it going”
Are you hoping today’s finish will start some momentum for your team?
“It’s been a long road, last year was tough and this year started out a little bit tough and we’ve had our ups and downs. I’m just happy to have a good car. Proud of the LEGACY MOTOR CLUB group and everyone on this 43 Toyota team for bringing a good car. I’m happy with the finish for sure.”
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK, No. 42 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB
Finishing Position: 8th
Both LEGACY MOTOR CLUB Camrys in the top-eight. What does a race mean like this for the team?
“It means a lot. We unloaded with speed this week, which was nice, in practice. Had good long run speed – guys brought a fast Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE. It was an up-and-down day for us. Just kind of all over the place with what we had. Glad to come home eighth. The last couple of restarts were tough with the positions that we were in. I’ve got to get better from a driver’s standpoint racing up towards the front, but I haven’t had any chances at that, so progressing and learning.”
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 Progressive Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 38th
Did you think your issue was terminal before the flames started coming out of the car?
“It was blowing up for about a lap or so before it really detonated. I tried to keep it off to keep it from full detonating, that was they can diagnose exactly what happened to it. It’s tough to say exactly what it is, but they’ll go back and look at it and we’ll find out in a few weeks.”
Seems like the engine issues this year have been field wide, not just one manufacturer. Any ideas from the driver’s seat why that might be?
“I’m not really sure. I’ve had blown engines in two or three season in-a-row now where we didn’t have any issues several years prior to that. Just trying to develop I’m guessing and trying to get more. Certainly, we feel like we need to get a bit more power but this was unexpected for us.”
Did you have any warning?
“It just missed for three-quarters of a lap before, other than that, no. Nothing. We will take it back and take a look at it.”
About Toyota
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