NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. (May 18, 2025) – The NASCAR Cup Series stopped at the sport’s most iconic venues, North Wilkesboro Speedway for the NASCAR All-Star Race Weekend. John Hunter Nemechek piloted the No. 42 Family Dollar Toyota Camry XSE, while Erik Jones drove the No. 43 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE in the NASCAR All-Star Open, each battling for a chance to advance to the main event and their shot at a one-million-dollar prize. Nemechek advanced due to his second-place finish in the All-Star Open. The winner of the million-dollar prize though was the No. 20 of Christopher Bell after 250-laps.
Below is a look at how the two LEGACY MC entries fared:
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
NO. 42 FAMILY DOLLAR TOYOTA CAMRY XSE RACE RECAP:
OPEN START: 17TH | OPEN FINISH: 2ND
ALL-STAR RACE START: 22ND | ALL-STAR RACE FINISH: 19TH
ALL-STAR OPEN RECAP:
John Hunter Nemechek made his third attempt at qualifying for the NASCAR All-Star Race, starting eighth in the Open. With no points on the line and a shot at racing for a million dollars, tensions were high and patience was likely to be thin.
In the opening laps, Nemechek and the No. 42 Family Dollar Toyota Camry XSE quickly gained a few positions, moving into the top five. As the first 50 laps progressed, the car’s handling began to shift to loose on entry, tight in the center, and loose on exit. At the competition break, Nemechek was running ninth. Crew chief Travis Mack called for four fresh tires and made a significant air-pressure adjustment during the pit stop.
In the second half of the 100-lap Open, Nemechek slipped to 12th under green-flag conditions but began working his way back up once he found a rhythm. A caution on Lap 78 provided an opportunity. Under yellow, Nemechek and Mack agreed they needed to make an aggressive move to contend for the win. They pitted for right-side tires, aiming for track position.
Restarting sixth, Nemechek surged forward, first into fifth, then executing a bold three-wide pass to take third. With eyes on the transfer spot, he set his sights on the No. 23 and timed his move perfectly to secure second place. When the checkered flag waved, the 27-year-old crossed the line in second, earning a spot in his first NASCAR All-Star Race.
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK QUOTABLE:
“Heck yeah. We have a shot to go win a million dollars. Hats off to this No. 42 team – we unloaded and had pretty good two or three lap speed, but really no long run pace, so proud of them for the effort that they put in yesterday, and what they were able to find. Pitting on that last deal – I knew I couldn’t win from where I was at. We came and got two, and that helped us out. Hats off to the whole 42 team. Proud of the effort. Wish Taylor and the girls were here – they are at home, but overall excited to have a shot to go and win a million dollars in this Family Dollar Toyota Camry XSE.”
NASCAR ALL-STAR RECAP:
The No. 42 Family Dollar team achieved their first goal of the night by earning a spot in the All-Star Race. Competing on the historic and fast-paced short track of North Wilkesboro Speedway, things unfolded quickly—including lap times. Battling a tight-handling Family Dollar Toyota Camry XSE, Nemechek fell to the back of the field. On lap 55, race leader Brad Keselowski caught and passed Nemechek, putting him a lap down. Fortunately, a caution flag flew on the same lap, awarding the No. 42 team the lucky dog to get back on the lead lap. Crew chief Travis Mack brought Nemechek to pit road for fresh tires, fuel, and a track bar adjustment.
Leading up to the competition break at lap 100, Nemechek continued to report that the car lacked front turn through the center of the corners. In response, Mack called for a major adjustment to improve the handling of their No. 42 Family Dollar Toyota Camry XSE.
The field settled into a long green-flag run, once again setting a fast pace around the 0.625-mile oval. On lap 160, race leader Joey Logano passed the No. 42 Family Dollar Toyota, putting the team a lap down again. A caution came out on lap 175 when the No. 6 car got into the wall. The No. 42 team took advantage of the wave-around to get back on the lead lap. With under 70 laps remaining in the 250-lap race, the team was hoping for another timely caution to allow them to pit for fresh tires, having last taken them on lap 100. That opportunity came on lap 216, when a promoter’s caution, used at the officials’ discretion, was displayed with Nemechek running 20th. The caution bunched up the field and gave the No. 42 team a chance to pit for much-needed fresh tires with the leaders.
The field went back to green with 28 laps to go, and Nemechek lined up 18th, looking to make a late charge. The race stayed green to the finish, and despite giving it everything they had, Nemechek and the No. 42 Family Dollar team crossed the line in 19th place in the NASCAR All-Star Race.
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK QUOTABLE:
“At the end of the day, it was great to get our Family Dollar Toyota Camry XSE into the main event and showcase all the hard work the men and women at LEGACY MOTOR CLUB have been putting into our program. While we didn’t get our ultimate goal of winning, it was still a positive step forward for us.”
ERIK JONES
NO. 43 DOLLAR TREE TOYOTA CAMRY XSE ALL-STAR OPEN RECAP:
OPEN START: 12TH | OPEN FINISH: 4TH
After a mishap in Friday’s qualifying session had him starting 12th for the All-Star Open, Erik Jones had an uphill battle in the quick 100-lap race to try to make it into Sunday night’s All-Star Race. The top-two finishers and the fan vote winner would be the last additions to the main event. In the opening laps of the Open, Jones was extremely loose all over and fell back to 15th by lap 30. The No. 43 Dollar Tree team kept reminding their driver that a competition caution would come around lap 50, where they would bring him down pit road to try to fix some of the problems on his Toyota Camry XSE.
The competition caution came out on lap 51 when Jones was running 14th. He relayed to the team that the car started coming to him in the last seven laps of that run but still needed some work on the start of the run. The team brough him down pit road for four tires, fuel, and a chassis adjustment to try to combat the loose-handling racecar. He restarted the race in 12th.
Despite handling a tight No. 43 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE after that pit stop, Jones fought in the final laps to find his way up into the top-10 and eventually the top-five. In the last five laps, Jones was in a heated battle for second and third. With his teammate John Hunter Nemechek in second, Jones attempted to chase him down for the final transfer spot but got into the wall after contact with the No. 23 of Bubba Wallace. He held onto it to finish the race, but ultimately finished fourth, just two spots shy of the two transfer spots.
ERIK JONES QUOTABLE:
“We made progress on our No. 43 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE after that pit stop. In the initial laps, we were wrecking loose, but in that final segment we raced our way all the way up into the top-five. I’m glad we found that speed. We got put into the wall on the final laps which hurt our chances at racing our way in. We’ll move on to Charlotte.”
(Photo Credit: LEGACY MOTOR CLUB)
NEXT UP: The NASCAR Cup Series returns home to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the iconic Coca-Cola 600. Don’t miss 600 miles of high-speed, Memorial Day weekend tradition on Sunday, May 25 at 6 p.m. ET. Catch all the action live on Amazon Prime, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
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.
