LEGACY MOTOR CLUB:
TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY PRE-RACE ADVANCE
EVENT: YellaWood 500
DATE: Oct. 19, 2025
RACE: NASCAR Cup Series 34 of 36
TRACK: Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway | 2.66-Mile Oval
CLUB MINUTES:
JJ AT TALLDEGA: LEGACY MOTOR CLUB co-owner and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson has 38 career Cup Series starts at Talladega Superspeedway. In his career, he earned two wins, seven top-fives, and 13 top-10s in addition to his 474 laps led. He scored back-to-back poles in his first two starts there in both of the 2002 races. His first victory came in May 2006 though when Johnson started 16th and led the final lap of the race to best Tony Stewart by .120 of a second. Johnson won his second race at Talladega in April 2011 after starting second and leading 14 laps. He bested Clint Bowyer by .002 of a second. In addition to his Cup Series starts, Johnson also has two NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Talladega with a best finish of 28th in April 2001.
KENSETH TALLADEGA STATS: LEGACY MC competition advisor and 2003 NASCAR Cup Series Champion Matt Kenseth has run 38 Cup Series race at Talladega. He earned one win, six top-fives, and 10 top-10s as well as led 524 laps at the 2.66-mile oval. His victory came in Oct. 2012 after starting 15th and leading 33 laps to beat Jeff Gordon under caution. Kenseth has an additional six starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Talladega. He earned one top-five and three top-10s in his starts with a best finish of fourth in April 1999.
THE KING WINS AT TALLADEGA: LEGACY MC ambassador and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion Richard Petty owns 46 Cup Series starts at Talladega. During his legendary career, the NASCAR Hall of Famer collected two wins, 11 top-fives, and 18 top-10s as well as 273 laps led. He scored his first victory in Aug. 1974 when he started third, led 34 laps and bested David Pearson. He followed that up in May 1983 when he started 15th and led a total of 52 laps en route to a victory over Benny Parsons.
DOLLAR TREE VENDOR SPOTLIGHT: Dollar Tree will serve as the primary partner this weekend on the No. 43 Toyota Camry XSE, driven by Erik Jones, at Talladega. The bold green and white Dollar Tree scheme will hit the track alongside support from vendor partner Mt. Dew, showcasing a strong collaboration for the race weekend across LEGACY MC’s social platforms.
NEVER SETTLE: Join ESPN’s Marty Smith and LEGACY MOTOR CLUB’s co-owner Jimmie Johnson for their weekly podcast, “Never Settle”. Fans can find Never Settle on YouTube and watch the behind the scenes clips as well as full episodes. Click HERE to watch and subscribe.
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
NO. 42 PYE-BARKER FIRE & SAFETY TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
JHN AT TALLADEGA: John Hunter Nemechek has five NASCAR Cup Series starts at Talladega, where he has earned two top-10 finishes. He finished eighth in both races in 2020. In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Nemechek has made four starts, including two top-10 finishes in April 2018 and April 2019. In his seven starts in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, he has earned one pole award (Oct. 2022), and two top-10 finishes, including a best finish of fourth in Oct. 2021.
T-MACK TALLADEGA STATS: Sunday’s race will be crew chief Travis Mack’s 11th NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega. His first outing came in 2018 with Kasey Kahne. Mack returned to Talladega with Daniel Suárez in the 2021 season. The duo competed in six races together, and had three top-10 finishes (Oct. 2022, April 2023, and Oct. 2023). In 2024, Mack competed with Shane Van Gisbergen for both races. He then returned in April 2025 with Nemechek. In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Mack has three starts with Michael Annett, where the pair earned one pole award in 2019 and one top-10 finish in 2020.
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK QUOTE:
“We showed good speed in Daytona, so I’m feeling confident about our superspeedway package. If we can stay out of trouble, I feel like we can run up front and really make an impact.”
TRAVIS MACK QUOTE:
“We’ve had some good runs this year at superspeedways. This is definitely one of the races that we’ve had circled on our calendar. This is probably our best opportunity for a win for the rest of the year.”
ERIK JONES
NO. 43 DOLLAR TREE TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
JONES TALLADEGA STATS: Sunday’s YellaWood 500 will mark Erik Jones’ 18th NASCAR Cup Series starts at the 2.66-mile track of Talladega Superspeedway. In total, he’s earned three top-fives and eight top-10 finishes at Talladega. He’s been especially consistent as of late, finishing in the top 10 in seven of his last 11 races while leading a total of 75 laps. He earned a best finish of second in Oct. 2020, where he finished .086 of a second behind race winner Denny Hamlin. In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Jones has three starts at Talladega, never qualifying outside the top 10 and securing a best finish of fifth in May 2017, where he led five laps after starting 10th. In the Truck Series, the 2015 champion made two starts, boasting an average starting position of 4.5 and an average finish of 5.0. Jones earned a best finish of fourth in Oct. 2015. He never finished outside of the top-10 in the Truck Series.
LAST LAP BATTLES AT TALLADEGA: The unpredictable track of Talladega is known for its battle in the final laps of the race. Jones has been a part of a few, but in Oct. 2022, he found himself in the lead with just nine laps to go in the race, He was able to hold off the pack for seven laps before being shuffled back to sixth in the final few laps. As one of many superspeedway races that got away, Jones is looking for redemption and his first Talladega victory this weekend.
BESHORE AT TALLADEGA: Crew chief Ben Beshore has seven NASCAR Cup Series races under his belt at Talladega with Kyle Busch, John Hunter Nemechek, and Jones. He earned a best finish of third with Busch in April 2022. Jones’ 18th-place finish in April this year tied for Beshore’s second-best finish at Talladega with Busch’s finish from April 2021. He has an additional four races at Talladega in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with Jeffrey Earnhardt, Harrison Burton, and Nemechek. He earned a best finish of 26th with Earnhardt in April 2019, despite being caught up in a wreck.
ERIK JONES QUOTE
“Talladega is very unpredictable. It’s a wild card and anything can happen. We’ve run up front quite a few times here, but the final laps are always a battle. People get more aggressive as the race gets near the end and things can happen. It a typical superspeedway. I’m excited to get to Talladega though after how we ran at Daytona. It should be a good race for our No. 43 Dollar Tree Toyota team as long as we can execute all day and stay out of trouble.”
BEN BESHORE QUOTE
“I think we’ve had a couple of good runs on superspeedways this year, especially Daytona, so we’re just trying to bring that same sort of package to Talladega. This track tends to be less about handling compared to Daytona. There’s still that factor, but it seems to be less important. It’s more about pure, raw speed. We’re going to look at what we had a Daytona this year and see what we can apply to Talladega and hopefully get a similar result.”
CLUB APPEARANCES:
Nemechek will be at the NASCAR Classics trackside merchandise rig to sign for fans at 10:30 a.m. local time on Saturday, Oct. 18.
TUNE IN:
Fans can tune in to watch the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, Oct. 19 at 2 p.m. EDT on NBC, MAX, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).
ABOUT LEGACY MOTOR CLUB: (LEGACY MC) is a premier auto racing organization 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.
