LEGACY MOTOR CLUB:
BOWMAN GRAY STADIUM PRE-RACE ADVANCE
EVENT: Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray
SCHEDULED DATE: Feb. 1, 2026
RACE: NASCAR Cup Series 00 of 36 (Exhibition Race)
TRACK: Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C. | .250-Mile Oval
CLUB MINUTES:
BOWMAN GRAY HOSTS THE CLASH: The NASCAR Cup Series returns for the second year to the historic grassroots racetrack of Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C. for its unofficial kickoff to the 2026 season – the Cook Out Clash. The Clash was previously held at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway for years before moving to the Los Angeles Coliseum in 2022. In 2025, Bowman Gray held the NASCAR Clash for the first time after having a strong history in grassroots racing. The field was not only made up of the NASCAR Cup Series regulars, but also some hometown heroes for Bowman Gray Stadium who were making Cup Series debuts. In a sold-out event, NASCAR brought the excitement of short-track racing, and saw Chase Elliott as the victor.
LEGACY IN GRASSROOTS: This weekend’s Cook Out Clash will combine NASCAR with the legacy of grassroots racing. LEGACY MOTOR CLUB drivers John Hunter Nemechek and Erik Jones both came up through the grassroots. Nemechek began competing at the age of five in go-karts, quarter midgets, and dirt bikes. In 2010, he participated in the Allison LEGACY Series, which is a spec stock car racing grassroots series in the Carolinas. He won the championship in 2012 before moving up to NASCAR in 2013. Jones got his start in racing through grassroots racing as well. He participated in late model races for most of his childhood and got his break when he bested NASCAR superstar Kyle Busch in the 45th Annual Snowball Derby in December 2012 at just 16 years old. It was just his first time running the legendary grassroots race.
HOMETOWN HERO: Rick Rozier, the fueler for the No. 42 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE pit crew, attended Winston-Salem State University, where he majored in exercise science and competed as a football and track student-athlete. Rozier joined LEGACY MOTOR CLUB in 2023.
LEGACY IN JAPAN: Following the 2025 season finale at Phoenix Raceway, Nemechek and LEGACY MOTOR CLUB owner Jimmie Johnson went to Japan for a NASCAR Exhibition by the Automobile Business Associaion of Japan (ABAJ). Nemechek piloted a two-seater No. 42 Mobil 1 Toyota Camry XSE, Johnson returned to the driver’s seat of the No. 24 Garage 56 car with Hendrick Motorsports, and 23XI Racing brought the No. 67 TGR Toyota Camry XSE to be driven by Kamui Kobayashi. The three drivers showed the unique way of NASCAR racing by running exhibition laps ahead of the Super Taikyu Series race at Fuji Speedway. To learn more about LMC’s journey to Japan, check out the documentary here.
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
NO. 42 DOLLAR TREE TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
JHN AT BOWMAN GRAY: John Hunter Nemechek enters his second race at “The Madhouse”. In the NASCAR Cup Series’ debut at Bowman Gray Stadium last year, Nemechek finished eighth in his heat race after incurring damage as he was working his way up through the field during the heat race. His eighth-place finish meant he had to race in the 75-lap Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) in order to earn a spot in Sunday’s main event. In the LCQ, Nemechek steadily worked his way through the field avoiding cautions and wrecks, and ultimately finished fourth, two spots shy of the transfer spot.
T-MACK ON SHORT TRACKS: 2026 marks crew chief Travis Mack’s second full-time season on top of the box with Nemechek and the No. 42 team at LEGACY MOTOR CLUB. Mack has 31 starts on short tracks in the NASCAR Cup Series. In the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, he has 13 starts on short tracks with Michael Annett, including nine top-10 finishes.
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK QUOTE:
“I’m looking forward to getting back in the racecar. I’m excited for 2026. It’s going to be super cold this weekend, so it’ll be hard to get temperature in tires. Racing at Bowman Gray Stadium though is going to be unique, there’s a lot of history there. I’m ready to get back in the car and get my feet wet per se and hopefully go race for a win. I feel like we had a strong car last year, so I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do this weekend before heading down to Daytona and getting back into the rhythm of things.”
TRAVIS MACK QUOTE:
“Last year we got wrecked in the heat race and had a really good car. We rebuilt it all night and we were really close to making the main race’s starting last. We just had a really good test in North Wilkesboro with the No. 43 car, so I think that’s going to help us at The Clash. I’m excited to get back to the racetrack, especially a short track. I feel like we need to work on our short track program from last year, so I think this is going to be a big step in that direction.”
GRAPHIC CREDIT: LEGACY MOTOR CLUB
ERIK JONES
NO. 43 ADVENTHEALTH TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
JONES AT BOWMAN GRAY: Sunday’s Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium will mark Jones’ and the series’ second start at the iconic grassroots venue. In last year’s inaugural event, Jones finished eighth in his heat race and would have to race in the 75-lap Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) event on Sunday night prior to the Clash, where only the top-two finishers would advance to the main event. After running steadily in third for a majority of the event, Jones took the lead late in the race. On a restart with 11 laps to go, Jones was leading as the front of the field went three-wide and contact with another car caused enough damage to put him out of the race with just a handful of laps to go.
FORMER CLASH WINNER: Jones is no stranger to victory lane in NASCAR’s pre-season event. In 2020 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, Jones had locked himself into the Clash via his 2019 Southern 500 victory the year prior. He started the race 12th, but damage from wrecks on Lap 74 and Lap 84 seemed to take him out of the race. Jones stayed in the race though and in a last lap battle, his former teammate Denny Hamlin, pushed Jones across the finish line in first. He earned his first career NASCAR Clash victory.
FIRST RACE WITH ALEXANDER: The No. 43 team welcomes a new leader to the team as Justin Alexander takes over the role formerly held by Ben Beshore. Alexander joins the team after a long tenure with Richard Childress Racing (RCR) as a crew chief and competition director. He was essential in Austin Dillon’s 2017 Coca-Cola 600 win and his 2018 Daytona 500 victory. Prior to his role at RCR, Alexander worked as a shock specialist and engineer at Hendrick Motorsports, where he worked on Jimmie Johnson’s No. 48 team as the race engineer for the 2005 season. During his time at Hendrick, Alexander also worked alongside his fellow crew chief Travis Mack on the No. 48 team.
NOTABLE OFFSEASON EVENTS: Jones continued to stay busy in the offseason while he spent a majority of his time with family in his home state of Michigan. Not long after the season finale at Phoenix Raceway, Jones celebrated his son David’s first birthday on Thanksgiving Day. He then trucked down to Pensacola, Florida to attempt the Snowball Derby at the beginning of December. Some trouble with the car though sent Jones to the LCQ where he had to finish top-four to advance. He unfortunately came up just short in fifth after a hard-fought race.
ERIK JONES QUOTE
“The Clash at Bowman Gray is a crazy race. Last year, we saw a lot of contact and a lot of guys getting into each other. It came down to being in the right place at the right time. We got taken out in a transfer spot last year with just a couple of laps to go, so it didn’t work out for us. I just hope we have a good car and a shot to transfer to make it into the main race. I’m excited for that, and to work with Justin (Alexander, crew chief). Him and I got some time together at the test at North Wilkesboro to help figure out communication not only between us but also the No. 43 team guys. I think Bowman Gray will be a good extension of what we learned as a group there. Hopefully, we can have luck go our way and stay out of trouble so we can make the main event on Sunday.”
JUSTIN ALEXANDER QUOTE
“The biggest thing heading into the Clash is continuing to learn how we communicate with each other. This weekend is about understanding what Erik likes in the car, how he gives feedback, and how we operate as a team. The expectation is to be competitive but also learning and building as a group to create a solid foundation for the rest of the season.”
GRAPHIC CREDIT: LEGACY MOTOR CLUB
CLUB APPEARANCES:
Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek will participate in the NASCAR Clash Preview on Friday, Jan. 30 at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds. Both will be a part of an autograph session with Jones’ starting at 11:30 a.m. local time, and Nemechek’s at 12:15 p.m. local time.
TUNE IN:
Fans can tune in to watch the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C. on Sunday, Feb. 1 at 8 p.m. EST on FOX, MAX, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).
LEGACY MOTOR CLUB 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 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.
