LEGACY MOTOR CLUB:
LAS VEGAS PRE-RACE ADVANCE
EVENT: Las Vegas 400
DATE: March 15, 2026
RACE: NASCAR Cup Series 5 of 36
TRACK: Las Vegas Motor Speedway | 1.5-Mile Oval
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
NO. 42 TRI-STATE VACUUM & RENTAL TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
JHN AT LAS VEGAS: John Hunter Nemechek has six NASCAR Cup Series starts at Las Vegas, with his highest finish at the track of ninth coming in October 2024. In the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, Nemechek has made seven starts, including one race win in March 2024. He has only finished outside the top-10 twice at Las Vegas in the series. In his 10 starts in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, he earned two pole awards and a race win in March 2021.
WINNER AT LAS VEGAS: Nemechek won the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Las Vegas in March 2024, where he led 99 laps and won with a margin of victory of 4.36 seconds over Cole Custer. In the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, he took home the checkered flag in March 2021 where he led 94 of 134 laps and won with a margin of victory of 0.686 of a second over Kyle Busch.
T-MACK AT LAS VEGAS: Sunday’s race will be crew chief Travis Mack’s 11th NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas. His first outing came in 2018 with Kasey Kahne. Mack returned to Las Vegas with Daniel Suárez in the 2021 season. The duo competed in six races together through the end of 2023 and earned a highest finish of 10th in March 2023. In 2024, Mack competed with Derek Kraus in the March race. He then returned in March 2025 with John Hunter Nemechek. In the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, Mack has five starts with Michael Annett, where the pair earned three top-10 finishes. They earned a best finish of fifth in March 2019.
TRI-STATE RETURNS: Tri-State Vacuum & Rental joins the No. 42 Toyota Camry XSE this weekend, bringing its commitment to reliability and hard work to the track. Tri-State Vacuum & Rental specializes in industrial vacuum services, equipment rentals, and environmental solutions for a wide range of industries. The partnership highlights the company’s dedication to supporting high-performance teams and the communities they serve.
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK QUOTE:
“I’ve had success in the past at Vegas, and I feel like our intermediate package at LEGACY MOTOR CLUB has been really strong. This one should be a good one for us, but it will definitely be a test to see if our speed from last year can carry into this year.”
TRAVIS MACK QUOTE:
“I’m hopeful we’ll be able to build off our momentum from last year at intermediate tracks. The Las Vegas and Darlington races will prove if we’ve made gains this off-season, so there’s a lot of pressure there, especially in Las Vegas. I’m ready to see all of our hard work and dedication show up this off-season when we head back out west this weekend.”
ERIK JONES
NO. 43 DOLLAR TREE TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
JONES LAS VEGAS STATS: Sunday’s Las Vegas 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will mark Erik Jones’ 18th NASCAR Cup Series start at the 1.5-mile oval in the desert. Through these starts, he’s collected four top-10 finishes with a best result of eighth, earned three-times in his career. The first came in March 2018 after starting ninth. He followed that up with another eighth-place finish in September 2020 when he started 13th. Finally, he finished eighth in October 2022 after starting 22nd. Additionally, Jones has four starts outside of the Cup Series at Las Vegas – two in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and two in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. He earned a best finish of third in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series in March 2016 after starting second. Jones never finished outside the top-10 at Las Vegas in the Truck Series with a win in September 2014 and a ninth-place finish in October 2015.
TRUCK SERIES WINNER AT LAS VEGAS: Jones is a winner at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in his NASCAR career. In September 2014 when Jones was running a part-time schedule in the Craftsman Truck Series, he started 13th in the No. 51 Truck for Kyle Busch Motorsports. He led twice for 19 laps in the race, first leading for five laps on Lap 27 before taking the lead for the final time on Lap 133. He bested runner-up Bubba Wallce by 1.329 seconds to earn his second of three victories in a season where he ran just 12 races.
ALEXANDER AT LAS VEGAS: Crew chief Justin Alexander has been on top of the box for 11 NASCAR Cup Series races at Las Vegas. In total, he’s earned one top-five and two top-10s at the 1.5-mile oval. His best finish of fourth in February 2020 with Austin Dillon after thew duo started 21st. He has one race in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series with Austin Dillon in March 2017 where they started and finished fifth.
TOP-10 AT PHOENIX: Last Sunday at Phoenix Raceway, Jones showed rebound and determination to earn his first top-10 finish of the season. He qualified 32nd for the race, but was confident that his team could find their way into a good spot. Despite going a lap down early, Jones and his crew chief Justin Alexander used strategy to get their lap back and continue their pursuit forward. With two laps to go in the race, Jones broke into the top-10. He defended his spot to finish 10th.
ERIK JONES QUOTE:
“Las Vegas is one that we’re excited about as a group. Mile-and-a-halves last year were a strong point for us. They were tracks we always looked forward to. Las Vegas is one that has been good to us in the past. I’m excited to get back there and see what kind of program we have on the intermediates this season. It should be a lot of fun. I think we all have high hopes for it. Everyone has been clicking from the pit crew to road crew and it’s helped with execution. We just need things to go our way, limit the mistakes, and get rid of the issues that we’ve had to really get things going.”
JUSTIN ALEXANDER QUOTE:
“Las Vegas is the first true intermediate track of the season, and historically those have been some of the stronger tracks for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB. It’ll be a good benchmark for where we’re at early in the year. We’ll focus on unloading with a solid baseline, execute qualifying and put ourselves in position to be competitive on Sunday.”
CLUB MINUTES:
LEGACY MOTOR CLUB AT VEGAS: Since 2023, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB has competed in five races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with five drivers: Erik Jones, John Hunter Nemechek, Jimmie Johnson, Carson Hocevar and Noah Gragson. The team’s best starting position was 20th, achieved by Nemechek in March, while its best finish also came from Nemechek, who secured ninth place in the October 2024 race.
JJ AT LAS VEGAS: LEGACY MOTOR CLUB owner and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson has an impressive record at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He owns 23 Cup Series starts at the track that have resulted in four wins, seven top-fives, and 10 top-10s as well as 595 laps led. Johnson won three back-to-back races at Las Vegas in March 2005, March 2006, and March 2007. In 2005, he started ninth, led 107 laps, and bested Las Vegas native Kyle Busch by 1.661 seconds. Johnson followed that up in 2006 when he started third, led the final lap of the race, and bested Matt Kenseth by .045 of a second. He returned once again in 2007 where he started 23rd and bested Jeff Gordon by 2.795 seconds after leading 89 laps. Johnson’s final win in the Cup Series at Las Vegas came in March 2010. He started 20th, led 18 laps and bested runner-up Kevin Harvick by 1.874 seconds. He has two additional starts at Las Vegas in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series with a best finish of 14th in March 2001.
KENSETH LAS VEGAS STATS: LEGACY MOTOR CLUB competition advisor and 2003 NASCAR Cup Series Champion Matt Kenseth owns 19 Cup Series starts at Las Vegas. In these starts, he’s collected three victories, six top-fives, and 10 top-10s in addition to 526 laps led. He scored his first win in March 2003 when he started 17th, led 88 laps, and bested Dale Earnhardt Jr. by 9.104 seconds. He followed that up the next year in March 2004 when he started 25th, led 123 laps, and beat Kasey Kahne by 3.426 seconds. Kenseth’s final win at Las Vegas came in March 2013. He started 18th, led 42 laps, and bested Kahne once again by .594 of a second. Kenseth has an additional 10 starts in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series at Las Vegas where he earned a best result of second from the pole in March 2006.
2026 PETTYFEST: On Saturday, March 28, the Petty Museum will be hosting its annual PettyFest from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. local time. This event takes place at the Petty Museum in Randleman, NC and draws crowds from all over to meet “The King” Richard Petty and other members of the Petty family. With autograph sessions, tours, vendors, and food trucks, there’s a variety of activities offered. For more information about the event, visit RichardPettyMuseum.com.
MINT 400 RECAP: Last weekend in Las Vegas, Jimmie Johnson returned to his roots in the BF Goodrich Mint 400 where he drove the No. 84 Carvana 1Nine Industries built Trick Truck for Terrible Herbst Motorsports. After flipping his truck in qualifying, Johnson had a task ahead of him as he started in row 32 in Saturday’s timed race. He didn’t waste a moment and started passing competitors early on. Despite two flat tires, Johnson, co-driver Troy Herbst, and navigator Jason Duncan were sitting in sixth by the time they crossed the start-finish line.
CLUB APPEARANCES:
John Hunter Nemechek will stop by the trackside merchandise trailer to sign autographs on Sunday, March 15 at 9 a.m. local time.
Erik Jones will make a pit stop at the Toyota Racing Experience stage on Sunday, March 15 at 9 a.m. local time for a Q&A session.
TUNE IN:
Fans can tune in to watch the Las Vegas 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday, March 15 at 4 p.m. EDT on FS1, MAX, PRN, 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.
