LEGACY MOTOR CLUB:
COCA-COLA 600 PRE-RACE ADVANCE
EVENT: Coca-Cola 600
DATE: May 24, 2026
Race: NASCAR Cup Series 13 of 36
TRACK: Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway | 1.5-Mile Oval
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
NO. 42 DOLLAR TREE TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
JHN AT CHARLOTTE: John Hunter Nemechek has four NASCAR Cup Series starts at Charlotte, with his highest finish at the track of 13th coming in May 2020. In the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, Nemechek has two starts with a best finish of second in May 2023. In the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, he has earned four top-10 finishes, including two top-fives and a race win in May 2021.
TRUCK SERIES WINNER AT CHARLOTTE: In May 2021, Nemechek took home the checkered flag in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race after starting fourth. He led 71 out of 134 laps and won with a .419 margin of victory over Carson Hocevar. Nemechek was running a fulltime season in the Truck Series in 2021, and Charlotte marked his third of five wins that season.
HONORING 1SG HARRIS: This weekend, the No. 42 team will honor 1SG Glenn L. Harris of the United States Army. A native of El Paso, Texas, Harris served for 16 years, including during Operation Gothic Serpent, now widely known as Black Hawk Down, and earned both the Purple Heart and Bronze Star Medal for his bravery and leadership. Harris tragically lost his life in 1994 during an airborne training exercise at Fort Benning, Ga., and is remembered as a devoted husband, father and leader who always put his Rangers first, living a life defined by character, sacrifice and unwavering leadership.
T-MACK AT CHARLOTTE: Sunday’s race will be crew chief Travis Mack’s seventh NASCAR Cup Series race at the 1.5-mile oval at Charlotte. His first outing came in May 2018 with Kasey Kahne. Mack returned to Charlotte with Daniel Suárez in the 2021 season. The duo competed in three races together through the end of 2023 and earned a highest finish of 15th in May 2021. In 2024, Mack returned with Shane van Gisbergen. In May 2025, Mack called his first race at Charlotte with Nemechek, where the pair started sixth. In the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, Mack has two starts with Michael Annett, where the pair earned top-10 finishes in both races. The duo earned a best finish of sixth in May 2019.
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK QUOTE:
“The Coca-Cola 600 is always such a special weekend commemorating those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. I’m honored to have U.S. Army 1SG Harris onboard our No. 42 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE this weekend. We showed speed in our intermediate program in Texas, so I’m confident it will show up at Charlotte, and we’ll really make an impact. Our finish at Watkins Glen should put us in a good spot for qualifying metrics-wise, so as long as we show up and execute the way we know how, it should be a good show.”
TRAVIS MACK QUOTE:
“I always love the 600-mile Memorial Day race at Charlotte. I’m looking forward to our red, white, and blue No. 42 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE. We had a really good car there last year, but we got in the fence and got a little damage in the last 100 miles, so I’m excited to go back and build off of that, especially with the speed we had at Texas. We should have good metrics for qualifying after our top-10 at Watkins Glen, so hopefully we set ourselves up to run up front all day.”
ERIK JONES
NO. 43 ADVENTHEALTH TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
JONES CHARLOTTE STATS: Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 will mark Jones’ 12th NASCAR Cup Series start on the 1.5-mile oval at Charlotte. In his 11 previous runs, Jones has one top-10 with his best finish of seventh in his Coca-Cola 600 debut in May 2017. While the challenge of the longest race of the year has proven to be hard, Jones has finished inside the top-20 in a majority of his races. Outside of the Cup Series, Jones has a total of six starts on the 1.5-mile oval at Charlotte – five in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and one in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. He owns two top-fives in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series with his best finish of second in October 2015 after starting third. He has a best finish of second in the Truck Series.
THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY: In Jones’ first NASCAR start at Charlotte in the Craftsman Truck Series, he made quite the impact and turned heads for the future 2015 Truck Series Champion. After starting second, Jones led 88 of the 139 laps before battling Kasey Kahne in the closing lap to finish just .005 of a second behind Kahne to finish second. The finish is tied for third closest in Craftsman Truck Series history with the 2008 finish between Erik Darnell and Johnny Benson, Jr.
600 MILES OF REMEMBRANCE: As part of NASCAR’s Memorial Day weekend activities, Jones will join the rest of the NASCAR Cup Series field as he honors a fallen soldier on his No. 43 AdventHealth Toyota Camry XSE. Riding alongside Jones will be Senior Airman Jason Plite from Grand Rapids, Michigan from the United States Air Force. SRA Plite was a part of a small group of elite pararescue troops in the Air Force. He passed on March 23, 2003 while on a rescue mission attempting to save two young children in Afghanistan. SRA Plite will be remembered as one who lived by the United States Air Force Pararescue Forces motto of “That Others May Live.”
WAVE OF MOMENTUM: Jones and the No. 43 team are riding a wave of momentum after a third-place finish in last Sunday’s NASCAR All-Star Race at Dover Motor Speedway. After an impressive qualifying lap and pit stop on Saturday, the No. 43 team started third for the first of the two 75-lap segments. Jones finished 13th in Segment 1 to restart 14th after the inversion in Segment 2. He finished Segment 2 in sixth and had the second lowest average finish of the first two segments of the drivers who hadn’t locked themselves into the All-Star Race which advanced him to the main event. Jones started seventh for the final 200-lap segment. Despite battling some handling issues during the race, he found himself in third by the checkered flag.
ALEXANDER AT CHARLOTTE: This Sunday’s race at Charlotte will be crew chief Justin Alexander’s 12th NASCAR Cup Series race on top of the box at the 1.5-mile oval. Alexander is a Coca-Cola 600 winner – having won the crown jewel race in May 2017 with Austin Dillon after the duo started 22nd. He went on to earned one top-five and three top-10s at Charlotte in the Cup Series. He has an additional two starts in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series at Charlotte with Jimmie Johnson in October 2006 and Austin Dillon in October 2016. He earned a best finish of 14th with Dillon.
ERIK JONES QUOTE
“The Coca-Cola 600 is always a great race. It’s Memorial Day weekend, and we’re at home. Waking up Sunday morning and not having to travel far is always a pleasure. I’m excited for this race. It’s unique in the sense that it’s 600 miles, and it’s a different feel and pace than a normal 1.5-mile race. I’m really looking forward to it after Texas. I feel like we made some big gains on our mile-and-a-half program that weekend. Watching the race from last year, I think both LEGACY MOTOR CLUB cars were strong throughout the race. Excited to carry some momentum from Dover over to hopefully have a strong run and earn some good stage points to keep ourselves in contention for the Chase. We’ll see how it plays out this Sunday.”
JUSTIN ALEXANDER QUOTE
“The Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway is one of the toughest races we go to because of the length of the race. 600 miles is a long night, and what your car needs in the daytime can be completely different than what it needs late into the night. The track changes and the temperature drops. You have to stay on top of the balance all night and keep up with making the correct adjustments. I’ve been fortunate enough to win this race before, so I know the challenge that it presents and what it takes to overcome it. This is an endurance race like no other on our calendar, and I look forward to trying to go back to victory lane, especially with Erik and this whole LEGACY MOTOR CLUB team.”
CLUB MINUTES:
WHERE IT ALL BEGAN: Johnson got his first taste of NASCAR Cup Series competition by running three races in 2001 with Hendrick Motorsports in the No. 48 Power of Pride Lowe’s Chevrolet, a car co-owned by Rick Hendrick and NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon. Johnson’s first start was October 7, 2001, at Charlotte, followed by races at Homestead and Atlanta that same year. While the results – finishes of 25th, 29th, and 39th – were modest, it marked the beginning of a legendary career.
HOUSE JJ BUILT: Johnson has earned legendary status at Charlotte Motor Speedway with four victories in the Coca-Cola 600 (2003, 2004, 2005, 2014), four in the Bank of America 500 events (2004, 2005, 2009, 2016), and four All-Star Race wins (2003, 2006, 2012, 2013).
KENSETH CHARLOTTE: Competition advisor and 2003 NASCAR Cup Series Champion Matt Kenseth’s most significant accomplishment at Charlotte Motor Speedway is winning the Coca-Cola 600 in 2000 as a rookie. He remains the only rookie to win that prestigious race. In addition to his 2000 victory, Kenseth also won the pole for the fall 500-mile event race in 2015 and the NASCAR All-Star Race in 2004. He also finished fourth in the Coca-Cola 600 in 2005.
PETTY AT CHARLOTTE: LEGACY MOTOR CLUB ambassador “The King” Richard Petty made 64 starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway, beginning with the track’s inaugural race in 1960 and continuing through his retirement in 1992. During that span, he claimed five victories (1961, 1975, 1977, and 1983), earned three pole positions, recorded 23 top-five finishes, 31 top-10s, and led a total of 1,702 laps.
CLUB MEMBERS WHO SERVED: This Memorial Day weekend, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB takes time to honor and recognize those who have served—and continue to serve—in the United States Armed Forces.
Zach Casada, mechanic on the No. 43 team, served in the U.S. Army. Shop Foreman Tony Cardamone served in the United States Coast Guard. Additionally, Joshua Horton, the pit tech and equipment manager, and Matt Ridgway, who works in the LEGACY MOTOR CLUB shop, both served in the U.S. Army. IT Manager Hieu Bui also served in the United States Marine Corps.
FAST PIT STOPS AT DOVER: Last weekend at Dover Motor Speedway, the No. 43 team was fast during their pit stops. During Saturday’s Pit Crew Challenge, the No. 43 pit crew and Jones posted the 12th fastest time overall on pit road and the fifth fastest stop in the field. They recorded their best pit stop time in LEGACY MOTOR CLUB history with an 8.09 second stop.
HASHTAG SPORTS AWARDS FINALIST: Each year, Hashtag Sports honors the best campaigns, content, and media in all of sports entertainment. LEGACY MOTOR CLUB created film, “The Climb to Mt. Fuji | Building NASCAR for Japan”, is a finalist in the Best Original Film or Series: Long Form category. The film tells the story of LEGACY MOTOR CLUB’s journey to Japan last November and gives a behind-the-scenes look at the preparation and events leading up to and during the trip. Fans can cast their vote through Hashtag Sports here until May 25, and the winner will be announced June 2.
SOCIAL SPOTLIGHT:
CLUB APPEARANCES:
John Hunter Nemechek will be at the trackside merchandise trailer in the fan zone for an autograph session on Saturday, May 23 at 12 p.m. local time. On Sunday, May 24, he will visit the Dollar Tree display in the fan zone at 2:30 p.m. local time.
TUNE IN:
Fans can tune in to watch the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday, May 24 at 6 p.m. EDT on Prime, MAX, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).
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 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.
