Race Information
Round: NASCAR Cup Series race no. 30 of 36 (Playoffs Round of 12)
Track Location: Texas Motor Speedway – Fort Worth, Texas
Race Name: Auto Trader EchoPark Automotive 400
Broadcast: Sunday, September 24th at 3:30 PM ET live on USA Network (TV), PRN (Radio), and SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90
Team Entrants:
No. 42 | Carson Hocevar & Luke Lambert – Sunseeker Resort Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
No. 43 | Erik Jones & Dave Elenz – Dallas Vs. Everybody Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Carson Hocevar, No. 42 Sunseeker Resort Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Texas Motor Speedway Stats
-Carson Hocevar will make his first NASCAR Cup Series start at Texas on Sunday
-NCTS: Starts: 3; Wins: 1 (2023), Best Start: 3rd (2021); Top-5s: 2; Top-10s: 2; Laps Led: 5
2023 NASCAR Cup Series Season Stats
-Starts: 4; Best Start: 15th (Darlington, Fall); Best Finish: 11th (Bristol); No. 42 Owners Points: 32nd
2023 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Season Stats
-Starts: 20; Wins: 3 (Texas, Nashville, Richmond); Best Start: 2nd (North Wilkesboro & Bristol); Top-5s: 10; Top-10s: 12; Laps led: 255; Current Points Position: 3rd (+18 to the cutline)
About Sunseeker Resort: Opening in 2023, Florida’s newest luxury resort located in Charlotte Harbor is the first resort property of Sunseeker Resorts, a wholly owned subsidiary of Allegiant Travel Company. Sunseeker Resort Charlotte Harbor occupies over 22 waterfront acres with 785 guest rooms, including 189 Signature Sunsuites™. Set upon the Peace River and Florida Gulf Coast, this premier resort offers 20 original food and beverage concepts; including seven stand-alone restaurants, eleven bars and lounges, two poolside offerings and a 25,000-square-foot multi-dining experience. Additional hotel amenities include a waterfront promenade, two unique rooftop and waterfront pool experiences, 60,000-square-feet of combined convention space, full-service spa and salon, a 7,100-square-foot state-of-the-art fitness center with four group exercise studios with specialty instructor lead classes, three retail and market shops, and an 18-hole championship level golf club exclusive to hotel guests only. The resort is conveniently located within a short drive of Punta Gorda, Fort Myers, Sarasota, St. Petersburg-Clearwater, and Tampa airports. For more information, visit www.sunseekerresorts.com. Follow us on Instagram: @sunseekerresorts and like us on Facebook: @sunseekerresorts.
Confirmed for More: On Sunday, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB™ announced via social media that Carson Hocevar will continue to drive the No. 42 Sunseeker Resort Chevrolet in the following two races at Texas Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. The driver lineup has not been confirmed just yet for the remainder of the 2023 season, but news on that front can be expected to break in the coming weeks.
Bristol Recap: Carson Hocevar had an incredible night in only his fourth NASCAR Cup Series start last weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. Starting from the 16th position, it didn’t take the rookie long at all to break into the top-10. Working his way around the top of the racetrack while most of the other drivers ran the bottom groove, the driver of the No. 42 Chevrolet caught the eye of many by climbing all the way up to fifth place at the conclusion of stage two. Hocevar was on the cusp of snatching his first-career top-10 finish that night, but was bumped to 11th in the closing laps of the race. Nothing to be ashamed of, as the result marked the best finish all season for the No. 42 team.
Destined for Greatness: In three races driving LEGACY MOTOR CLUB’s No. 42 car, Hocevar has produced race finishes of 17th, 20th, and 11th, and he has completed every lap but one. With how tough the competition is in NASCAR’s elite division, for a rookie to show up with little-to-no experience and record these types of results is nothing short of impressive. Though Carson’s plans for the 2024 season have not been announced yet, there’s no doubt that he has a bright future lying ahead.
Previous Texas Winner: Back in April, Hocevar put his name on the map by winning his first-career NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race at Texas. Driving the narrative of coming so close countless times, he had finished in the top-five 10 times before he was finally able to pull through and score his maiden victory. In a dramatic finish that saw the leaders take each other out of contention on the white flag, Hocevar was able to sneak by and lead one lap – the final lap – on his way to victory lane. This weekend will be the first time that he returns to Texas since that day, this time in his first Cup Series start at the track.
Tough Trucker: With only three races remaining in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series season, Carson Hocevar is poised to advance and secure his first berth in the Championship 4. Last race at Bristol Motor Speedway, the driver of the No. 42 Silverado RST began his Round of 8 stretch by qualifying on the outside pole and finishing second in stage one. Continuing with the theme of gaining stage points, he then went on to finish seventh in stage two, and used an alternate strategy by staying on the racetrack to leapfrog some added track position. On old tires, Hocevar was able to hold on and finish in the fourth position, notching his 10th top-five finish of the year. The trucks are off this week, but entering the next event at Talladega, Hocevar has a slight gap of 18 points to the cut line, currently posted third in the points standings.
Lambert at Texas: Luke Lambert has made a total of 18 starts at Texas Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series since 2011. His drivers have finished in the top-20 nine times, with Ryan Newman being his lone driver to score a top-10 finish back in 2016. Lambert’s cars have typically qualified pretty well at Texas in the past, starting in the top-10 on five separate occasions. His drivers have also led 25 laps in the process. In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Lambert has made four starts, earning one pole (Spring, 2022) and one win (Fall, 2022) that capped off his team’s incredible stretch of four-in-a-row.
Quoting Carson Hocevar: Heading back to Texas, a track that you’ve won at before, what kind of emotions do you have as you make your first Cup start there?
“I’m super excited for Texas, going back to where I first won but also coming off the best Cup race I’ve ever had is momentum that I couldn’t expect to have. Looking forward to getting to Texas and trying to keep our speed and attitudes on a high and put together another solid race with our No. 42 Sunseeker Resort / LEGACY M.C. group!”
Erik Jones, No. 43 Dallas Vs. Everybody Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Texas Motor Speedway Stats
-NCS Points-Paying Starts: 10; All-Star Starts: 1; Best start: 2nd (Fall 2019); Best finish: 4th (Spring 2018, Fall, 2018, and Spring, 2019); Top-5s: 3; Top-10s: 7; Laps Led: 113
-NXS Starts: 6; Wins: 3 (Spring, 2015, Spring, 2017, and Fall, 2017); Poles: 2 (Spring 2015, Fall 2016); Top-5s: 6; Top-10s: 6; Laps Led: 368
-NCTS Starts: 3; Wins: 1 (Fall, 2015); Poles: 1 (Spring, 2015); Top-5s: 1; Top-10s: 1; Laps Led: 185
2023 NASCAR Cup Series Season Stats
Starts: 29; Best start: 8th (COTA); Best finish: 3rd (Kansas II); Top-5’s: 1; Top-10’s: 7; Laps Led: 17; Current points position: 25th
About Vs. Everybody: Founded on the principles of resilience and pride, Detroit Vs. Everybody is a locally originated fashion label encapsulating the essence of Detroit. Each of the collection pieces is the creative product of Tommey Walker, a dynamic artist, brand steward, and problem-solver. Born out of Walker’s discontent with the continuous negative media portrayal and undervaluation of Detroit’s cultural richness, he aimed to rejuvenate the city’s image and instill universal pride among Detroiters. Thus, the brand was established with the simple yet powerful “Vs Everybody” mantra. It’s more than just a statement, it’s an anthem and a movement. www.DallasVsEverybody.com
Bristol in the Rearview: Erik Jones was off to a hot start in Bristol moving through the field after starting in 31st position. The No. 43 United States Air Force Chevrolet was seen running in the top-10 until a loose left rear wheel forced Jones to pit road under the green flag. The unscheduled stop put him down multiple laps from the leaders, resulting in a 24th place finish.
First of its kind: Erik Jones clinched his first-career NASCAR Xfinity Series victory at Texas Motor Speedway in 2015. During a dominant performance, Jones secured the pole position and led for a total of 79 laps. At just 18 years old, Jones showcased his immense talent and promising future, beating out competitors like Brad Keselowski and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in the final laps. He went on to win eight more races in that series throughout his career.
The Great American Speedway: In his last attempt at Texas Motor Speedway, Jones started from the 27th position. Jones made his way into the top-10 and lead for one lap, showing real pace at the Great American Speedway. Jones proved he can be a contender regardless of his starting position, earning a sixth-place finish – his eleventh top-10 of 2022.
Collecting Cowboy Hats: Across the Truck and Xfinity Series, Jones has shown great success on this 1.5-mile asphalt oval collecting a total of four wins, seven top-fives, and seven top-10 finishes. Jones earned his best finish in the NASCAR Cup Series at Texas Motor Speedway in three consecutive races with a fourth-place finish three years in a row between both races in 2018 and the spring of 2019.
Dave In Texas: Dave Elenz has shown that he can direct his team to success in both the Xfinity and Cup Series. Elenz has 14 Xfinity starts during his tenure with JR Motorsports, coaching six drivers to seven top-five and 10 top-10 finishes. His drivers hold an average finishing position of 9.9 and have totaled 193 laps led. In their lone points-paying Cup Series start together, Elenz and Jones earned a sixth-place finish in the Fall of 2022.
Giving Back: In partnership with Vs. Everybody, all merchandise sales for the “Dallas Vs. Everybody” program will help support for a bigger cause as a portion of the proceeds will go to the Erik Jones Foundation. The goal of the Foundation is to ignite the passion for reading in children, encourage early cancer detection and care, and to promote animal welfare.
Meet Erik: Jones will be at the LEGACY MOTOR CLUB E2 trackside merchandise hauler on Saturday, Sept. 23rd from 9:45 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. local time to promote the new “Dallas vs. Everybody” merch. On race day. Jones will head over to the Team Chevy Stage for a Q&A session from 10:00 a.m.-10:20 a.m. local time.
Quoting Erik Jones: “Texas has been good to me in a few different series. I’ve been able to win a handful of races there through Trucks and Xfinity, but I’ve never closed one out in the Cup Series. We have been close a couple of times. It’s a unique place since the repave – it’s become challenging to race, and there is a bit more groove on the bottom. You have to have track position and be upfront. It does have some of the same old Texas tendencies that the track had before the repave, so you can look back at some of those notes, but overall, it’s a pretty unique place.”
ABOUT LEGACY MOTOR CLUB:
LEGACY MOTOR CLUB is a professional auto racing club owned by businessman and entrepreneur Maurice J. Gallagher and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion (NCS) Jimmie Johnson. The club competes full-time in the NCS fielding the Nos. 42 and 43 Chevrolet Camaro entries, respectively, along with the No. 84 part-time entry for Johnson in 2023. Richard Petty “The King” serves as team ambassador.
In 2021, Gallagher acquired Richard Petty Motorsports and renamed the team to Petty GMS. With the addition of Johnson to the ownership structure in 2023, the organization rebranded to LEGACY MOTOR CLUB (LEGACY M.C.). With a unique title signifying a nod to car clubs of past eras, LEGACY M.C. is an inclusive club for all motorsport enthusiasts to celebrate the past and future legacies of its members, while competing for wins and championships at NASCAR’s elite level.
Based in Statesville, N.C., LEGACY M.C. operates alongside GMS Racing (GMS), which currently fields three full-time entries in the NASCAR Truck Series. Since the formation of GMS in 2012, Gallagher and Mike Beam, team president, have shared incredible success. GMS Racing captured the 2015 ARCA Racing Series championship, the 2016 and 2020 NASCAR Truck Series championships and the 2019 and 2020 ARCA East championships, accumulating over 65 wins across six national racing circuits.
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