DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 13, 2025) – On Thursday evening, the NASCAR Cup Series participated in the Duels at Daytona to set the starting grid for the 67th running of the DAYTONA 500. The LEGACY MOTOR CLUB entries of Erik Jones, John Hunter Nemechek, and Jimmie Johnson lined up together in the second Duel race of the night. In a race known for high stakes, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB led laps and had a strong showing. Most importantly, the CLUB finished the race unscathed and proud of the performance.
Below is a look at how the LEGACY MC entries fared during the Duel qualifying race:
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK NO. 42 DOLLAR TREE TOYOTA CAMRY XSE DUEL RECAP:
During the second Duel at Daytona qualifying race that sets the lineup for Sunday’s DAYTONA 500, the No. 42 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE driven by John Hunter Nemechek started deep in the field in the 19th position. The 22-car field took a conservative approach on the 60-lap race, with the field logging laps. Nemechek was content feeling out his Toyota Camry XSE early on but that would eventually change as he picked his way forward. Just shy of the halfway mark of the race, the North Carolina native cracked the top 10. On Lap 44, the field ducked down pit road for green-flag pit stops. While Nemechek was exiting pit road, he was over the 55-mph speed limit, resulting in a pass-through penalty. As the No. 42 team served the penalty, a yellow flag slowed the field. The No. 42 Dollar Tree team took the opportunity to come back down pit road to bolt on four Goodyear tires and make an air-pressure adjustment to help with the tight on exit. With seven laps to go, Nemechek lined up 16th for the restart and once again made his way towards the front of the field. Spotter Hayden Reeves helped Nemechek avoid a big crash on the front stretch on the final lap and bring the No. 42 Dollar Tree team home with a clean race car in ninth place.
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK QUOTABLE (ON DUEL RACE):
“Wish we would have finished a little bit better. We have a little bit of work to do. It’s a new group this year, so there are some things I need different, things that they need different. Tonight was a good test. Overall, I guess it’s a solid night. I would have liked to have finished a little bit better, but we have to start somewhere. A great night for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, showing some speed. Looking forward to Sunday.”
ERIK JONES NO. 43 ADVENTHEALTH TOYOTA CAMRY XSE DUEL RECAP:
The No. 43 AdventHealth Toyota Camry XSE started Duel 2 in the 18th position after yesterday’s qualifying efforts. Jones decided early on to race hard and created a third lane on Lap 15. This decision came with great reward as the No. 43 pushed forward to lead the pack. The AdventHealth branded Toyota led 15 laps before the halfway mark. After a pit stop for fuel, the No. 43 battled back up to stay within the top 10. Getting antsy on the last lap, the LEGACY MOTOR CLUB entry pushed hard and made a move to the outside lane to take the lead. The AdventHealth Toyota was battling back and forth with the No. 2 for the first position on the last lap. With a wild finish, a caution flag was thrown before the top 2 made it to the start finish line. The No. 43 was initially deemed the winner of Duel 2, but after a review from NASCAR officials, the caution flag was thrown as the No. 2 was in the lead, resulting in a second-place finish for Jones. He will start fourth in The Great American Race.
ERIK JONES QUOTABLE (ON DUEL RACE):
“The race was good. We kind of went on a different strategy just to get up front and put ourselves in a good spot after the pit stop. After the restart, I was just trying to get to the top, and it finally kind of opened up there on the final lap – I felt like I put myself in a good spot and set myself to try to beat him to the line and did, but unfortunately, the yellow came out before. I haven’t seen it. It is a bummer – you think you win the race, and I’ve never had that happen, so I feel for all of the others in that spot – it’s not fun. Either way, we will go make it up on Sunday.”
JIMMIE JOHNSON NO. 84 CARVANA TOYOTA CAMRY XSE DUEL RECAP:
It didn’t take long for Jimmie Johnson to move to the front in the Duel qualifier event at Daytona. After starting 14th, he soon found teammate Erik Jones and they pushed to the lead. Johnson ran second at the front of the field with Jones through the first half of the event.
On Lap 25 Johnson felt as though the No. 84 Carvana Toyota Camry XSE was running out of fuel and he pitted for a full tank of gas on Lap 26. With 22 laps to go the field passed Johnson by, since he lost momentum and the draft.
Johnson stayed on the track while the rest of the field pitted on Lap 45 – getting his lap back as the race wore down. A late race caution showed Johnson to pit road again with eight to go, for four tires and fuel.
After the pit stop, Crew chief Chad Johnston told Johnson ‘be careful, as this is when things will start to happen,’ and Johnson was ready for action behind the wheel. A last lap melee happened in front of Johnson and he avoided involvement coming to the checkered flag, eventually finishing 19th. Johnson will unofficially start 40th in the 67th running of The Great American Race on Sunday.
JIMMIE JOHNSON QUOTABLE
Can you talk about your feelings in this moment?
“Definitely a good performance for us. Unfortunately, we had some kind of fuel pump issue or a fueling issue and cost us a chance to really race for it, but Erik (Jones) did a phenomenal job. I’m a little bummed for him to not have that AdventHealth Camry in victory lane, but we saw the video and it is clear – the caution came out, he is about six inches behind the 2 (Austin Cindric) car. Roller coaster thinking of it being our first win as an organization and then let down that came behind that. But good things ahead for us.”
What are you looking forward to for Sunday?
“Just running more laps – getting a good feel for the Carvana Camry. A strong performance. We are eager to get off to a quick start and we know for our full-time cars that a good finish in these first four or five weeks really sets you up for a strong season and a nice look at the Playoffs. So of course, we want to win the Daytona 500, but we are also very focused on the long game this year.”
DAYTONA 500 STARTING POSITIONS FOR LEGACY MOTOR CLUB
NO. 42 JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK DOLLAR TREE TOYOTA: 18TH
NO. 43 ERIK JONES ADVENTHEALTH TOYOTA: 4TH
NO. 84 JIMMIE JOHNSON CARVANA TOYOTA: 40TH
UP NEXT: Daytona Speedweek continues on Friday at 5:35 p.m. for a 50-minute practice session for the NASCAR Cup Series. The practice will be broadcast on FOX SPORTS 1, MRN Radio, and SIRIUS XM NASCAR Radio, CH. 90.
ABOUT LEGACY MOTOR CLUB: (LEGACY MC) is a premier auto racing organization co-owned by seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and 2024 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee, Jimmie Johnson. 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.
