TOYOTA RACING – John Hunter Nemechek
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 11, 2026) – LEGACY MOTOR CLUB driver John Hunter Nemechek was made available to the media on Wednesday prior to the Daytona 500.
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK, No. 42 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB
What are your feelings about racing in Daytona and has it changed over the years?
“I don’t think racing at Daytona has really changed for me over the years. It’s always exciting to come down here to kick off our year. Biggest race of the year, for sure, in my opinion, and probably one of the hardest races to win, in my opinion, as well. I’m super excited to get this year kicked off. I felt like we ended on a strong note, towards the end of the year, with having some really solid runs, and finding speed in our Toyota Camrys, and really looking forward to getting 2026 kicked off. I’ve had this one circled on the calendar for a little bit of getting back to the racetrack, getting the year kicked off, and trying to continue that momentum from last year, but also be better than we were last year. I feel like we’ve made some major gains, major strides over the last 16 months at LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, and feel like that’s going to continue on, hopefully, with this team, and really just building this team from the ground up, and getting ourselves to where we can contend for race wins and championships.”
Where do you like to be at the end of the race?
“I mean, you want to be leading. That’s definitely the best place to be, but at the same time, in the front couple rows, to have a shot to win it. I think that that’s the best opportunity to win, unless they all wreck, and you walk into it, but definitely in the first couple of rows.
How much confidence does that give you coming back to Daytona?
“It definitely gives me a lot of confidence. I feel like we’ve had some really strong runs at superspeedways. I feel like we’ve shown that we have really good Toyota Camrys when we come to superspeedways, as well, within the LEGACY MOTOR CLUB stable. So, I’m excited to kind of get this year kicked off here, and hopefully we can have another solid run and try and go win this race. We’ve improved my finish every year from the time that I started running this race until last year, finishing fifth. So, a lot of confidence. We’ve led quite a few laps on superspeedways as well, especially in the fall races here. So, I’m excited to see what we can do as a team, as an organization, and having a third car with Jimmie Johnson in it, definitely isn’t going hurt us as a team as well, coming down here for Speedweeks.”
Do you feel like the chase format benefits you as a driver and a team?
“I think consistency is going to be key for us this year. It’s something that we focused on the last couple years, but also trying to get more speed in our race cars and trying to bring better equipment to the racetrack and give us shots to go win races and be up front and be competitive every single week. I think consistency with being quick every week and being able to contend for wins, top-fives, top-threes, top 10s, everything else under the sun. t’s definitely going be super important. I think stage points are going be important, as well. So, I hope that it rewards us from the format changing, but who knows? We’ll see. I feel like we have been consistent in most of our runs. We’ve had some really good runs, and then eh runs over the last year, but we’ve definitely grown as a team, as an organization, and hope to continue that through this year.”
So, if you wind up in a situation where it’s you, or Erik (Jones), or both of you, and Jimmie’s behind you, toward the front at the end, how confident are you in your owner being content with being a wingman for you or Erik, and not trying to go around you guys to take the win for himself.
“I think the team owner hat comes off at the end of a race. Everyone wants to win, right? But I definitely feel like if it’s a move where neither one of us are going win, he won’t make it, and probably the same thing if we’re in his shoes, right? But as a race car driver, when you put the helmet on, sometimes you change, and the team owner hat goes out the window, and you go, and you race to try and win. But I do think that, overall, us as a team at LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, we can all work together and be the best that we can be.”
How much confidence does I give you in the direction of the team?
“Yeah, I’m really excited. I think that this year is definitely going be a really solid year for us. I feel like the momentum that we’ve been able to create towards the end of last year, the runs that we’ve been able to have over the last year, definitely some more changes within the organization over the off season. And all for the better in my opinion. I think that there’s a lot of things shaping up to be a successful year for us. I think when we had successful runs last year, they may not have shown in the point standings or things of that sort, on paper, but I’m really looking forward to trying to have that show up on paper this year, as Jimmie (Johnson) would say, compared to just having good results here and there. It’s going be about consistency for us this year, and showing up every week to maximize our runs and have really good Toyota Camrys, and be the best that we can be as race car drivers, and be the best team that we can be at LEGACY MOTOR CLUB each and every week.”
What’s this race mean to you specifically and how big would it be if you could be in a position to win the race?
“I mean, it would be huge to win this race and get your first Cup win here. I think it would be absolutely amazing.I’m excited for it. I really, really am excited for it. I have good feelings about coming down here more relaxed than I feel like I have been in years past. So, hopefully, that’s a really good thing for us this year.”
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. for nearly 70 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our nearly 1,500 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs nearly 48,000 people in the U.S. who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of more than 35 million cars and trucks at our 11 manufacturing plants. In 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina began to assemble automotive batteries for electrified vehicles.
For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.
