LEGACY MOTOR CLUB:
MARTINSVILLE PRE-RACE ADVANCE
EVENT: Cook Out 400
DATE: March 29, 2026
RACE: NASCAR Cup Series 7 of 36
TRACK: Martinsville (Va.) Speedway | .526-Mile Oval
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
NO. 42 DOLLAR TREE TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
JHN AT MARTINSVILLE: John Hunter Nemechek has six prior NASCAR Cup Series starts at Martinsville Speedway. He earned a best finish of 21st in last October’s Xfinity 500. In the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, Nemechek has two starts, including a race win in April 2023. In the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, he has 14 starts where he earned one pole award in October 2021 and earned five top-five finishes, including a race win in March 2018.
WINNER AT MARTINSVILLE: Nemechek has two race wins at Martinsville in his career, one in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and one in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. His O’Reilly Auto Parts Series win came in April 2023, where he started from second and led 198 of 250 laps to best Sammy Smith under caution. His Truck Series victory came in March 2018, where he started from eighth and won with a .106 second margin of victory over Kyle Benjamin.
T-MACK AT MARTINSVILLE: Sunday’s race will be crew chief Travis Mack’s 11th NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville. His first outing came in March 2018 with Kasey Kahne. Mack returned to Martinsville with Daniel Suárez in the 2021 season, and the duo competed in six races together through the end of 2023, earning a Mack’s highest finish of 12th in October 2022. In 2024, Mack returned with Josh Williams for the spring race, and in 2025, Mack began competing with Nemechek. In the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, Mack has one start with Michael Annett, where the pair started 11th and finished eighth in October 2020.
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK QUOTE:
“Martinsville has been the toughest racetrack for me in the Cup Series. I feel like we finally hit on something towards the end of the race last fall, we found the balance that I felt like I needed and could get accustomed to. After Phoenix with this package, we made some really good headway, and we also learned a lot about our short track package in the offseason. We found some grip and things of that sort, and hopefully that carries into Martinsville.”
TRAVIS MACK QUOTE:
“We were pretty happy with our second race at Martinsville last year. We got behind at the beginning because of where we qualified, but the car was pretty good. We learned a lot from the North Wilkesboro test and Bowman Gray, and we’ll apply that in Martinsville and have a better weekend.”
ERIK JONES
NO. 43 DOLLAR TREE TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
JONES MARTINSVILLE STATS: Sunday’s Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway will mark Erik Jones’ 19th NASCAR Cup Series start on the track nicknamed the “Paperclip.” He earned a best finish of eighth at Martinsville in October 2021 after starting 28th. While Jones never made a NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series start at Martinsville, he does have five starts in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series where he earned two top-fives and four top-10s. He earned his best finish of third in the March 2015 race.
ALEXANDER AT MARTINSVILLE: The Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway will be Justin Alexander’s 16th NASCAR Cup Series race on top of the box at the .526-mile oval. In his career, he’s earned one top-five and three top-10s on top of 16 laps led by his two previous drivers Paul Menard and Austin Dillon. Alexander’s best finish of third came in April 2022 with Austin Dillon after the duo started 23rd.
TOP-10 AT DARLINGTON: Last Sunday at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, Jones showcased speed and perseverance to take home his second top-10 finish of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season. He posted the fastest lap time in the series’ Saturday afternoon practice session, but qualified 24th after a brush with the wall on his qualifying lap. Jones moved forward early in the race. He found himself in the top-10 for the first time in Stage 2 before contact from behind sent him for a spin in Turns 3 and 4. Jones and his No. 43 team didn’t give up though. They put on a fresh set of tires and dug their way back to 10th by the checkered flag. This was his second straight top-10 at Darlington after a third-place finish in last September’s Southern 500.
ERIK JONES QUOTE
“I’m looking forward to Martinsville. It’s been a place that I feel like the No. 43 Dollar Tree Toyota team has steadily run better at in the NextGen car and one that I’ve particularly felt better running at in this new car versus the old one. It should be fun to get there with a little bit more power and softer tires. I think it’ll be a good combination for some fall off and more passing opportunities than what we’ve had in the past few years. In general, I think we’ve been a top-15 car at Martinsville consistently, and even sometimes a top-10 car. Hope we have similar speed this time around and can make the most of the extra horsepower and manage our tires better than everyone else to have a solid day.”
JUSTIN ALEXANDER QUOTE:
“We’ve made some good progress on LEGACY MOTOR CLUB’s short track package going back to the end of last year, and that’s something we’re continuing to build on in 2026. Martinsville is a place that really rewards execution, so it’s a good opportunity for us to see where we stack up. The focus is to just bring a solid baseline, stay disciplined all day, and keep track position. If we can do that and keep improving as the race goes on, we should be in a good spot.”
CLUB MINUTES:
JJ THE CLOCK WHISPERER: LEGACY MOTOR CLUB owner and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson knows how to win at Martinsville Speedway. In 38 starts, he collected a total of nine wins, 19 top-fives, and 25 top-10s in addition to his 2,932 laps led. He had an average finish of 9.9 at Martinsville. His wins are the most of any track he raced on during his fulltime career on the Cup Series circuit. Johnson scored his first win in October 2004 after starting 18th. He led 67 laps en route to a 1.225 second margin of victory over Jamie McMurray. Between April 2006 and October 2009, Johnson won five of the eight races run there and never finished outside the top-five. His final win at Martinsville came in October 2016 after Johnson started third. He led 92 laps to beat runner-up Brad Keselowski by 1.291 seconds.
KENSETH AT MARTINSVILLE: LEGACY MOTOR CLUB competition advisor and 2003 NASCAR Cup Series Champion Matt Kenseth owns a total of 39 Cup Series starts at Martinsville Speedway. During his career, he collected six top-fives, 15 top-10s and 641 laps led at the .524-mile oval. He earned a best finish of second twice in his career – April 2002 and October 2013.
THE KING OF MARTINSVILLE: LEGACY MOTOR CLUB ambassador and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion Richard Petty has a total of 67 career starts at Martinsville Speedway. He’s earned 15 victories, 30 top-fives, and 37 top-10s as well as led 2,823 laps. He earned his first win in April 1960 after starting fourth. The King’s final win at Martinsville came in April 1975 when he started sixth and bested Darrell Waltrip by six seconds after leading 240 of 500 laps.
DOLLAR TREE AT MARTINSVILLE: This weekend at Martinsville, Dollar Tree will be the primary sponsor on both LEGACY MOTOR CLUB entries for the Cook Out 400. The No. 43 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE will showcase the iconic green paint scheme, while the No. 42 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE will sport an inverse white scheme.
CLUB APPEARANCES:
John Hunter Nemechek will sign autographs for fans at the trackside merchandise trailer on Saturday, March 28 at 10:30 a.m. local time.
TUNE IN:
Fans can tune in to watch the Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday, March 29 at 3:30 p.m. EDT on FS1, MAX, MRN, 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.
