LEGACY MOTOR CLUB:
NASHVILLE SUPERSPEEDWAY PRE-RACE ADVANCE
EVENT: Cracker Barrel 400
DATE: May 31, 2026
Race: NASCAR Cup Series 14 of 36
TRACK: Nashville Superspeedway | 1.33-Mile, Concrete Oval
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
NO. 42 PYE-BARKER FIRE & SAFETY TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
JHN AT NASHVILLE: John Hunter Nemechek has two NASCAR Cup Series starts at Nashville in 2024 and 2025 with a best finish of 27th in June 2025. In the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, Nemechek has two starts, where he finished sixth in June 2023, and earned a race win in June 2024. In the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, he earned top-10 finishes in both of his starts.
WINNER AT NASHVILLE: In June 2024, Nemechek took home the checkered flag in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race after starting 15th. He led 76 out of 188 laps and won with a .366 second margin of victory over Chandler Smith. Nemechek ran 11 races in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series in 2024, and Nashville marked his second win that season.
PYE-BARKER TURNS 80: This weekend at Nashville Superspeedway, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB and Pye-Barker Fire & Safety will celebrate Pye-Barker’s 80th anniversary, highlighting its growth from a small family-owned business in 1946 to a nationwide leader in fire protection and life safety services. The partnership will feature a special pain scheme on the No. 42 Toyota Camry XSE driven by John Hunter Nemechek and recognize the company’s long-standing history, its dedicated workforce, and its continued commitment to innovation and customer service.
T-MACK AT NASHVILLE: Sunday’s race will be crew chief Travis Mack’s fifth NASCAR Cup Series race at Nashville. His first outing came in June 2021 with Daniel Suárez. The duo competed in three races together through the end of 2023 and earned a highest finish of seventh in June 2021. In 2024, Mack returned with A.J. Allmendinger. In June 2025, Mack called his first race at Nashville with Nemechek.
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK QUOTE:
“Nashville has been a good track to me in the other series, so I’m excited to get going this weekend. This track is super unique, so it’s important for us to adapt and execute the way we need to. This weekend is special with our partnership with Pye-Barker Fire & Safety, and what better way to celebrate their 80th anniversary than with a trip to victory lane.”
TRAVIS MACK QUOTE:
“We learned a lot at Dover that I feel like we can apply to Nashville. Even though we didn’t get to finish it out, we brought strong cars to Dover. We showed a lot of speed at Nashville last year, and John Hunter seems to finish well there. If we can build off our speed at Dover and Nashville last year, we should be in a good spot for Sunday.”
ERIK JONES
NO. 43 DOLLAR TREE TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
JONES NASHVILLE STATS: Sunday’s Cracker Barrel 400 will mark Jones’ sixth NASCAR Cup Series start at Nashville where he only owns one finish outside the top-20. After starting ninth in his first race at the 1.333-mile oval in June 2021, he earned a 19th-place finish. He followed that up in June 2022 with an 11th-place finish after starting 23rd. His best finish came in his third start there in June 2023 where he once again started 23rd but found himself in eighth by the checkered flag.
BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION: Erik Jones will celebrate his 30th birthday on Saturday, May 30 prior to Sunday’s Cracker Barrel 400. Born on May 30, 1996 in Byron, Michigan, Jones has spent the past 28 years chasing and now living his dream of being a NASCAR Cup Series driver. His hope is to bring home Sunday’s trophy as his birthday present.
OSCAR JAMESON JONES: Jones’ loyal companion and best friend, Oscar Jones, also celebrates his ninth birthday this week on Monday, June 1. The Michigan-native first brought this social media famous German Shepherd home in July 2017. Often seen on Jones’ social or his own Instagram, Oscar has become a key mascot in the Erik Jones brand. Follow along for Oscar’s adventures on his official Instagram @OscarJamesonJones.
LAST YEAR AT NASHVILLE: In last year’s Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville, Jones started 14th for the 300-lap event. He ran well inside the top-15 for a majority of the race and brough home an impressive seventh-place result. It was his second top-10 result of the 2025 season.
ALEXANDER AT NASHVILLE: Sunday’s Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville will mark Justin Alexander’s fourth NASCAR Cup Series race on top of the box at the 1.33-mile oval. He earned a best finish of 12th in June 2021 with Austin Dillon.
THE OSCAR PLUSH: The Oscar Jones collectible plush is back in stock! Modeled after his eight-year-old German Shepherd, the Oscar plush started to be sold at Indianapolis last year and has been in such high demand that they sold out online. A portion of the sale of the plush will go back to the Erik Jones Foundation to support the funding of grants for its animal welfare pillar of giving. Since its launch in 2021, the Erik Jones Foundation has gifted more than $40,000 in grants to organizations promoting animal welfare and supporting the training of working animals. Fans can purchase their own Oscar plush at ErikJonesRacing.com or at the Toyota Merchandise Hauler.
ERIK JONES QUOTE
“Nashville has historically been a pretty good track for us in the past, especially in the NextGen car. It’ll be a bit different with the package we’re bringing – the lower downforce and the higher horsepower, so we’ll see how that all reacts. I think in general we’ve done a solid job of taking a good guess and getting close on balance even with the new rules package. Looking forward to getting there. Hopefully the track is super wide so we can move around and do different stuff. I really enjoy going to Nashville for this race.”
JUSTIN ALEXANDER QUOTE
“Nashville is an interesting track because it’s concrete but it’s also somewhat of a cross between a short-track and an intermediate. The track is different and sort of unique from that standpoint as it’s not really like any other track with the surface and the size. It’s smaller than your mile-and-a-half track, and it’s definitely a unique animal to tackle on the schedule. You’ll see some guys experiment with lines at Nashville as the rubber can build up on the seams – your typical concrete-track issue. The key is finding your speed.”
CLUB MINUTES:
JJ AT NASHVILLE: While NASCAR added Nashville Superspeedway to the Cup Series schedule after LEGACY MOTOR CLUB owner Johnson retired from full-time racing, he does have one lone start there in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series from April 2001 prior to the repave and improvements. He started 31st for the race and finished 28th after an accident ended his day on lap 203 of 225.
BAYNE AT NASHVILLE: LEGACY MOTOR CLUB ambassador Trevor Bayne has made six total NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series starts at Nashville Superspeedway. Although bad luck found him in two of his starts where his day ended early because of wrecks, he didn’t finish worse than 12th in his other four starts. His best finish of second came in his most recent start in June 2022 when he ran a part-time schedule with Joe Gibbs Racing. He started third for the 188-lap race and scored a runner-up result.
RACING IN MUSIC CITY: Despite its recent addition to the NASCAR Cup Series schedule circuit, Nashville Superspeedway has held events for the top-three series in the past. Nashville held its first NASCAR Cup Series race in June 2021, but prior to that it has held NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and Craftsman Truck Series races there from 2001 to 2011. After a 10-year hiatus all three series returned to the track in a triple-header weekend. The track’s surface has aged over that time to create intense racing for all three series in the extreme heat of the summer.
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. The winner will be announced Tuesday, June 2.
SOCIAL SPOTLIGHT:
CLUB APPEARANCES:
John Hunter Nemechek will be trackside merchandise trailer in the fan zone for an autograph session on Saturday, May 30 at 11:30 a.m. local time, followed by an appearance at the Sports Illustrated Resorts tent at 2 p.m. local time. On Sunday, May 24, he will visit the Toyota Racing Experience in the fan zone for a Q&A session at 2 p.m. local time.
On Saturday, May 30, Erik Jones will visit the Sports Illustrated Resorts tent in the fan zone at 1:30 p.m. local time for an autograph session. Then he’ll come back out on Sunday, May 31 for an autograph session at the Dollar Tree display in the fan zone.
TUNE IN:
Fans can tune in to watch the Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway on Sunday, May 31 at 7 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.
