Nemechek's Indianapolis Strength Signals Progress for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB

While there have been some bright spots for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB this season, the two-car operation has struggled to find the raw pace of their Toyota Racing Development counterparts, collecting just four top-10 finishes to this point in the season.

Making the off-season change in manufacturer from Chevrolet to Toyota, the team co-owned by Maury Gallagher and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson has quite frankly, been in a rut. But are there signs that things may be turning around for the team?

Last weekend at Pocono Raceway, Erik Jones brought home a solid 14^th-place finish for the No. 43 Toyota Camry XSE team. His average running position of 11.73 was a season-high for the Byron, Michigan native, and the first race all season where he averaged a running position inside the top-15.

Jump forward one week to the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis and LEGACY MOTOR CLUB has brought speed to the racetrack once again, this time with John Hunter Nemechek and the No. 42 Toyota Camry XSE.

That showcase of speed was loud, too, and it started on Saturday when Nemechek launched the Pye-Barker Toyota Camry into the final round of qualifying, earning the organization’s second top-10 start of the year – and the first since Phoenix in March.

Strategy was a major factor in how Sunday’s event played out, and Ben Beshore pulled the proper strings to have the second-year NASCAR Cup Series driver in third place at the start of the second stage, but Nemechek took the ball and ran with it.

On the first lap of the race’s second stage, Nemechek darted inside of polesitter Tyler Reddick in the short chute between turns one and two, putting his LEGACY MOTOR CLUB machine in clean air, ahead of several heavy hitters.

“Our Bye-Parker Toyota Camry XSE was really fast today,” Nemechek said. “We led laps. Not leading laps just in a speedway race, actually leading laps there. Proud of all the guys. Proud of the effort. Pye Barker Fire & Safety Colors looked good today. Thank you to everyone. Toyota, TRD.”

Nemechek paced the field for a total of 16 laps, marking the first time he’s led multiple laps in a NASCAR Cup Series event on a non-superspeedway. His earlier strategy call required the 27-year-old to make a pit stop halfway through the second stage, ending his tenure in the lead.

Keeping his position in and around the top-five, Nemechek was one of the final drivers to make their last scheduled trip to the pits, stopping under green at Lap 120, which relegated him deep into the mid-20s for the final laps of the race, which were filled with cautions.

The final 40 laps of Sunday’s Brickyard 400 featured several caution flags, and a slowed pace, as drivers at the front of the pack were desperate to save as much fuel as possible to make it to the checkered flag without having to stop again. With track position at a premium, Nemechek was unable to advance forward.

In the first of two NASCAR Overtime restarts, being in a proverbial hornet’s nest is what ultimately bit Nemechek, as his No. 42 Toyota Camry XSE was clipped in the left rear by Daniel Hemric, sending him hard into the inside wall, and back up the racetrack into traffic, where he collected several others.

“I changed lanes there after the start-finish line, went to the bottom. I had a pretty good run,” Nemechek said about the wreck. “Everyone started checking up going into [turn] one. I checked up and I think I got hooked in the left rear there. Not really sure, moved down and I think Daniel [Hemric] got me. It stinks.”

…and just like that, in the blink of an eye, what was poised to be a fantastic afternoon for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB resulted in a severely damaged Toyota Camry and a poor finish for driver John Hunter Nemechek.

Despite the major disappointment of having a fantastic day turn sour, especially at a racetrack like the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Mooresville, North Carolina native was able to stay optimistic about what is to come for the organization on the other side of the two-week break.

“Really excited for a couple of weeks off after the last few weeks, but, proud I’ve been able to show speed three of the last five weeks,” said Nemechek. “Looking forward to getting back after the break and seeing what we can do.”

Plus, even though Jimmie Johnson, co-owner and part-time driver for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, was caught up in another accident, as well, the 83-time NASCAR Cup Series time winner believes things are moving in the right direction for the team.

“I think our group is starting to understand what we need for the cars,” Johnson said after emerging from the care center. “It was a great day for us in general. [John Hunter Nemechek] has been in the top five all day, so hopefully we can have a good finish.”

While a good finish just wasn’t in the cards for this particular Sunday afternoon, it seems clear that LEGACY MOTOR CLUB is starting to surge closer and closer to becoming consistent contenders for top-10s, top-fives, and maybe an odd victory in the near future.

Photo Credit: Tyson Gifford, TobyChrisite.com