Legacy Motor Club finally flashed signs of life at the sharp end of the field. While neither of its drivers cracked the top-16 in points, both Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek turned heads in the playoff opener at Darlington.
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Jones brought the No. 43 home in third, while Nemechek clawed his way to fourth after an impressive charge through the pack. Nemechek in particular had a banner night, leading 15 laps to push his season total to 25.
What stood out most was how he carved his way forward after starting 30th. By the close of Stage 1, he had climbed to ninth. Stage 2 ended with him in eighth, and by the final stretch, he had muscled past four more cars to bag his second top-five finish of the season.
After the race, Nemechek admitted he wanted a few more laps, convinced the long-run speed had them in striking distance before a late caution cut the rally short. Still, he praised his team’s effort, saying, “Just not a lot of short-run speed, but we made the most of it.
“Proud of the effort from everyone at Legacy Motor Club. We continue to get better. It is pretty cool to have #42 and #43 (Erik Jones) to finish in third and fourth at the Southern 500. I know I’m proud of the drive for myself. I’m proud of the effort.”
The No. 42 Toyota driver credited crew chief Travis Mack and the LMC group for finding speed in their cars and noted the result marked his career-best in the Cup Series.
“It feels good to come home fourth. I think that is my career-best finish in the Cup Series. Hats off to Pye Barker, everyone that has supported me through my career,” Nemechek added, also thanking team owner Jimmie Johnson and Toyota for betting on him after his reset in Trucks and Xfinity in 2022 and 2023, respectively.
It was a far cry from last year’s struggles, when LMC wrestled with the manufacturer switch, and Nemechek wound up 34th in the points standings, while Jones finished 28th.
With both cars finishing in the top five at Darlington, the performance offered the team a ray of hope that better days may finally be around the corner.
