From 2012 to 2015, Jimmie Johnson used to rule the Texas Motor Speedway. He was on a streak of four consecutive wins during this period, and all of these wins came during the playoffs. The 2013 win also led to his sixth championship. However, this was back when Johnson used to pilot the No. 48 HMS Chevy, but now that he is a team owner at Legacy Motor Club, victory lane visits are at a premium. The switch to Toyota in particular has resulted in a huge slump for both Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek, but Sunday’s race at Texas was a welcoming change for the entire organization.
Heading into the Texas race, Jones didn’t have a single top 10 finish to his name. Rather, he had suffered a disqualification at Martinsville and was hoping for a good run. Starting 14th, the driver of the No. 43 Toyota earned points in stage 1, overcame a pit road penalty and surged to a top 5 finish, first of 2025. This was also his 300th career Cup start and he sure added good points on the board after enduring struggles and disappointments.
Meanwhile, Nemechek, who was on a streak of five consecutive finishes outside the top 20, bagged an P8 finish in Texas. He started this season with a P5 finish at the Daytona 500, but since then, he’s faded back in the field, leading to mediocre results. Therefore, both the LMC drivers finally turning a corner for good was indeed uplifting for the entire camp. It allows them to build on this run and start racking in points. It’s about time they make progress in the points standings.
John Hunter Nemechek jumped three spots and finds himself in 23rd position. Whereas his teammate, Jones, broke into the top 30 and currently sits in 29th place, with the hopes of adding more results like this and sealing his playoff spot. “It was a sloppy day in a lot of ways. We had two pit road penalties, but just happy to come back from it and get a top five. I would love this to be the start of our summer stretch and just keep it going.”
After Legacy Motor Club shared the good run at Texas on social media, fans couldn’t help but celebrate this small win for their team. Despite the optimism, fans also stated the urgency of churning out more consistent results to stay competitive and in the hunt for playoff spots.
Legacy Motor Club fans finally had something to cheer
“It’s been a long and difficult road,” admitted one fan, reflecting on LMC’s performance. “But I was really impressed with Jones coming up through the field twice to finish 5th.” This sentiment captures the essence of what made Jones’ drive special—not just the result itself, but how it was achieved. After earning his first stage point since March at Martinsville in Stage 1, Jones dropped to 21st by the end of Stage 2 thanks to those pit road miscues. Although the cautions worked out in his favor, he navigated his way to the front of the field on chaotic restarts and bagged an important top 5 finish for his team.
The statistical improvement for Nemechek hasn’t gone unnoticed among the fanbase either. “I was looking at John Hunter’s stats compared to last year and the results are impressive,” another fan pointed out. “Only 12 lead lap finishes last year. In 11 races this year he has 8. 4 top tens last year, and this year 3 already.” These numbers represent meaningful progress for the young driver in his third Cup Series season. Nemechek’s eighth-place finish at Texas helped him jump three spots to 23rd in the regular season standings, now just 33 points below the playoff elimination line.
Perhaps most encouraging for Nemechek supporters has been his newfound consistency. “JHN has cooled himself down a lot, and that’s helped him a lot,” observed one fan. “His biggest issue last season was crashing so often. This season, he has yet to DNF or crash once.” This maturity has translated directly to results, with Nemechek collecting two top-10s at superspeedways early in the season and now adding a strong run at the treacherous Texas track. After the race, Nemechek acknowledged his learning curve: “I’ve got to get better from a driver’s standpoint racing up towards the front, but I haven’t had any chances at that, so progressing and learning.”
Despite the optimism, Legacy fans maintain a realistic perspective. “Still need to progress more,” one fan mentioned. The transition from Chevy to Toyota has certainly taken a toll on the two drivers. In 2023, when Jones was riding a Chevy, he registered 6 top 10 results along with a top 5 finish. Something, he hasn’t been able to deliver driving the Toyota Camry. He is a two-time Southern 500 winner, so LMC and Toyota need to deliver a competitive package to their lead driver, as performance hasn’t been their best suit.
Legacy Motor Club has finally found something to cheer up, but the job is far from done. With two more mile-and-a-half races lined up next, they can build on this result and add more points to their tally.
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