Legacy Motor Club: Richmond Raceway Race Preview – Speedway Digest

CLUB MINUTES:

JJ WINS AT RICHMOND: LEGACY MOTOR CLUB co-owner and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson has 37 Cup Series starts under his belt at Richmond Raceway. In these starts, he has secured three victories, seven top-fives, and 16 top-10s as well at leading 461 laps. His first win came in May 2007 when Johnson started fourth and won with a .732 margin of victory over Kyle Busch. He followed that up a couple months later in September 2007 when he started on the pole and led 104 laps to his second win where he beat Tony Stewart by 3.007 seconds. His final win at Richmond came in September 2008 when Johnson started third, led 32 laps, and bested Stewart once again by .365 of a second. Johnson has an additional five starts at Richmond in the NASCAR Xfinity Series where he earned a best finish of 12th in May 2000 and May 2001.

KENSETH RICHMOND SUCCESS: LEGACY MC competition advisor Matt Kenseth is also a winner at Richmond Raceway in the NASCAR Cup Series. He has a total of 38 starts in the series at Richmond which resulted in two wins, six top-fives, and 16 top-10s. Kenseth led a total of 1,013 laps throughout his career. His first win came in September 2002 when he started 25th, led 134 laps, and bested Ryan Newman by 6.184 seconds. His next victory came in September 2015 when he started second, led 352 laps, and bested Kyle Busch by .951 of a second. Kenseth has an additional 21 starts at Richmond in the NASCAR Xfinity Series where he collected 12 top-fives and 16 top-10s. He earned a best finish of second three times – May 2000, September 2001, and May 2007.

THE KING OF RICHMOND: Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion and LEGACY MC ambassador Richard Petty owns 63 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Richmond Raceway in his career. The King earned a total of 13 wins, 34 top-fives, and 41 top-10s in his career at the short track. His first victory at Richmond came in April 1961 where he started on the pole and led 182 of 200 laps. His final win at the .75-mile track came in February 1975 where he once again started on the pole and led 444 of 500 laps to find victory lane.

TOYOTA DOMINATES AT RICHMOND: Toyota has a winning history at the short track of Richmond Raceway. Since 2015, Toyota has won 10 of the 19 NASCAR Cup Series races at Richmond. In total, Toyota has won 17 Cup Series races at the .75-mile oval.

DOLLAR TREE VENDOR SPOTLIGHT: Dollar Tree will serve as the primary partner on the No. 43 Toyota Camry XSE, driven by Erik Jones, at Richmond. The Dollar Tree scheme will hit the track alongside support from vendor partner Dove Men’s Care, showcasing a strong collaboration for the race weekend across LEGACY MC’s social platforms.

PYE-BARKER SIGNS EXTENSION: LEGACY MOTOR CLUB sponsor Pye-Barker Fire & Safety announced today that it would extend its partnership with the CLUB for the 2026 season. Pye-Barker is the nation’s largest full-service and fully integrated fire protection, life safety, and security services provider. The renewed agreement will expand the company’s involvement in hospitality, employee engagement programs, and community outreach as well as allow Pye-Barker to serve as the primary sponsor on the No. 42 Toyota Camry XSE for 14 races in 2026.

NEVER SETTLE: Join ESPN’s Marty Smith and LEGACY MOTOR CLUB’s co-owner Jimmie Johnson for their weekly podcast, “Never Settle”. The podcast airs live on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Ch. 90 at 2 p.m. ET every Wednesday and can be downloaded wherever fans source their podcasts. This week’s guest is Andrea Brimmer, the Chief Marketing and Public Relations Officer of Ally Financial.
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
NO. 42 PYE-BARKER FIRE & SAFETY TOYOTA CAMRY XSE

JHN AT RICHMOND: John Hunter Nemechek has three starts at Richmond Raceway in the NASCAR Cup Series, with his highest finish being 25th in March 2024. In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, he has made six starts at the track, earning three top-three finishes and a best finish of second earned in his last two races at the rack in April 2022 and April 2023. Nemechek also has two starts at Richmond in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series where he won in April 2021 and finished second in August 2022. He has led a total of 115 of the 500 total laps he’s run at Richmond in the series.

WINNER AT RICHMOND: Nemechek knows how to find victory lane at the short track of Richmond. In the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, he never finished worse than second at the .75-mile oval. In his first start at the track in April 2021, Nemechek started 18th after the lineup was set per the NASCAR rulebook. Nemechek first took the lead from Kyle Busch on Lap 100 and did so an additional two times to lead a total of 114 of 250 laps in the race. He passed Chandler Smith for the lead one final time on Lap 234 to capture the checkered flag by .307 of a second ahead of his team owner Kyle Busch.

T-MACK RICHMOND STATS: Saturday’s race under the lights will be crew chief Travis Mack’s 11th NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond. His first outing came in September 2017 with Dale Earnhardt Jr. who finished 13th, Mack’s best finish at the track. He returned the following year in April 2018 with Kasey Kahne. After a short gap, Mack was back at Richmond in April 2021 with Daniel Suárez, where the duo competed for six total races between 2021 and 2023, with their highest finish being 16th, earned twice in April 2021 and April 2022. In the NASCAR Xfinity series, Mack has five starts at Richmond with Michael Annett, where they duo never finished worse than 14th and earned a best finish of seventh in the September 2020 doubleheader.

JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK QUOTE:
“I look forward to going to Richmond. I feel like we’ve made gains in our short track program based off Iowa and the results and speed we had there. I’ve had a lot of success at Richmond in the Truck Series and Xfinity Series. I should’ve won multiple races in the Xfinity Series there, but it has always been a good racetrack for me. I’m looking forward to this weekend.”

TRAVIS MACK QUOTE:
“We’ve put a lot of effort into improving our short track program, and each race has taught us something new. The team has been making solid progress, and I’m feeling really good about where we’re heading. I’m looking forward to keeping that momentum going and seeing what we can do this weekend at Richmond.”

LMC PR