Under a week to go in the countdown to Daytona. A few more days until the Super Bowl and then NASCAR can take center stage again. After putting together a disappointing campaign in 2024, John Hunter Nemechek will look to live up to the potential shown in the lower series. While Legacy Motor Club needs to improve as well, Nemechek had his hand in making 2024 a rough season. With 6 Days to Daytona, it is time to preview the 2025 season for the Legacy Motor Club #42 team.
The #42 Team
Driver: John Hunter Nemechek
Crew Chief: Travis Mack
Sponsors: Dollar Tree/Family Dollar, Mobil 1, DriveValue.com, Pye-Barker Fire & Safety
2024 Statistics: 4 Top-10s, 36 Laps Led, 25.4 Average Finish
2025 Season Preview
Incident King
Despite only racking up 6 DNFs last season, John Hunter Nemechek usually found himself either causing or in the middle of numerous incidents. Whether it was aggressive driving or simply mistakes, Nemechek rarely finished a race without damage to his 42. Already this year, The Clash has demonstrated this trend might continue into 2025. Hopefully, Nemechek’s run-ins at Bowman Gray were due to the “madhouse” nature of the track. If Nemechek cannot avoid accidents in 2025, it could be another long season for the 42 team.
Bounce Back Season
After thoroughly dominating the two lower series in his career reset, John Hunter Nemechek re-entered the Cup Series with reasonable expectations. Yes, there were concerns about Legacy Motor Club and how the 42 team performed in 2023. But, Nemechek looked to be the cure to the issue. Instead, 2024 turned into another nightmare season as Nemechek finished last in points. For 2025, theoretically there is only one direction to go for Nemechek. The talent is there, but harnessing it for Cup might be the question.
Worth the Career Restart?
John Hunter Nemechek’s rookie Cup season dates back to 2020 with Front Row Motorsports. After a respectable season, Nemechek decided to leave FRM to forgo a new path with Toyota Racing Development. Returning to Cup last year with Legacy Motor Club, the big quandary is whether Nemechek made the right choice. On a personal level, Nemechek improved his stock to being a sought after prospect. However, driving for LMC seems to be a stepdown from where Front Row currently sits. Obviously, things could have been different if Nemechek stayed. Still, the question will linger as long as Nemechek and Legacy Motor Club lag behind Front Row Motorsports.
Daytona 500 Outlook
In limited Cup action at Daytona International Speedway, John Hunter Nemechek has found quiet success. Between his 4 starts, Nemechek has finished no worse than 15th and averages a 11.0 finish. He picked up his first Top-10 at the track in last year’s Daytona 500. Daytona has become Nemechek’s best track in his young Cup career. Throw-in some solid runs from his Xfinity Series days as well to boost his confidence as well. Based on his history, you can expect Nemechek to get off to a good start to 2025. Maybe not a winner, but a solid Top-15 finish seems to be in the cards for Nemechek in the Great American Race.
Days to Daytona Countdown
40 Days: Team Penske #22; 39 Days: Team Penske #12; 38 Days: Hendrick #24;
37 Days: 23XI Racing #45; 36 Days: Joe Gibbs Racing #20;
35 Days: Hendrick Motorsports #5; 34 Days: Hendrick Motorsports #9;
33 Days: Joe Gibbs Racing #11, 32 Days: Henrick Motorsports #48;
31 Days: Joe Gibbs Racing #19; 30 Days: Team Penske #2;
29 Days: Trackhouse Racing #99; 28 Days: RFK Racing #6;
27 Days: Trackhouse Racing #88; 26 Days: Joe Gibbs Racing #54;
25 Days: Wood Brothers Racing #21; 24 Days: RFK Racing #17;
23 Days: 23XI Racing #23; 22 Days: Trackhouse Racing #1;
21 Days: Richard Childress Racing #8; 20 Days: Spire Motorsports #77;
19 Days: Front Row Motorsports #38; 18 Days: Front Row Motorsports #34
17 Days: Front Row Motorsports #4; 16 Days: Hyak Motorsports #47;
15 Days: Haas Factory Team #35; 14 Days: 23XI Racing #35; 13 Days: Kaulig Racing #16
12 Days: Legacy Motor Club #43; 11 Days: Kaulig Racing #10;
10 Days: Spire Motorsports #71; 9 Days: Spire Motorsports #7;
8 Days: Richard Childress Racing #3; 7 Days: Rick Ware Racing #51
