LEGACY MOTOR CLUB Race Preview: DAYTONA 500

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Race Information

– Round: NASCAR Cup Series race No. 1 of 36

– Track Location: Daytona International Speedway – Daytona Beach, Florida

– Race Name: DAYTONA 500

– Broadcast: Duel Races: Thursday, Feb. 16th at 7:00 PM ET live on FS1 (TV) and MRN (Radio)

DAYTONA 500: Sunday, Feb. 19th at 2:30 PM ET live on FOX (TV) and MRN (Radio)

– Team Entrants:

  • No. 42 | Noah Gragson & Luke Lambert – Wendy’s Chevrolet
  • No. 43 | Erik Jones & Dave Elenz – Guns N’ Roses Chevrolet
  • No. 84 | Jimmie Johnson & Todd Gordon – Carvana Chevrolet
 

Noah Gragson, No. 42 Wendy’s Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
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Daytona International Speedway Stats

– NCS Starts: 2, Best start: 37th, Best finish: 5th (Summer, 2022), Top 5s: 1, Top 10s: 1

– NXS Starts: 8, Wins: 1 (Spring, 2020), Best start: 2nd, Top 5s: 2, Top 10s: 3, Laps led: 96

– NCTS Starts: 2, Best start: 5th, Best finish: 23rd (2018), Laps led: 1

– ARCA Starts: 2, Best start: 21st, Best finish: 7th (2018), Top 10s: 1

2022 NCS Season Stats

– Starts: 18, Best start: 7th, Best finish: 5th, Top 5s: 1, Top 10s: 1
 

– About Wendy’s: Wendy’s was founded in 1969 by Dave Thomas in Columbus, Ohio. Dave built his business on the premise, “Quality is our Recipe®,” which remains the guidepost of the Wendy’s system. Wendy’s is best known for its made-to-order square hamburgers, using fresh, never frozen beef*, freshly-prepared salads, and other signature items like chili, baked potatoes and the Frosty® dessert. The Wendy’s Company (Nasdaq: WEN) is committed to doing the right thing and making a positive difference in the lives of others. This is most visible through the Company’s support of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption® and its signature Wendy’s Wonderful Kids® program, which seeks to dramatically increase the number of adoptions of children waiting in North America’s foster care systems. Today, Wendy’s and its franchisees employ hundreds of thousands of people across approximately 7,000 restaurants worldwide with a vision of becoming the world’s most thriving and beloved restaurant brand. For details on franchising, connect with us at www.wendys.com/franchising. Visit www.wendys.com and www.squaredealblog.com for more information and connect with us on Twitter and Instagram using @wendys, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/wendys.

– Season Preview: Noah Gragson will begin his highly-awaited NASCAR Cup Series rookie campaign driving the No. 42 Chevrolet for the newly-rebranded LEGACY MOTOR CLUB. The driver from Las Vegas, Nevada, moves up the ladder from the NASCAR Xfinity Series, where he most recently finished second in the championship points standings. After spending four years driving full-time in the series, he was able to capture 13 wins, over 60 top-fives, and over 90 top-10 finishes.

Coming off of a breakout season in which Gragson contested for the series championship, 2023 marks a new journey for the rookie. Leading the No. 42 team will be Luke Lambert, an established crew chief that guided Noah to eight wins in 2022.

– Dawn of a LEGACY: Gragson will make his second DAYTONA 500 start, and first official start for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB in the No. 42 Wendy’s Chevrolet on Sunday. With the preseason non-championship points paying Clash event in the rear view mirror, the driver’s focus is fully on the regular season. Specifically, getting to a good start in Daytona. Noah looks to embark on his rookie campaign carrying a ton of momentum from last year’s dominant season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and is prepared to make the most of his opportunity.

– NG Appearances: Fans attending the DAYTONA 500 will have a bunch of opportunities to meet Noah Gragson throughout the race weekend:

  • Thursday, Feb. 16th | Hurley Booth: Noah Gragson will head out to the Hurley booth in the Daytona International Speedway Fan Zone to sign autographs from 4:15 PM to 4:45 PM local time.
  • Friday, Feb. 17th | Hurley Booth: Noah will head out to the Hurley booth in the Daytona International Speedway Fan Zone to sign autographs from 2:15 PM to 2:45 PM local time.
  • Friday, Feb. 17th | Infield UNOH Fanzone Stage: LEGACY MOTOR CLUB teammates Noah Gragson and Erik Jones will visit the infield UNOH Fanzone stage to play corn hole with fans from 3:00 PM to 3:15 PM local time.
  • Saturday, Feb. 18th | Hurley Booth: Noah will head out to the Hurley booth in the Daytona International Speedway Fan Zone to sign autographs from 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM local time.
  • Saturday, Feb. 18th | Wendy’s Popup: Noah will trade in his firesuit for an apron as he heads to the Wendy’s popup restaurant in the Daytona International Speedway infield from 1:45 PM to 2:15 PM local time.
  • Sunday, Feb. 19th | Team Chevy Stage: On race day, Noah will host a Q&A session at the Team Chevy stage in the Daytona International Speedway Fan Zone from 10:30 AM to 10:50 AM local time.

– From the Drivers Seat: You head down to Florida to race in your second DAYTONA 500 this weekend, but first with LEGACY MOTOR CLUB. Not only that, but you get to compete against your new team owner, Jimmie Johnson. Have you been able to rely on him for some tips to getting around there at all? Tell us about your thoughts heading into the start of the season.

“I’ve been looking forward to getting down to Daytona for such a long time now, and I’m so glad that we’re finally here. This weekend is going to be special for us; we’re bringing Wendy’s back to the racetrack in a big way on our No. 42 Chevrolet, and to top it all off, Erik and I get to have an extra teammate (and boss, so no pressure) to work with. No doubt, it’s going to be great to have the chance to work with Jimmie and all of the No. 84 team, and we will do everything we can on our part to help him make the race. At these plate tracks, strength comes in numbers, so it is going to be key to work with both of our LEGACY MOTOR CLUB teammates throughout the entire weekend. If we are able to keep our noses clean and find some of that track position towards the end, I feel pretty confident that we can mount a challenge for the win. I’m confident in my team, confident in my ability, and am eager to run in such a prestigious event. I think we have a great opportunity to turn some heads this year, and the amount of preparation that has gone into our team has been very impressive. Looking forward to it for sure!”
 

Erik Jones, No. 43 Guns N’ Roses Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
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Daytona International Speedway Stats

– NCS Starts: 12, Wins: 1 (Summer, 2018) Best start: 8th, Top 5s: 2, Top 10s: 3, Laps led: 61

– NXS Starts: 6, Best start: 3rd, Best finish: 8th (Summer, 2015), Top 10s: 2

– NCTS Starts: 1, Best start: 7th, Best finish: 2nd (2015), Top 5s: 1, Top 10s: 1

2022 NCS Season Stats

– Starts: 36, Wins: 1 (Darlington), Best start: 2nd, Top 5s: 3, Top 10s: 13, Laps led: 147, Points finish: 18th
 

– About Guns N’ Roses: This weekend for the 2023 season opener at Daytona International Speedway, Erik Jones and the No. 43 Chevy team will carry a special paint scheme featuring American icon, hard rock band Guns N’ Roses.

– Season Preview: With six full seasons in the books, Jones returns to the seat of the No. 43 Camaro for the 2023 season and his seventh year competing full time in NASCAR’s highest level of competition. During the 2022 season, Jones returned to victory lane to earn his second Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway and capped the season with three top-five and 13 top-10 finishes. The 2023 season will see Jones and crew chief Dave Elenz continue their partnership with the newly rebranded LEGACY MOTOR CLUB team.

– Jones at Daytona International Speedway: Erik Jones will make 13th Cup Series start at Daytona International Speedway this weekend for the 65th running of the DAYTONA 500. In his previous 12 starts at the historic Superspeedway, Jones has one win, two top-five finishes, three top-10 finishes and 61 laps led. His lone points paying win came on July 7, 2019 where Jones started the race from 29th and battled back from several laps down to beat then teammate Martin Truex Jr. and lead the final lap for his first-career Cup Series win. Jones won again at the track to kick off the 2020 season scoring his first Busch Clash victory. With six starts in the DAYTONA 500, Jones has a best finish of third during the 2019 event where then teammate Denny Hamlin won the race.

In addition to his Cup Series starts, Jones has six starts in the Xfinity Series with a career-best finish of eighth in 2015. In the Truck Series, Jones has one start in 2015 where he finished second.

-EJ Appearances: Fans attending this weekend’s DAYTONA 500 will have several opportunities to meet Erik Jones throughout the weekend.

  • Friday, Feb. 17th | Infield UNOH Fan Zone Stage: LEGACY MOTOR CLUB teammates Noah Gragson and Erik Jones will visit the infield UNOH Fan Zone stage to play corn hole with fans from 3:00 PM to 3:15 PM local time.
  • Sunday, Feb. 19th | U.S. Air Force Display: Before starting the DAYTONA 500 on Sunday, Erik Jones will make an appearance at the U.S. Air Force display in the fan midway from 10:10 – 10:40 AM local time.
  • Sunday, Feb. 19th | Team Chevy Stage: On race day, Erik Jones will make his way to the Team Chevy Stage for a Q & A session from 10:45 – 11:00 AM local time.

– From the Driver’s Seat: Thoughts heading in to the 2023 season opener, DAYTONA 500: “I’m excited to get this season started. With the changes during the off season and the strength we built last season with our LEGACY MOTOR CLUB team, I think this season will be a really good one for us. I always enjoy the superspeedway races and feel like we usually have good cars, just need a little luck on our side to win one of these races. Last year I felt we had several opportunities to win between Daytona and Talladega, just didn’t have enough to pull those wins off. I’m excited to get the season started and have a chance to win on Sunday.” 
 

Jimmie Johnson, No. 84 Carvana Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
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Daytona International Speedway Stats

– NCS Starts: 38, Wins: 3 (2006 & 2013 DAYTONA 500, Summer, 2013), Poles: 2, Top 5s: 12, Top 10s: 16, Laps led: 302

– NXS Starts: 1, Best start: 34th, Best finish: 5th (2001), Top 5s: 1, Top 10s: 1

NCS Career Stats

– Starts: 686, Championships: 7 (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2016) (tied for most all-time), Wins: 83 (sixth all-time), Poles: 36, Top 5s: 232, Top 10s: 374, Laps led: 18,941
 

– About Carvana: Carvana (NYSE: CVNA) is an industry pioneer for buying and selling used vehicles online. As the fastest
growing used automotive retailer in U.S. history, its proven, customer-first e-commerce model has
positively impacted millions of people’s lives through more convenient, accessible and transparent
experiences. Carvana.com allows someone to purchase a vehicle from the comfort of their home,
completing the entire process online, benefiting from a 7-day money back guarantee, home delivery,
nationwide inventory selection and more. Customers also have the option to sell or trade-in their vehicle
across all Carvana locations, including its patented Car Vending Machines, in more than 300 U.S.
markets. Carvana is one of the four fastest companies to make the Fortune 500 and for more information,
please visit www.carvana.com and follow us @Carvana & @CarvanaRacing.

– Johnson is back: Johnson will attempt his 20th DAYTONA 500 this weekend as the NASCAR Cup Series officially kicks off the 2023 with the Great American Race. The two-time DAYTONA 500 winner is hoping to add a third championship ring to his trophy case. Johnson’s final full-time race took place on November 8th, 2020 at Phoenix Raceway. After spending two seasons in INDYCAR, this will be the seven-time NASCAR champion’s first race back into the sport where he secured his legacy.

As an unchartered car entry, Johnson will have to qualify for the 500-mile event, but also has a higher stake in the race, as he is a co-owner of LEGACY MOTOR CLUB which fields the No. 42 of Noah Gragson and the No. 43 of Erik Jones. Fans will have to get used to seeing Johnson in another number other than the No. 48 as he will make his first start in the No. 84 Chevrolet Camaro, sponsored with Carvana – who rode the wave with Johnson through his INDYCAR journey.

Johnsons’ first ever DAYTONA 500 was in 2002, where as a rookie he won the pole position and finished 15th. His first DAYTONA 500 championship was in 2006. Johnson etched his name as a DAYTONA 500 champion as a second time in 2013, when he led 17 laps and beat Dale Earnhardt, Jr., for the victory. 

Johnson currently sits tied for sixth with Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough on the NASCAR all-time wins list with 83. His next win will tie him with Bobby Allison and Darrel Waltrip, who are tied for fifth on the all-time win list.

– Jimmie Johnson Sightings: Fans attending this weekend’s races at Daytona International Speedway will have multiple chances to see Jimmie Johnson:

  • Sirius XM Speedway: Johnson will participate in the fan-facing broadcast of “SiriusXM Speedway” on Thursday, Feb. 16 at 4:30 p.m.
  • Raceday Q&A: Johnson will attend a fan Q&A on stage in the Fan zone at 12:15pm on Sunday, Feb. 19.

– Grand Command: As NASCAR reflects on its history to start its 75th Anniversary season, nine legends of the sport – all of whom have won the DAYTONA 500 and the NASCAR Cup Series championship – will come together to serve as grand marshals for the 65th running of The Great American Race. Five NASCAR Hall of Famers and four future Hall of Famers in Richard Petty, Bobby Allison, Bill Elliott, Jeff Gordon, Dale Jarrett, Kevin Harvick, Johnson, Kurt Busch and Joey Logano will collectively give the command to fire engines for the DAYTONA 500 on Sunday, Feb. 19.

– Off-Season Testing: Johnson was able to complete his ‘driver orientation’ program with NASCAR at Phoenix Raceway earlier this month as he was able to pilot the NextGen Chevrolet Camaro for the first time prior to qualifying at Daytona Wednesday night.

– Super Bowl Presence – Johnson was able to connect with longtime friend and former team owner Jeff Gordon for a DAYTONA 500 promotion during Super Bowl LVII. ICYMI: Click here.

– Making the show: Johnson and the No. 84 Carvana Chevy team will have to earn their spot this weekend. There are 42 teams will vie for just 40 eligible spots – and 36 of the 40 eligible spots are already taken by the Charter cars leaving just six spots for the Open teams, to include Johnson. Qualifying kicks off on Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 8:00pm ET on FOX.

– Todd Gordon on the box: Johnson and Gordon will both tackle the NextGen car together this week at Daytona. Gordon has been spending his time on the airways with MRN Radio and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio since stepping back from the NASCAR Cup Series grind and working with driver Joey Logano. Gordon was able to attend the test with Johnson at Phoenix and has been working with the No. 84 team in preparation for NASCAR’s biggest stage.

– From the Driver’s Seat: “I feel like the last two months have gone fast and slow at the same time. We have been doing SO much at LEGACY MOTOR CLUB from the rebrand, to testing, to sponsor launches to onboarding personnel. I never thought I would be so fortunate to be in this position – as a team owner and being back in NASCAR in this capacity but I wouldn’t have it any other way. There is pressure to make the show, but LEGACY MOTOR CLUB has a lot of strength on the superspeedway program, and Erik (Jones) and Noah (Gragson) as well as the crew chiefs have great notes for us to start with.”

LMC PR

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