Legacy Motor Club Iowa Speedway race preview headlines a pivotal weekend as drivers John Hunter Nemechek and Erik Jones prepare for the Iowa Corn 350 in Newton on Sunday, August 3. The team enters the race with momentum, following strong performances, fan engagement initiatives, and recent milestones, hoping to translate past Iowa and short-track success into a historic result.
Prior to the Iowa event, Legacy Motor Club’s drivers joined co-owner Jimmie Johnson and sponsor Club Wyndham for a round at the 2025 Wyndham Championship Pro Am in Greensboro, North Carolina. Together, they participated with PGA professionals, highlighting the team‘s unified spirit heading into race week. Meanwhile, their Indianapolis weekend was marked by impressive practice and qualifying sessions and a charitable moment as Erik Jones launched the Oscar Plush initiative with puppies from Ultimate Canine at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, underscoring the organization’s focus on both speed and community outreach.
The Pedigree of Short Track Excellence at Legacy Motor Club
Short tracks are deeply rooted in the Legacy Motor Club history. Co-owner Jimmie Johnson boasts 113 Cup Series starts on tracks under a mile, amassing 14 wins and 63 top-tens, with an average finish of 12.7. His victories include three at Richmond Raceway, nine at Martinsville Speedway, and two at Bristol Motor Speedway, along with thousands of laps led.
Johnson brought his expertise to the Iowa oval in IndyCar as well, finishing fifth in the 2022 Hy-Vee Salute to Farmers 300 after leading 19 laps and completing 57 overtakes. He secured an 11th place finish in another event that same weekend before transitioning away from a full-time IndyCar schedule. Beyond Johnson, competition advisor Matt Kenseth offers his own legacy with six short track Cup Series wins and 53 top-tens, tallying multiple victories at Bristol and Richmond.
Richard Petty, acting as a Legacy MC ambassador, stands as one of the greatest short-track racers in NASCAR history. Over 448 starts, Petty secured 107 wins and 259 top-fives at these venues, setting a formidable benchmark for the current drivers to chase.
Nemechek’s Ascent: Milestones and Short Track Momentum
This Iowa Corn 350 is a milestone for John Hunter Nemechek, marking his 100th NASCAR Cup Series start since debuting at Texas Motor Speedway in November 2019. Nemechek’s history at Iowa is rich across NASCAR’s developmental series. In the Xfinity Series, he has five starts at Iowa, highlighted by four top-tens and two top-fives, with a peak finish of third in 2019. His Craftsman Truck Series outings at the track yielded a pole in 2016 and a decisive win in 2017, besting Johnny Sauter by more than 1.6 seconds.
Nemechek brings confidence from Indianapolis, where his No. 42 toyota/”>Toyota Camry XSE led in practice averages and he surged from the rear to finish 12th in the Brickyard 400, climbing 24 spots. Crew chief Travis Mack, in his second Cup start at Iowa, continues to pursue improvement on short tracks, applying lessons from both Indianapolis and recent testing at Gateway.
“Iowa has been a really good place for me in the Truck and Xfinity Series. We’ve had some really strong runs there. We had a decent car last year in the Cup race, so I look forward to getting back there. The new tire is going to be pretty interesting for us. Another year on the new asphalt that they laid down in the corners is going to be interesting as well. Hopefully, we can take the momentum and speed we had at Indy and roll it over into Iowa.”
—John Hunter Nemechek, Driver
“We’ve been putting a lot of effort into improving our short track program to match the strength of our intermediate package, so we’re trying some different stuff this weekend. The No. 43 tested at Gateway a couple of weeks ago, and we tried some different packages there to help with short tracks, so I feel good about this weekend. We’re excited to continue our momentum going forward.”
—Travis Mack, Crew Chief
Erik Jones’ Iowa Edge: Past Wins and Community Contributions
Erik Jones returns to Iowa Speedway for his second Cup Series start at the venue, aiming to improve on last year’s 32nd-place result. His talent at Iowa is evident from previous series: Jones captured a 2016 Xfinity Series win, has two poles, and led 154 laps in his final Xfinity outing at the track. In the Truck Series, Jones never finished lower than 10th and achieved back-to-back wins in 2014 and 2015, including a dominant, pole-to-win drive during his championship season.
Outside the cockpit, Jones has embraced off-track initiatives. He recently introduced the Oscar Jones collectible plush, inspired by his canine companion and developed in partnership with Ultimate Canine LLC. Proceeds from its sale benefit the Erik Jones Foundation, supporting grants focused on animal welfare. Since inception, the foundation has granted over $40,000 to related organizations.
Jones is also a visible presence with fans—planned appearances at the NASCAR Experience Stage and merchandise haulers punctuate race weekend activities. After the Indianapolis race, he spent time in Detroit with the Lions NFL team and the Tigers baseball club, highlighting his strong Michigan roots.
“Iowa was definitely good to me the few times I won there in the Xfinity Series and Truck Series. It’s a fun track though. I like Iowa a lot, and it’s obviously changed a lot from my other races there with the repave in just a couple of lanes and not the whole track. So, I think the race last year was just really different than from what I remember. It’s really a neat track – a short track but also it kind of races like an intermediate. At the end of the day, it’s definitely a short track though. It’ll be interesting to see how those repaved patches have worn over the year. It seems that they look a lot more worn out than they were a year ago, so it’ll be interesting to see how that changes the racing.”
—Erik Jones, Driver
“I mean Iowa had that semi-repave where they repaved the corners, but not the whole track. It’s sort of like a Richmond, but the repaving changed it up a bit where parts of the track are a higher grip than these other short tracks that we go through – especially compared to some of the shorter tracks like Loudon, New Hampshire, and Richmond. Honestly, the shorter tracks have been a weaker spot for us in our program, but we’ve been putting a lot of effort into it and have been trying to get an improved package together for Iowa.”
—Ben Beshore, Crew Chief
Legacy Motor Club’s Broader Impact: Leadership and Fan Culture
Leadership from figures like Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth, as well as input from champions like Richard Petty, frames the team‘s persistent push for short-track excellence. Their insight feeds into weekly projects, including podcast collaborations such as “Never Settle” with ESPN’s Marty Smith, which expand the club’s engagement with broader NASCAR and sporting culture. Johnson’s proven track record on both short tracks and at Iowa in IndyCar underscores the legacy and expectation within the organization.
Beyond racing, the club has paired on-track efforts with community activation, like the collaboration with Ultimate Canine, public meet-and-greets, and charitable merchandise, reinforcing a connection between the drivers, fans, and causes they support.
What to Watch: Iowa Corn 350 and Legacy’s Ambitions
As Legacy Motor Club’s John Hunter Nemechek prepares for his 100th Cup start and Erik Jones returns with a history of Iowa victories, both drivers stand poised to shape this Sunday’s Iowa Corn 350. Extensive preparation, combined with memorable performances from leadership figures, builds anticipation that one of them may capture a milestone win—potentially rewriting the record books for the organization. The club’s blend of legacy talent and current momentum positions its drivers as key contenders on the challenging Iowa Speedway circuit.
Fans can catch every moment when the green flag flies at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, August 3, broadcast live on USA, MAX, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. With Legacy Motor Club’s rich short-track history, renewed technical focus, and vibrant fan culture, all eyes remain on Iowa to see whether Nemechek or Jones can make history in the Iowa Corn 350.
