“Way more intense than Daytona”: Jimmie Johnson-led LMC driver makes his feelings known after ‘back-to-back’ top 10 finishes

John Hunter Nemechek, the leading driver of Jimmie Johnson's Legacy Motor Club, talked about his recent performance at the Ambetter 400. This came shortly after his impressive back-to-back top-10 finishes in the NASCAR Cup Series.

The LMC driver delivered a strong performance at the Ambetter 400 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, securing a 10th-place finish. This result followed his impressive fifth-place finish at the Daytona International Speedway in the iconic Great American Race, marking his first top-5 in the NASCAR Cup Series.

John Hunter Nemechek spoke about his finish in a candid interview, highlighting the intense racing experience at Atlanta Motor Speedway compared to Daytona. He went on to thank all the people involved in the race, expressing his appreciation for the support and teamwork of all the "men and women" who contributed to his successful performance.

"I don't know where we officially got scored. Looks like P10. Solid day. I'm really proud of Hayden. He worked really hard today. Way more intense than Daytona, that's for sure. Hats off to all the guys, men and women at Legacy Motor Club. Row crew, pick crew, everyone did a solid job all day. We were able to keep it going straight all day and salvage another top 10. So, two really good runs to start the season. Looking forward to COTA next week," he said [via X].

Legacy Motor Club is a NASCAR Cup Series team that competes at the premier level. The team was rebranded from Petty GMS Motorsports in 2023 after Jimmie Johnson, the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, acquired an ownership stake.

Legacy Motor Club's ownership includes Jimmie Johnson with a significant ownership stake, and Richard Petty, Maury Gallagher, and Knighthead Capital Management hold minority stakes. Since 2024, LMC has been fielding three Toyota Camry cars. John Hunter Nemechek drives the #42, Erik Jones drives the #43, and the #84 is driven part-time by Jimmie Johnson. The team made a significant engine manufacturer switch from Chevrolet to Toyota at the start of the 2024 season.

Jimmie Johnson-led LMC driver John Hunter Nemechek spent quality time with family ahead of Atlanta Cup race

John Hunter Nemechek during the Daytona 500 - Source: Imagn

Before the Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, John Hunter Nemechek spent quality time with his family, visiting the Georgia Aquarium. He shared pictures of the outing with his wife and two daughters on social media, captioning it:

"Aquarium with the fam in coldlanta!"

The driver is currently sitting in 7th in the NASCAR Cup Series points standings after the first two of the 26 regular-season races completed. Travis Mack's appointment as crew chief seems to have greatly enhanced Nemechek's performance and he will be hoping for another consistent finish at the Focused Health 250 set to take place on March 2 at the Circuit of the Americas.