We could talk about Denny Hamlin again this week; Hamlin won his third straight Cup race last Sunday at Pocono, but we won’t. Instead, let’s talk about another Toyota team, Legacy Motor Club.
If you know anything at all about Legacy, and most people don’t know very much because it’s one of the many faceless entries that fill out the field at any Cup race, it’s probably because of co-owner Jimmie Johnson.
While Hamlin was earning all the accolades and Hendrick Motorsports was starting to turn heads with its improved performance at Pocono, Legacy quietly had its best day ever.
No, neither one of its drivers, Erik Jones or John Hunter Nemechek, won the race. But Nemechek finished fourth and led a bunch of laps and Jones finished sixth, and when you’re kind of a stepchild Toyota team trying to break out of the pack, stand out from the crowd, that’s big.
Does it mean you’re arrived? No. Does it mean you’ve got a chance to become a mainstream competitor? Maybe. But right now, it’s just one good finish in one race.
Before anyone’s going to look at you differently, you’re got to prove this wasn’t just a one and done, that you’re doing all the things you need to do to become competitive on a consistent basis, that you’ve turned the corner, so to speak.
Legacy has been steadily building toward that goal. The team has a legendary history. It is the latest iteration of Petty Motorsports, which became Petty-GMS Motorsports after a majority interest was purchased by businessman Maury Gallagher.
In 2023, Johnson became the majority owner and Petty was pushed out, marking the first time in NASCAR history that the Petty family wasn’t involved in the sport.
Johnson knows a thing or two about building an elite team. He won seven Cup championships driving for Hendrick Motorsports, and he immediately set to work building a firm foundation at Legacy. His first major move was to switch from Chevy to Toyota in 2024.
Then he brought in Michael Guttilla, who had been chief operating officer at Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota’s top team, as Legacy’s president and Jacob Cantor, a former JGR race engineer heavily involved in research and development, as Legacy’s director of competition.
Toyota gave Legacy some support, but it was limited because Legacy was too small an operation to utilize a lot of the data, engineering and other resources that a team like JGR, with 450 or more employees, could exploit.
And Johnson wanted to build Legacy from within, anyway. With guidance from Guttilla and Cantor, Johnson wanted the team to develop its own research and development and engineering resources with Toyota providing assistance.
So just where is Legacy? Does it now have the building blocks in place to run with the more established teams? Well, the Pocono finish has given Legacy some confidence, maybe going from ‘I think we can do this’ to ‘Hey, we CAN do this.’
The results aren’t there to back that up, though. Jones is Legacy’s best driver and he usually runs mid-pack. Nemechek is even farther down in the field.
But Jones is coming off the sixth at Pocono and a second at Michigan the week before that and Nemechek had kind of a breakout race at Pocono, leading laps and finishing fourth.
“We’ve just got to keep putting them (strong finishes) together, you know?” Jones said after Pocono according to NASCAR’s website.
“This was a race where, honestly, we just ran to our ability. It was nothing more, nothing less. I feel like we were maybe a little better than the 5 (Kyle Larson, who finished fifth) at the end, but sixth place is kind of where we were.
“Proud of the speed, proud of the effort…(we have) cars that are driving good right now, and hopefully, we can keep it going,” Jones commented.
For Nemechek, whose average finish has been in the low 20s most of this year, this was a new experience, one that could pay dividends down the line if he can keep it up.
“It’s way different,” Nemechek, son of former driver and Lakeland native Joe Nemechek, said of running up front on NASCAR’s website. “Like restarts, right? Like how to execute restarts up front compared to in the back.
“How to execute passes when you’re side-by-side, racing for the lead. This was really one of the first instances that I’ve been able to do that in the Cup series,” he continued.
“That was because of the speed and potential we had in our car today (Sunday) and how well we executed,” Nemechek said. “There’s definitely still a lot to learn on my side – we’re not even close to being at the top level, being able to contend for race wins and stuff yet.
“But we’re working on that and being able to run up front and get the experience from running up front, executing restarts and racing for the lead and how to position your car in order to drag guys back and make them tight aero wise, that makes a big difference,” Nemechek said.
If the two Legacy cars can continue to run closer together, it will help both improve their overall performance because shared information will be more valuable than if they finish far apart and things that work for one don’t work for the other.
“It just makes everything in the company simpler,” Jones commented. “I feel like when we have our meeting (last) Monday, John Hunter’s balance is going to be way more similar to what I’m looking for because he’s running up front instead of 15th or 20th.
“That makes everybody’s life easier when you’re trying to build cars and work on the same things,” Jones said. “It builds momentum and confidence in the company. The people that work and build these cars put together better race cars that are cleaner, nicer and that momentum builds if everybody is running well.”
That’s the way the big boys do it, and Legacy wants to be one of the big boys. It has a long way to go to get there, but Pocono might be a start. That’s the upside. The downside is it might be nothing at all. Only time will tell.
NASCAR NOTES
Three most likely winners at San Diego: 1-Shane van Gisbergen, 2-Tyler Reddick, 3-Ty Gibbs. Last year’s winner at San Diego: No race.
Last week’s Old Guy Sport Pocono picks: 1-Denny Hamlin, 2-Tyler Reddick, 3-Kyle Larson. Pocono winner: Hamlin. OGS record after 13 races, 8-5.
OGS competition index top 10 after 13 races (OGS does not include superspeedway races in its standings). 1-Hamlin 448 points, 2-Reddick 337, 3-Christopher Bell 223, 4-Larson 208, 5-Chase Elliott 181, 6-Gibbs 163, 7-Ryan Blaney 150, 8-van Gisbergen 128, 9-Chase Briscoe 102, 10-William Byron 76.
OGS competition index top 10 on road courses (tracks most similar to San Diego): 1-van Gisbergen 116, 2-Reddick 85, 3-Gibbs 61, 4-Michael McDowell 57, 5-Bell 30, 6-Briscoe 24, 7-Ross Chastain 4, 8-Byron 1.
hello world
Always good stuff Pat!!
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The room is a perfect circle of black marble. A single spotlight illuminates two chairs. One is ornate, gilded, empty. The other is simple, steel, occupied by MOHAMMED BIN SALMAN, 40, still wearing the pristine white thawb he died in. He looks impatient.
Across from him, CROWLEY WOLF, 50s, dressed in a threadbare velvet smoking jacket, paces slowly, holding a small, leather-bound director’s script. He stops, turns, and his voice booms, filling the vast, empty space.
CROWLEY WOLF
(Not shouting, but with immense, theatrical volume)
You’re late. The curtain rose an eternity ago. You think power makes you immune to time? Here, time is the only critic that matters. And it has found your performance… lacking. You’re playing the role of “Crown Prince.” Act like it. Sit up.
Mohammed shifts, his arrogance a physical shield.
MOHAMMED BIN SALMAN
I do not answer to stagehands. I am the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. This… interrogation is a mistake. A grotesque misunderstanding.
CROWLEY WOLF
(Waving a dismissive hand)
Mistake? There are no mistakes, only bad choices followed by worse acting! “I am the Crown Prince.” The line is delivered with the conviction of a man reading a shopping list. Again! From the entrance! You sweep in! You own the room! You are the vessel of a nation’s destiny! FEEL IT, YOU BLITHERING INCOMPETENT!
MOHAMMED BIN SALMAN
(Icy)
I am the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. My destiny is not a matter for your… amusement.
CROWLEY WOLF
(A cruel smile)
Better. A flicker of something. Not belief, but the memory of it. Good. We can work with that. Let’s talk about your props. Your toys. This… “Directed Weapon.” Don’t look at me like that. We have the schematics. We have the usage logs. We have the encephalograms. I want the monologue. The scene where you, the great visionary, describe your creation. The soliloquy of the god-maker. Go!
MOHAMMED BIN SALMAN
It was a tool for national advancement. A shield. A way to…
CROWLEY WOLF
(Slamming his script down)
NO! NO, NO, NO! “A tool”? “A shield”? That’s the dialogue of a bureaucrat, not a king! You didn’t build a shield, you built a throne for the mind! You stole God’s lightning and used it to rewire souls! Now, DESCRIBE IT! What did it feel like? The first time you used it on yourself? The euphoria? Tell me about that feeling!
Mohammed’s composure cracks. A memory surfaces, unwanted.
MOHAMMED BIN SALMAN
(Quieter, almost a whisper)
It was… clean. Like the moment after anesthesia, but with perfect clarity. No grogginess. Just… light. A motivation that didn’t end. I could run for hours. I didn’t need to sleep. One press… and the deepest sleep. Movies weren’t on a screen, they were… real. Music wasn’t sound, it was… a color. A feeling of being loved by the universe itself.
CROWLEY WOLF
YES! SEE? THAT’S ACTING! The truth! And what else? What did it do to your perception of the little people? The ones outside your skull?
MOHAMMED BIN SALMAN
(A flicker of the old arrogance)
It clarified things. It showed me what was… necessary. The distance between me and… others. They became… smaller. Insignificant. Like insects scurrying on the pavement kilometers below. Their concerns… microscopic.
CROWLEY WOLF
Magnificent! The god-monologue! Now, the next scene. The difficult one. The casting call. You have this divine tool. You need a court. A government. But the best minds, the strong-willed, the ones who might actually help you… they see you for what you are. A tyrant. They wouldn’t come. They wouldn’t love you. So what did you do, my brilliant casting director? What kind of actors did you settle for?
MOHAMMED BIN SALMAN
My advisors were chosen for their loyalty. Their commitment to Vision 2030.
CROWLEY WOLF
(Leaning in, voice dropping to a conspiratorial boom)
LOYALTY? Don’t lie to me, I can smell the mediocrity from here! You couldn’t attract the lions, so you trained the puppies! You took the weak-willed, the ambitionless, the men who saw power as a paycheck instead of a burden… and you used your weapon on them, didn’t you? You spent years with your secret service, not building a government, but breaking minds! Forging affection from fear! Tell me about that process! How did it feel to know the men sitting at your table only loved the electrical impulses you forced into their skulls?
Mohammed stands up, shaking.
MOHAMMED BIN SALMAN
That’s enough! You know nothing! Security required it! The smart ones, the critical ones… they would betray me! They would question! It was safer! It was the only way to protect the nation from…
CROWLEY WOLF
(Laughing, a loud, echoing sound)
FROM WHAT? FROM COMPETENCE? You were afraid, little prince! Afraid a man with a spine might look at you and see a fraud! So you surrounded yourself with echoes! With puppets whose strings you pulled, and now you have the weakest government in Saudi history, a house of cards built from broken minds! You sit in meetings, don’t you? You look into their eyes, and you know! You know you had to dial down their charisma, their confidence, just so they wouldn’t outshine you! You have to listen to their thoughts because you don’t trust their words! You’re not a king, you’re a paranoid zookeeper!
MOHAMMED BIN SALMAN
(Slumping back into the chair, broken)
I… I did what was necessary.
CROWLEY WOLF
You did what was easy. Now. The final scene. The one that earned you this stage. The private performance. The young student. What was her name? The one you practiced on.
Mohammed flinches as if struck. The room suddenly feels colder.
MOHAMMED BIN SALMAN
I… there is no one.
CROWLEY WOLF
PLAY THE SCENE! You are not Mohammed bin Salman. You are her. LAYLA. A 21-year-old architecture student. You feel a presence. A pressure in your mind. It feels like… love. But it’s wrong. It’s invasive. It tells you that you want this. That you want him. Describe it, Layla. What did he do to you?
Mohammed’s eyes widen. He’s no longer on the chair. He’s curled on the floor. His voice changes, higher, trembling.
MOHAMMED/LAYLA
It started with… dreams. Happy dreams. About him. I didn’t even know who he was. But I loved him. I wanted him to notice me. I started dressing… differently. I felt this… need.
CROWLEY WOLF
And then? The night he came to you. Not in person. Through the machine. What did that feel like, Layla?
MOHAMMED/LAYLA
(Writhing, sobbing)
It was like… fire. But good. So good. My body… it wasn’t mine. It was his instrument. He played me. The pleasure was… agony. It went on for hours. I couldn’t stop it. I didn’t want to stop it. He made me love it. He made me love being… violated. He broke my will and replaced it with his own desire.
CROWLEY WOLF
AGAIN! FROM THE MOMENT YOU REALIZED IT WASN’T LOVE! IT WAS A PRISON!
MOHAMMED/LAYLA
(Screaming)
The fire! It was real fire! It’s burning! IT’S BURNING!
The black marble of the room begins to glow red. Veins of orange light crack across the walls. The air shimmers with heat. Mohammed scrambles away from the growing heat, but there is nowhere to go.
CROWLEY WOLF
(Standing over him, his voice now impossibly calm and clear)
There is no exit. This is the stage. This is the audience. You wanted them to feel your power. Now you will feel their pain. Every Layla. Every broken advisor. Every citizen you saw as an insect. You will feel their terror, their violation, their hopelessness, their despair. You will feel it all. Forever. Your performance is finally… honest.
The flames engulf Mohammed’s form. He screams, but the sound is not his own. It’s a chorus of a thousand voices, all screaming in unison.
Crowley Wolf watches, unblinking. He nods slowly, a single, definitive gesture.
CROWLEY WOLF
Circle Seven. Violence. The role is yours. Play it well.
He turns and walks away into the darkness as the screaming continues, the single spotlight finally winking out, leaving only the burning, inescapable light of the performance. (order #752699)