TC Daily Pit Stop: JHN Pulls Off Spin and Win at Michigan; Gragson Suspended; Truex Back For 2024; Bell on Cup Pole; Toyota Looks to Knock Off Ford; Sunday's TV Schedule

TC Daily Pit Stop: Sunday, August 6th, 2023

Toby Christie

Aug 6, 2023

Photo Credit: Jared East, LAT Images, Courtesy of Toyota Racing

It wasn’t looking like a good bet that Joe Gibbs Racing would secure its 200th NASCAR Xfinity Series win at Michigan early in Saturday’s race. On Lap 11, all three of the team’s cars were involved in a crash, which ended Sammy Smith’s day. However, John Hunter Nemechek and Ty Gibbs were able to soldier on, and from Stage 2 on, the JGR cars were dominant.

Nemechek would lead a race-high 65 laps and would hold off Josh Berry on a late race restart to score his fifth win of the 2023 season, and the milestone win for the JGR team. While Nemechek was happy about the win, he apologized to his teammate for the early crash.

“I have to apologize to Ty,” Nemechek stated with sincerity. “I’ve been the one who has been very vocal about teammates here recently. I put him in a bad aero spot and got him loose and couldn’t check up. It’s my mistake. I hate that we both spun early, but at least we both rebounded decently. I know he’s not too happy with me, he has every right to be.”

Video: Carson Hocevar Lifts Off Ground in Violent Five-Car Crash at Michigan

WATCH VIDEO

LEGACY MOTOR CLUB Suspends Noah Gragson; Josh Berry to Drive at Michigan

Photo Credit: Craig White, TobyChristie.com

A poor decision to like a distasteful meme on Instagram led to LEGACY MOTOR CLUB issuing a suspension of Noah Gragson, who has driven the team’s No. 42 Chevrolet Camaro ZLI in the NASCAR Cup Series this season.

Following the team-issued suspension, NASCAR followed suit by issuing an indefinite suspension of its own. Gragson accepted the decision and owned up to his mistake.

“I am disappointed in myself for my lack of attention and actions on social media,” Gragson said in a post on X. “I understand the severity of this situation. I love and appreciate everyone. I try to treat everyone equally no matter who they are. I messed up plain and simple.”

Josh Berry will pilot the No. 42 machine in Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400.

“I’m Coming Back”: Martin Truex, Jr. Returning to Joe Gibbs Racing in 2024

After months of speculation as to whether he would retire at the season’s end, Martin Truex Jr. squashed the rumors on Saturday. In his media availability scrum, Truex boldly stated, “I’m coming back,” as he’ll once again pilot the No. 19 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing during the 2024 season.

Next year will mark the 19th season for Truex in the NASCAR Cup Series.

12:30 PM ET - NASCAR RaceDay (FS1, FOX Sports App)
2:00 PM ET - NASCAR Cup Series Pre-Race (USA Network, NBC Sports App)
2:30 PM ET - NASCAR Cup Series Race at Michigan (USA Network, NBC Sports App)