Race fans, the time has finally arrived! The 2024 season is here, and there are a load of changes to watch unfold along the way.
Welcome to The Underdog House, your stop for all things concerning the dark horse. Everyone loves an underdog, right? Well, this is where you can follow your favorite underdog and gain extra coverage of them off the TV cameras.
This weekend gave us a little taste of what’s to come, as NASCAR held its third rendition of the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum (Feb. 3). Originally scheduled for Feb. 4, a looming storm forced NASCAR to quickly pivot and move the race to Saturday night, a decision that turned out to be successful.
While the superstars were the headliners, a few underdogs barked loudly during the weekend. So buckle up and enjoy the view behind the scenes of NASCAR’s underdog teams.
Top Dog: John Hunter Nemechek
A new era for both Legacy Motor Club and John Hunter Nemechek got off to a turbulent start that ultimately concluded in a rather smooth landing. For Legacy, it marked their first event under the Toyota banner while it was Nemechek’s first race as a full-time Cup driver in four seasons.
Nemechek marked his return by qualifying for the Clash’s main event, something his teammate Erik Jones was unable to do. With practice determining the 23-car lineup for the event, Nemechek slipped into the main event with a lap good enough for 21st.
As expected, there was going to be some rust for Nemechek as he made his return to the premier division, and it started quickly. He sat mired outside the top 20 for the first half of the event, and on a quarter-mile track, it takes no time for the leaders to catch the tail end of the pack.
The hole only seemed to deepen for Nemechek after falling two laps down, and he experienced more trouble following contact with Corey LaJoie that caused his No. 42 to spin.
And just when it looked like the hits might stop coming, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. had a “welcome back” message for him, pulling Nemechek’s window net down and sticking his head in the window during the halftime break – a break where traditionally, drivers remain in their car the entire time.
Despite one weight after the other being tossed on the Mooresville, N.C. native, things can change in a hurry at the LA Coliseum. Fortunately, it changed in the positive direction for Nemechek.
A few cautions during the second half allowed him to gain a lap back and crack the top 20, and another late caution got the Toyota driver back on the lead lap.
Late-race chaos only bolstered Nemechek’s finish, as he wrapped up his LA Coliseum debut in 13th, a respectable comeback from the early stages.
While the Clash doesn’t provide much in-depth analysis of what to expect for the season, it is a good sign for Nemechek and the new-look Legacy Motor Club to persevere and grab a solid finish in the face of adversity. That will prove key to Nemechek’s Cup return.
Who Made the Cut
Stenhouse qualified for the main event for the second time since the exhibition race moved to Los Angeles, and his race certainly wasn’t uneventful.
Stenhouse had several run-ins throughout the night, most notably with Nemechek and Michael McDowell. The incident with McDowell occurred on lap 78 when McDowell made a dive-bomb move under Stenhouse into turn 1, resulting in Ross Chastain spinning out. Under yellow, both Stenhouse and McDowell expressed some frustration.
From there, Stenhouse struggled to gain much traction throughout the event after falling one lap down prior to the halftime break. He finished the event in 16th.
LaJoie also had a wrestling match for a race, finding himself involved in multiple incidents. In addition to making contact with Nemechek at the halfway mark, LaJoie got stacked up in a traffic jam following Bubba Wallace‘s spin on lap 77.
LaJoie struggled in his main event debut at the LA Coliseum, only cracking the top 15 once for a brief period. He wound up in 17th.
Two underdogs did not finish the race, but their performance before the issues were vastly different.
Justin Haley finished 21st after suffering engine issues with less than 20 laps remaining, but he was perhaps the surprise of the night. Haley qualified 10th in his debut with Rick Ware Racing and spent much of the first half inside the top 10. Haley spent nearly the entire race inside the top 15 before the engine let go, but it was a pleasant run for the new pairing.
Todd Gilliland‘s night was primarily one to forget, though he did qualify for the main event for the second year in a row. After starting 16th, Gilliland had the unfortunate statistic of bringing out the first caution when his brakes failed on lap 70, sending him into the wall. The rotors were glowing on every car, but evidently, the heat was too much for the brake setup on Gilliland’s No. 38. He finished 23rd out of 23 cars due to the incident.
Five Underdogs to Watch in 2024
Stenhouse Jr: Stenhouse enters 2024 on the borderline between being an underdog or cemented playoff contender. The defending Daytona 500 champion earned both his and JTG Daugherty Racing’s second playoff appearance last season in his best season since 2017. Now, Stenhouse will look to put more consistent runs together and perhaps make a deeper playoff run. For now, this single-car team carries the torch for the underdogs into the new season.
Nemechek: Nemechek returns to the Cup Series after proving his value in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series the past three seasons, including a seven-win Xfinity season last year. If Nemechek can translate some of his success over to the No. 42, he may force himself off this list come midseason.
Haley: One of the more surprising silly season moves was Haley leaving Kaulig Racing for RWR. But if his Clash performance is any indication, he may very well prove that it was the right decision. RWR relocated to RFK Racing’s campus last season in a growing alliance with the team, something that could prove very valuable to Haley both short-term and long-term. If Haley can match or even surpass his 2023 season with Kaulig, it will be a successful result for all parties.
Spire Motorsports: This is arguably the most exciting time for Spire Motorsports. The still relatively young team landed a huge deal with Gainbridge last season, bought out Kyle Busch Motorsports’ Truck Series assets, and received Zane Smith on loan from Trackhouse Racing. Smith joins Carson Hocevar as 2024 rookie contenders who both have enormous potential to be future stars. Meanwhile, veteran leader LaJoie turned in a career-year in 2023 and is a favorite to pull off an upset win in 2024. Keep your eyes on this team for this season and beyond.
Harrison Burton: To the contrary of most of the drivers mentioned above, this is possibly a make-or-break year for Harrison Burton. Entering his third season with the Wood Brothers, Burton has yet to fulfill the potential he flashed in the lower series. There have been flashes here and there (a top 10 at Darlington last year), but that has been overshadowed by inconsistency and underwhelming results. If 2024 is similar to the past two seasons, Burton might be searching for a ride come silly season.
What They’re Saying
Nemechek (13th): “It was great to make the show, great way to kick off our year and for myself just to get more experience and laps. Finishing in 13th is a solid day for the Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE, I ran around the track, ran into cars, and got run into as well. It’s what we expect in The Clash. On to Daytona.” (via Legacy Motor Club’s race recap)
Stenhouse (17th):
Haley (21st): “I’m really proud of the effort from everyone at Rick Ware Racing. We were having a good night. Early in the race, we were able to make some gains and, as it went on, you either get better or fall off, and once we lost some track position we definitely had some of that fall-off. I think we would’ve been alright at the end. I feel like we could’ve gained a few more positions before it blew up, but overall I’m just really proud of how we did tonight and I can’t wait to get some more time with the team and show everyone what we’ve been working on.” (via Rick Ware Racing’s race recap)
Josh Williams (missed transfer by .014):
Small Team Scheme of the Week
Dollar Tree is officially on a NASCAR race car! After the announcement by Legacy in January that the discount stores of Dollar Tree and Family Dollar would be featured on their cars in 2024, the green machine made its debut with Nemechek behind the wheel. While there’s a longstanding belief that green cars bring bad luck, this scheme was clean, featuring a nice mix between the white and green. By the end of the night, it came home with a solid result too.
Luken Glover joined the Frontstretch team in 2020 as a contributor, furthering a love for racing that traces back to his earliest memories. Glover inherited his passion for racing from his grandfather, who used to help former NASCAR team owner Junie Donlavey in his Richmond, Va. garage. A 2023 graduate from the University of the Cumberlands, Glover is the author of "The Underdog House," contributes to commentary pieces, and does occasional at-track reporting. Additionally, Glover enjoys working in ministry, coaching basketball, playing sports, and karting.
LaJoie has no chance at a win. Burton doesn’t have the talent or smarts to be a cup driver.
Tempers flare, over WHAT? A non-points exhibition race? These guys need to get a grip. This should be nothing more than trashing rental cars racing between the track and the airport for these guys. Getting mad over this race is dumb.
Passion,.. I remember years ago there were complaints about the drivers just riding arround for a paycheck. 🤷🏼♂️💸
John Hunter kept asking how he finished behind a car that didn’t cross the finish line.