TJ Majors is one of the most respected spotters in NASCAR, with a long résumé that includes working with giants like Dale Earnhardt Jr., Joey Logano, and Brad Keselowski. His insight and race-reading ability are highly valued, as Dale Jr. once noted, “I can almost see the image in my mind … what’s happening behind me, because of how good T.J. is at describing it.”

He’s known for giving honest, big-picture criticism that helps drivers grow, not just in a single race but over whole seasons. And just recently, he commented on the over-performers of the season, where Jimmie Johnson’s Legacy team driver, John Hunter Nemechek, topped his list.

Why Nemechek overperformed as per Majors

On the Dale Jr Download, when Dale Jr. said, “Wanted to sit down, Travis, to talk about who over-performed,” he tapped into a real conversation happening in many NASCAR circles, about who exceeded expectations in 2025.

Veteran spotter TJ Majors didn’t hold back. He named John Hunter Nemechek as a top over-performer, calling his 2025 season “pretty successful.” That lines up with what Nemechek has actually done: he adopted a new mindset this year, focusing more on finishing races and making smart decisions rather than just pushing for risky gains, and it’s paying off.

Majors also praised Austin Dillon, saying he “quietly had a good year.” Dillon took a big swing at Richmond, leading 107 laps and winning the Cook Out 400 to lock in a playoff spot. That kind of consistent performance under the radar can absolutely qualify as over-performing, especially for someone who doesn’t always get the top-tier resources every week.

Dale Jr. then pressed, “John Hunter was an overperformer?” To which Majors doubled down, saying, “From the season before, he over-performed.” In 2025, Legacy Motor Club has shown major gains, and Nemechek grabbed a career-best fourth at Darlington. Add multiple top-10 finishes, like two straight in May, and it’s clear he’s not just mid-pack anymore, he’s becoming a real contender.

Compared to last year, Nemechek went through a mentality shift in 2025, due to which he had some good top-10 finishes in the early races. Last year, he had six DNFs, which was reduced to half this year.

Earlier in March itself, Nemechek had stated about the improved work culture at LMC, stating, “I don’t know how much better we are than last year, but the culture is better, the team is better. Everyone is jelling, everyone has a great attitude and it’s been a lot of hard work through the offseason. I feel like overall it’s neat to get to the race track and show speed and be able to run well.”

Majors didn’t stop there either: he also called out Shane van Gisbergen, noting that later in the season he “started getting it” on ovals, a place where many thought he’d continue to struggle. Van Gisbergen has admitted oval racing has been his biggest challenge this year, but he’s made measurable progress, matching his best oval finish (14th) at Richmond.

For Dale Jr., the praise from Majors isn’t just idle talk. It’s a spotlight on drivers who are quietly building momentum, especially under the Legacy Motor Club banner.

When a spotter calls someone “over-performer,” it usually means they’re seeing gains on every lap, and with what John Hunter Nemechek and others have done, backed by real results, that’s a big deal. It’s the kind of quiet growth that gets owners excited. And speaking of excited owners, Dale Jr. is already sweating bullets about Daytona 2026.

Dale Jr. is nervous for the second Daytona 500

JR Motorsports is running it back in the Daytona 500 in 2026 with Justin Allgaier after a successful Cup Series debut in which they scored a top 10 in the No. 40 car with Traveller Whiskey.

It was a meaningful race for co-owners Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kelley Earnhardt-Miller, who aren’t sure if racing full-time in the Cup Series will ever come to fruition, so having made at least one appearance in The Great American Race was a dream come true. So the reason to come back for a second attempt is obvious.

“Well, Kelley will tell you that we race. We got a chance to go racing, so we race. We just wanna race,” Earnhardt said on Monday’s Dale Jr. Download. “The Daytona 500 is the most important race of the season, and I would say that it, for an open team or anybody that wants to enter the race, that is probably the best opportunity financially to do it and not lose money.

Justin Allgaier is confirmed for the return trip to Daytona, but it is still to be decided if the Hendrick Motorsports-supplied team that includes veteran crew chief Greg Ives will all come back with the 2024 Xfinity Series champion.

“Our shop gets excited about it. They feel like it’s their effort,” Earnhardt said. “You see Rodney Childers chiming in on social media, and you see our employees get pumped about the idea because it’s their car. It’s our flagship.”

But despite the top-10 last year with a capable crew and driver, Earnhardt Jr is already nervous about even making the show since he doesn’t have a charter that locks them into the race. It’s the new Chevrolet Camaro body style that has him nervous.

So, with all of that in mind, Earnhardt is tempering expectations.

“You’ve got to rein all the expectations back in to man, we just got to get in the show. Let’s get in the show. We’re not locked in,” Earnhardt said. “New body, don’t know how the car will qualify. We thought we were gonna do alright last year, and we didn’t in qualifying. I’ll be apprehensive about our opportunity in just pure speed on qualifying. We may have to go back and race our way in.”

From spotting real over-performers in Johnson’s garage to sweating the details of his own Daytona ride, Dale Jr. stays locked in on the little things that actually move the needle.