It looks like the battle is taking place both on and off the track. In a surprising twist of fate, Legacy Motor Club teammates Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek will be going wheel-to-wheel at Sonoma Raceway as part of the in-season challenge, and with $1 million on the line, the stakes are higher than they’ve ever been. In the final eight, they will be taking each other on for a spot in the semi-finals at Dover, with the winners eventually progressing to a showdown at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

One of the most interesting matchups at the Toyota/Save Mart 350 is this inter-team battle. Both drivers share a friendly rivalry, and the two engaged in some hilarious back-and-forth on social media ahead of their high-stakes clash at the 2.52-mile road course.

Erik Jones’ son caught in the middle of social media banter

Legacy Motor Club is having quite a season, aren’t they? Both John Hunter Nemechek and Erik Jones have shown significant improvement in the first half of their Cup Series campaigns, with nine top-10 finishes between them. For a team that struggled after switching from Chevy to Toyota last year, recording just 6 top-10 finishes for 2024, the upturn in results has been pretty significant. It looks like the many changes that were made to the team’s backroom staff have finally paid off, and Jimmie Johnson’s team now finds itself in an awkward position, with both of their drivers going head-to-head for a million dollars.

And it looks like the friendly banter is spilling over to social media. It all started on Thursday, when John Hunter Nemechek uploaded a story holding Erik Jones’ seven-month-old son outside the Legacy Motor Club trailer, with the caption, “I’ve got David on my side @Erik_Jones.” This drew a quick response from the No. 43 driver, who commented, “We’ll see about that very soon @JHNemechek.” That’s when Jones brought out the big guns, uploading a video of him having a ‘conversation’ with his son as they shook hands, with the caption, “Thought we were on the same team, @JHNemechek. (David is a paid actor.)”

In the video, Erik Jones says, “I’m the driver of the No. 43”, to which David replies, “I’m your teammate, driver of the No. 42.” Jones then commented, “We’re against each other in a NASCAR tournament for $1,000,000,” to which his son responded, “I’ll do anything for $1,000,000,” prompting a shocked look from the 29-year-old. Nemechek couldn’t help but laugh at the video and even admitted in his story, “Can’t even be mad about this.”

However, that didn’t stop Nemechek from issuing a warning to his teammate, as he uploaded a clip on Instagram with the caption, “Live look at what I’ll have to do if I’m behind @Erik_Jones on Sunday.” The short video showed a young girl driving around a makeshift course on a driveway, who was then spun out of the way. Legacy Motor Club stepped in as well, and jokingly commented, “David doesn’t even know it, but he’s become the official referee of this matchup.😅” Looks like the spirits are high in Jimmie Johnson’s team, and this is truly a well-deserved turnaround.

Jones and Nemechek overcome odds to reach the third round

To say that the in-season challenge has seen some shocking results would be an understatement. Top-seeded Denny Hamlin was knocked out in the very first round by Ty Dillon, alongside the likes of Kyle Larson, Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, and Christopher Bell. Meanwhile, Erik Jones is still in contention for the million-dollar prize after overcoming Ross Chastain by finishing fifth in Atlanta and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. by ending up 25th in Chicago.

As for John Hunter Nemechek, he finished 26th at EchoPark Speedway, higher than Josh Berry, and ended up 15th in Chicago to get past fan-favorite Chase Elliott in the bracket by one spot. Last year, the No. 42 Toyota ended up 29th at Sonoma Raceway, which was his first Cup Series race on the track. But he did come eighth at the road course for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Xfinity Series. As for Erik Jones, he came 19th at the 2.54-mile track last year.

Whoever wins between the two will go on to face either Ty Dillon or Alex Bowman in the fourth round. Meanwhile, Ryan Preece is taking on Tyler Reddick on the other side, while Ty Gibbs is facing Zane Smith for a final-four spot. With the traditional heavyweights already knocked out, it’s a good opportunity for some of the other drivers to have their time in the spotlight and bring home the prize.

Who do you think will win the in-season tournament? Let us know in the comments!