The 2026 NASCAR silly season has delivered very little movement in the Cup Series, with Jesse Love replacing Josh Berry next season the only real major change. Suddenly, there’s now been a change of course at Legacy Motor Club.
As first reported by Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic, Legacy Motor Club is reportedly poised to terminate the contract on driver John Hunter Nemechek and move on from him following the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season.
“Team leadership informed Nemechek of the news Monday, with the team opting to go a different direction even though the sides had recently agreed to a contract extension to keep Nemechek driving the No. 42 Toyota for the 2027 season.”
The Athletic’s Jordan Bianchi on Legacy Motor Club parting ways with John Hunter Nemechek in 2027
Legacy Motor Club, owned by Jimmie Johnson, was already poised to have a seat for a full-time ride coming available next season. The team is leasing a charter from Rick Ware Racing, making LMC a three-car Cup Series team in 2027.
However, that spot is widely expected to be taken by Riley Herbst. The young driver became available after 23XI Racing announced that Corey Heim would become its third full-time driver next season. While an official announcement regarding Herbst’s future team has not been made, his on-track improvements this year and his family’s ties to sponsors and deep financial pockets made him the perfect fit for LMC.
Nemechek, age 29, has competed in 139 career Cup Series races, but has not made the trip to victory lane in his Cup career. He finished the regular season ranked 27th in points, netting just two top-10 finishes with a 22.3 average starting position and a 22.1 average finishing position.
Who Will Drive the No. 42 Car for Legacy Motor Club in 2027?
Given that John Hunter Nemechek entered last weekend under contract with Legacy Motor Club through the 2027 season, the team’s sudden decision signals they have a replacement in mind.
Sure enough, as Bianchi detailed, Josh Berry is the “leading candidate” to drive the No. 42 car next season. The veteran driver’s future had been uncertain throughout the summer after Wood Brothers Racing announced it was bringing on Jesse Love to drive the No. 21 car next year.
Initially, it seemed like Berry might have to move down to the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. That’s because, after Richard Childress Racing announced that Austin Hill would drive the No. 33 car next year, there were no full-time seats available.
With his future in NASCAR at stake, Berry strung together one of the best stretches in his career. Coming off a ninth-place finish at Daytona in the Coke Zero Sugar 400, Berry now has five consecutive top-10 finishes and he’s put up 180 points (36 points per race) in that span.
According to DriverAverages.com, Berry has the seventh-best average finishing position (11.2) in the Cup Series and ranks seventh in laps led (76) over that span. For comparison, Nemechek has led just 75 laps in his last 30 races with only two top-10 finishes in that span versus Berry’s five in the last six weeks.
Realistically, given his on-track performance and reputation among his peers, this might be it for Nemechek’s career as a full-time Cup Series driver. Entering his age-30 season next year, he’ll likely have to return to the O’Reilly Series (11 wins) or Truck Series (13 wins).
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