Legacy Motor Club will be expanding to three full-time teams for the 2027 NASCAR Cup Series season, according to an interview from team owner Jimmie Johnson. The NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee confirmed the rumor last week while speaking with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Since 2022, Legacy Motor Club has fielded two full-time teams: the No. 42 of John Hunter Nemechek and No. 43 of Erik Jones. Johnson himself has also raced on a part-time basis in the No. 84 car. He’s already announced that the 2027 Daytona 500 will be the last start of his NASCAR Cup Series career, meaning that Legacy will be a four-car team for at least one weekend next year.
“Without question, we will have a third car on the grid next year,” Johnson said. “Very excited about that. Our commitment to growth will be able to attract and recruit the right individuals to help come in and really grow the workforce for this third car. All the benefits that come with running an additional car will help speed up our process.”
📈 “Without question – we will have a third car on the grid next year.”@JimmieJohnson speaks on the expansion of @LEGACYMotorClub for 2027 and which drivers they’re possibly targeting for the new seat.
More with the 7X champ and @NASCARHall of Famer → https://t.co/MKhd9eLpQA pic.twitter.com/e147A4QQss
— SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90) (@SiriusXMNASCAR) March 12, 2026
Background of Legacy Motor Club
In late 2022 Jimmie Johnson bought an ownership stake in Petty GMS Motorsports, triggering a renaming to Legacy Motor Club. The team’s new identity celebrated Johnson and co-owner Richard Petty’s shared achievement of seven Cup Series championships. In 2024 the team switched from Chevrolet to Toyota.
Erik Jones has drive the No. 43 car full-time since 2022, when he moved from Joe Gibbs Racing. The No. 42 car cycled through Ty Dillon and Noah Gragson in the 2022 and 2023 seasons before John Hunter Nemechek became Legacy’s second full-time driver in 2024.
Legacy Motor Club’s most recent victory came in 2022, when Erik Jones won the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Since then the team has experienced ups and downs, but they enjoyed a resurgence late in the 2025 season. After the first five races of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season, John Hunter Nemechek runs 27th in points while Erik Jones sits 27th.
