John Hunter Nemechek leaving Jimmie Johnson's NASCAR team

Legacy Motor Club, the NASCAR team co-owned by seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson and a host of celebrities, has an opening for a driver for next season.

Legacy Motor Racing announced Wednesday, Sept. 2, that John Hunter Nemechek will not be back behind the wheel of the No. 42 Toyota next season. The news comes as a shock and is sudden given Legacy announced sponsors for the 2027 season for Nemechek in May. “Legacy Motor Club has made the decision to part ways with John Hunter Nemechek at the conclusion of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season,” the team said in a statement. “We wish John Hunter the best of luck in his future endeavors and thank him for his dedication to Legacy Motor Club and his professionalism and commitment to the organization during his time with the team. “We look forward to finishing the 2026 season off strong together and wish John Hunter all the best moving forward.”

Nemechek, in his fourth full-time season in the Cup Series and third with Legacy, issued his own statement afterward.

“I want to thank Legacy Motor Club for the last three years. “Of course I’m disappointed in their decision, but I am as motivated as ever. “It’s been such an honor to represent Toyota, Legacy Motor Club and all of their sponsors,” said Nemechek. I can't wait to take this journey forward, I know my best days are comingThis is a tough sport and I am so grateful for the love and support from Tyler Gibbs, Jack Irving, everyone at Pye Barker, my JHN Autosports team and so many others that have kept me lifted up through good times and bad. “For now I will hug my family and focus on putting together 10 great races to finish the year and figure out what comes next.”

Nemechek, 29, has gone winless in 139 Cup Series starts. His two top-10s in 26 races this season came with a 10th at Watkins Glen and a fourth at Pocono.

John, son of Joe Nemechek, a former champion in the second tier O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and a four-time winner at the Cup Series level, has had success at the lower levels of NASCAR, with 11 O’Reilly wins and 13 wins in the Craftsman Truck Series. Nemechek was also the 2021 Truck Series regular season champion and was voted the series' Most Popular Driver in 2015.

It’s not clear where Nemechek goes from here. There seemed to be no open seats at the Cup Series level for 2027 before this with Legacy.

Legacy too is still uncertain about who it will hire to fill Nemechek’s seat. Johnson’s team could promote a younger driver from the O’Reilly or Truck ranks, or it could turn to Josh Berry, who currently drives the No. 21 Ford for Wood Brothers.

Berry was announced earlier this summer would not be returning to Wood Brothers for 2027, leaving him without a Cup Series ride for next season. Berry will be replaced by Jesse Love, 21, who won the O'Reilly championship last season.

But the 35-year-old Berry has been on a career-best run lately, riding a streak of five straight top-10s at the Brickyard, Iowa, Richmond, New Hampshire and Daytona. It’s the first time a Wood Brothers driver has had that many straight top-10 finishes since 1994. Berry also had top-10 finishes earlier this season at Martinsville and the Daytona 500. He also has a Cup Series victory, winning last season at Las Vegas, which earned him a postseason spot in the previous playoff format.

Legacy also fields the No. 43 Toyota driven by Erik Jones, a former Southern 500 winner. He’s expected to be back in that seat next year for his seventh season with the #43.

The team will add a third car next season after buying a third charter from Rick Ware Racing. That third seat is widely expected to go to Riley Herbst, who currently drives in the Cup Series for fellow Toyota team 23XI Racing.

Legacy Motor Club this year announced a host of new investors to the ownership group, including celebrity chef Guy Fieri, Grammy award-winning artist Darius Rucker, two-time National League MVP Bryce Harper, former U.S. Open winner Andy Roddick, World Series champion Chase Utley, arguably the world’s best professional surfer Kelly Slater and a trio of former Indy 500 winners in Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan and Dario Franchitti.

Johnson, 50, will make his final Cup Series start at next year’s Daytona 500. He was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2024.