John Hunter Nemechek will officially return to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2024, as he’ll become the full-time driver of the No. 42 Toyota Camry TRD for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB. The announcement was made on Wednesday evening’s edition of NASCAR RaceHub on FS1.
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Nemechek, 26, who has 20 victories combined between the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, competed full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series back in the 2020 season with Front Row Motorsports.
The North Carolina native started one NASCAR Cup Series event in 2022, as he filled in for the suspended Bubba Wallace in the No. 45 23XI Racing entry at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Nemechek qualified fourth for that event but was relegated to a 27th-place finish after a spin on Lap 30.
“To be able to announce my plans for next season so early and officially say I will be competing full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series relieves a lot of pressure,” Nemechek said. “There is so much to be done for next year, and this gives us the opportunity to get the news out there and move forward. Also, driving for Maury (Gallagher), Jimmie (Johnson) and Richard Petty is a dream come true for me.”
Following that campaign, where he recorded three top-10 finishes, Nemechek opted to move back down to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with the then Toyota-aligned Kyle Busch Motorsports team.
“John Hunter has been around a racetrack literally since the day he was born,” Wells III said. “I have watched him since he was a little kid – from walking around the track in a firesuit matching the one worn by his father – to becoming the talent he is today. He is a perfect fit for the Club and I expect great things out of him.”
The bet on himself paid off, as Nemechek earned seven wins in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series ranks over a two-year period. For 2023, Nemechek was elevated into a full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series role with Joe Gibbs Nemechek in the No. 20 Toyota Supra, where he has scored five victories so far this season.
Nemechek’s loyalty to Toyota over the past three seasons has been rewarded with an opportunity in the NASCAR Cup Series.
“We’re excited to have John Hunter in the LEGACY MOTOR CLUB family and I can’t wait to see what he can do in the No. 42 next season,” said Johnson. “He is impressive both on and off the track and will be a great ambassador for LEGACY M.C. and our partners. He will be a solid teammate to Erik (Jones) and I can’t wait to watch them both compete for wins and championships for years to come.”
