Jacob Canter, a long-time race engineer for Joe Gibbs Racing, has been hired by NASCAR Cup Series operation LEGACY MOTOR CLUB to serve as the team’s Director of Competition.
Canter joins the organization with more than two decades of engineering experience, the vast majority of which was applied through positions within the sport of NASCAR.
The organization confirmed the acquisition of Canter on Friday, while also announcing that long-time motorsports executive Bobby Kennedy would join the team in the newly created role of General Manager.
Both Canter and Kennedy have already begun working in their newfound roles and will be reporting to Cal Wells III, CEO of LEGACY MOTOR CLUB.
“I am incredibly excited to join LEGACY MOTOR CLUB and embark on this new journey,” said Jacob Canter, Director of Competition for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB. “I am thankful to Maury, Jimmie, Richard, and Cal for this opportunity. It is a competitive advantage to be a part of a team with amazing vision and leadership. I look forward to collaborating with the talented team at LEGACY MOTOR CLUB to drive our success on and off the track with a championship mindset.”
A native of Yakima, Washington, Canter completed his degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Washington, while continuing the family legacy of short-track racing in the Pacific Northwest.
Starting his professional career as a Technical Engineer with MoTeC USA, Canter eventually moved to Rusty Wallace Racing, where he created the team’s engineering department.
Then, in 2007, Canter began a 16-year run with championship-winning organization Joe Gibbs Racing, where he served as Race Engineer before becoming the Research and Development Team Manager. Canter’s most recent role was with General Motorsports, as Engineering Manager of Vehicle Performance at GM Motorsports.
“Both Jacob and Bobby represent some of the best the world of motorsports has to offer,” said Cal Wells III, CEO of LEGACY MOTOR CLUB. “I’m personally honored they’ve chosen to join LEGACY MOTOR CLUB. Having previous long-term relationships with Toyota Racing Development will prove invaluable as LEGACY M. C. strives towards joining the elite within the NASCAR Cup Series.”
As part of his Director of Competition role, Canter will be overseeing the competition department, including all crew chiefs and pit crew, while Kennedy will be overseeing the day-to-day operations of LEGACY MOTOR CLUB.
“Bringing in people like Jacob and Bobby is what we need at this stage in the game,” said co-owner Jimmie Johnson. “This has been a difficult season and performance hasn’t been where we want it to be, so moves like this are necessary. We want to show up, be competitive, and win races. That’s the main goal.”
Making the switch from Chevrolet to Toyota for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series campaign, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB has run into a big of struggle with its two full-time entries, piloted by John Hunter Nemechek and Erik Jones.
The NASCAR Cup Series returns from a two-week break to tackle Richmond Raceway on Sunday at 6:00 pm ET on USA Network, MRN, or SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).
