John Hunter Nemechek will not return as the driver of the No. 42 LEGACY MOTOR CLUB Toyota, according to a report from Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic, which cites sources briefed on the matter. According to Bianchi’s report, Nemechek and the team had recently agreed to a contract extension for the 2027 NASCAR Cup Series season, but the team has since had a change of heart and will exercise a different option for the upcoming season.
As for who could be heading to the No. 42 machine next season, Bianchi’s report names Josh Berry as the leading candidate to replace Nemechek.
At the time of publishing, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB has not responded to a request for confirmation on the report from TobyChristie.com, but the team’s response will be added to this story when/if it is received.
While this is a huge development in what was starting to look like a dud of a silly season, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB’s reported decision to move on from Nemechek shouldn’t be considered surprising, considering how the driver and his No. 42 team have regressed heavily on track this season.
After a 2025 campaign, which saw Nemechek come on strong late in the season, resulting in two top-five finishes and eight top-10s, Nemechek has produced just one top-five finish and two top-10s through the opening 26 races of the 2026 season.
While Erik Jones, Nemechek’s teammate, was in contention for a berth in the Chase late in the 26-race regular season before a bout of bad luck eliminated his chances, Nemechek had not really been in shouting distance of a Chase berth after a 17th-place finish at Circuit of the Americas, the third race of the season.
Nemechek departing LMC at the end of the 2026 season will end a three-year relationship that the driver has had with the team.
If Berry is to get the nod from LEGACY MOTOR CLUB for the 2027 season, it would be an interesting move. Because, much like Nemechek, Berry has not been in contention for a Chase berth essentially all season long, driving the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford.
That being said, following the June announcement that Berry would not return to Wood Brothers Racing in 2027, the driver’s performance has been on a substantial uptick.
Heading into this weekend’s Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, Berry is riding a five-race top-10 finishing streak, the longest such streak for any driver of the famed No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing entry since Morgan Shepherd in 1994.
Berry now has seven top-10 finishes this season through 26 races.
If LEGACY MOTOR CLUB indeed signs Berry, and he is able to keep the recent momentum going in the new ride, this could be a major turning point for the organization, which has been on the fringe of being a Chase contending team the last few years, but just hasn’t been able to break through.
