On Wednesday, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB confirmed that John Hunter Nemechek – despite signing a contract extension – would not be returning to the seat of the No. 42 Toyota Camry XSE in 2027, after spending the last three seasons with the organization.
The move came as somewhat of a shock to the NASCAR industry, considering Nemechek’s contract status and the fact that the organization had already made a pair of sponsorship announcements for the Mooresville, North Carolina-native for the following season.
In the days since that bombshell dropped, many have speculated that there had been some kind of falling out between Nemechek and Jimmie Johnson, seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and principal owner of LEGACY MOTOR CLUB.
On Thursday, after the team’s announcement that Riley Herbst would be driving a third entry for the team, the No. 84, in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2027, Johnson spoke to SiriusXM NASCAR Radio about the situation with John Hunter Nemechek and dispelled any wild rumors about misconduct on the part of the driver or team.
In fact, Johnson says there wasn’t a specific incident or moment that led the team to make this decision.
“Really nothing, there wasn’t an incident or moment,” Johnson told Dave Moody. “We’re in pro sports, and as we look across the landscape for how we grow the company, and if you’re looking at a chessboard, two or three chess plays down the road, how you can make the most informed, smart decisions for the company. We have partners to think of; we have investors to think of.”
“There was a scenario that we needed to explore, and a decision was made, by no means an easy one. Our commitment to John Hunter and supporting him, I’m not sure other teams would behave the same way, but we want to do anything we can do to help him, but just from a long-term perspective, there are some other options or opportunities that we need to keep open.”
Johnson later reiterated, when Moody asked whether there was any confrontation between the two parties (as online rumors have suggested), that there was not.
“Not true. No. Actually, we were texting last night; I think one of those may suggest that we’d gotten into a fist fight, and we had a funny text exchange about that. So, none of that is true.”
“You know, and really, as the owner of this company, I’ve not been in this situation, and it’s not easy, and I don’t want to be lighthearted about it, you know, it was a very difficult decision for us to make. John Hunter is someone that I believe in and care about. We live in a pro sports world, and you know, sometimes there are other factors in play that just have to be considered and thought about and, you know, that’s really the root of it all.”
Josh Berry is widely considered to be the leading candidate to take over the No. 42 Toyota Camry XSE.
Johnson admitted Thursday that Berry is certainly a consideration for the seat but mentioned that there are some other options that LEGACY MOTOR CLUB is exploring.
“[Josh Berry] would definitely be a consideration. There are some other options we’re exploring, as well. You know, again, trying to think big picture, trying to think of where we need to be as an organization, how we can develop our cars faster. There are a lot of elements in play, and you know, we hope to get our arms around it here before long and can share the news.”
Johnson and LEGACY MOTOR CLUB will announce the driver of the No. 42 Toyota Camry XSE in due course.
