NASCAR team announces shock manufacturer switch
By Asher Fair
Legacy Motor Club announced that they will be ending their relationship with Chevrolet and switching to Toyota following the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season.
Toyota is set to land a third NASCAR Cup Series team in the 2024 season, with Legacy Motor Club set to join the likes of Joe Gibbs Racing and 23XI Racing next year.
The organization, which is owned by Jimmie Johnson, Richard Petty, and Maury Gallagher, confirmed the rather surprising news on Tuesday.
Before the 2022 season, Richard Petty Motorsports joined forces with GMS Racing to form Petty GMS Motorsports, and they were rebranded to Legacy Motor Club in 2023 with Johnson arriving as both a part-time driver and a co-owner.
Richard Petty Motorsports’ most recent manufacturer switch came in 2018, when they shifted from Ford to Chevrolet. GMS Racing, which opened in 2011, have always been a Chevrolet team.
Barring any surprise expansions, the move means that eight of the 36 chartered entries in the NASCAR Cup Series are set to be Toyotas next year.
Joe Gibbs Racing are a four-car team while 23XI Racing and Legacy Motor Club each run two entries.
Noah Gragson and Erik Jones are both under contract to continue driving for the team in 2024, with Gragson behind the wheel of the No. 42 Toyota and Jones behind the wheel of the No. 43 Toyota. Both drivers spent multiple seasons with Toyota earlier in their careers, with Jones even spending four years with the manufacturer in the Cup Series.
Perhaps the most surprising element of the change is the fact that Johnson, who currently drives the No. 84 Chevrolet on a part-time basis, has always competed for Chevrolet since his Cup Series career began in 2001 — and since his NASCAR career began in 1998.
With Chevrolet, he has won 83 races, good for a sixth place tie on the all-time wins list, and seven championships, which is tied for the all-time record.
Next. All-time NASCAR Cup Series wins list. dark
The GMS Racing Truck Series team was not a part of this announcement, so it remains to be seen what their plans are for 2024 and beyond.