NASCAR: 5 drivers set for bounce-back seasons in 2024

5. Erik Jones

Just a few races into the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season, Legacy Motor Club made the decision to switch manufacturers from Chevrolet to Toyota in 2024. From that point forward, it felt almost like this team's focus had turned to 2024.

In their first season since the merger between Richard Petty Motorsports and GMS Racing, when they were simply known as Petty GMS Motorsports, Erik Jones finished in the top 16 in the regular season point standings. While he didn't make the playoffs, he did win the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway for a second time to kick off the postseason.

Jones only managed a 27th place finish in the point standings last year, and even without a points penalty during the season, he wouldn't have finished much higher. Yet just like he did in 2022 when Ty Dillon was his teammate, he completely blew teammate Noah Gragson out of the water when it came to getting the most out of his equipment.

No, there's no guarantee that the switch to Toyota will produce instant results, but being a third Toyota team as opposed to an eighth Chevrolet team -- or a "tier three" Chevrolet team -- should pay off as the season progresses.

Given his performance since joining the organization in 2021, Jones is poised to benefit, and having a new teammate in John Hunter Nemechek to push him should only help the team's overall development.