Legacy Motor Club names new crew chief for Erik Jones
STATESVILLE, N.C. — Legacy Motor Club named a new crew chief for NASCAR Cup Series driver Erik Jones ahead of the 2026 season.
Veteran crew chief Justin Alexander will take for Ben Beshore as Jones’ crew chief in 2026. He comes to Legacy after 11 seasons as a crew chief for Richard Childress Racing that saw him lead drivers to five Cup Series wins – including the 2018 Daytona 500 – and two NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series wins.
“We’re continuing to evolve and refine every part of our race program and Justin is a tremendous addition to our crew chief lineup,” team owner Jimmie Johnson said. “His experience, communication style and leadership align perfectly with the direction we’re headed. We appreciate Ben’s hard work and look forward to his continued contributions as he transitions into his new role.”
Beshore will become the director of race engineering for Legacy. In 2025, he led Erik Jones to four top-five finishes, which was the most he had earned in a single season since his final year with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2020 (nine top-five finishes). The duo also earned five top-10 finishes, a 24th-place points finish and an average finish of 20.2 – all improvements from the No. 43 team’s 2024 performance of two top-10s, 28th in points and an average finish of 22.9.
Beshore also spent time at JGR before coming to Legacy. He has 15 NOAPS wins to his name, including four with Kyle Busch in 2019, and three Cup wins – all with Busch in 2021 and 2022.
The team also named chief financial officer Scott Roggenbauer as the new chief operating officer.
Legacy will run two cars this season with drivers John Hunter Nemechek (No. 42) and Erik Jones (No. 43) – but could expand as soon as 2027.
After settling a lawsuit with Rick Ware Racing over a charter sale, Legacy reportedly gained a charter but Johnson shot down a third full-time car in 2026. However, he didn’t rule out the possibility of a third car in 2027 and named 2025 NOAPS champion Jesse Love as a driver he has his eyes on.
Love is currently racing for Richard Childress Racing in the NOAPS. He will return to the No. 2 Chevrolet in 2026 to defend his championship in the series.
Johnson has two races on his 2026 schedule – the Daytona 500 and at Naval Base Coronado in San Diego.
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com