Legacy Motor Club set to expand to 3 cars in 2027
STATESVILLE, N.C. — Legacy Motor Club is set to field three cars in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2027, team owner Jimmie Johnson told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Johnson’s organization will expand from two cars to three next season, adding another driver to the stable.
“Without question, we will have a third car on the grid next year,” Johnson said. “As we continue to improve, we continue to show inside the industry our growth and commitment to growth, we’ll be able to attract and recruit the right individuals to help come in and really grow the workforce for this third car. That’s really an exciting time for us when we can bring a lot of IP in house, have 30% more on-track time and all the benefits that come with running an additional car will help speed up our progress.”
Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek currently race for Legacy Motor Club. Nemechek is 22nd in points (-25 to the Chase cutline) and Jones is 28th (-41). Jones recently finished 10th at Phoenix. Nemechek’s best finish this season was 17th at Circuit of the Americas.
Who could go in the third Legacy car?
Corey Heim
The hottest prospect in NASCAR right now, Corey Heim, somehow doesn’t have a full-time ride in 2026 but that could soon change and it could come with Legacy.
Although 23XI Racing has Heim under contract, if there is a push to get him to the Cup Series and Toyota – plus other key partners – are behind it, then he could find himself in that car in 2027.
Heim seems like an obvious pick. In eight starts, he has had a pair of standout runs – 13th at Kansas last May and sixth at Bristol last September – that saw him mixing it up in the field with no hesitation. With 14 more starts set to come this season, he will only get better and learn what he needs to make the jump.
Jesse Love
Last year, Johnson specifically pointed out Love as a driver he had his eye for a possible third car.
Love is the defending NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champion who races for Richard Childress Racing. He is in his third NOAPS season and is in that timeframe where he is primed to move up to the NASCAR Cup Series.
The stats also support a potential promotion for Love. He has three wins, 19 top-five finishes, 44 top-10 finishes and nine poles in 70 starts with an average finish of 11.1 and 810 laps led. This season alone, he has three top-fives and four top-10s in four races and has led 172 laps.
Love has been quieter in Cup. However, he has been progressing slowly. Most recently at Circuit of the Americas, he started and finished 27th on the lead lap.
Like Heim, Love likely has more Cup starts to come in 2026. Those will prepare him for the nuances of the series to see if he is ready for a 2027 jump.
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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