Getty Noah Gragson (left) & Jimmie Johnson (right) talk during the race weekend at COTA.
A major change is taking place in the NASCAR Cup Series garage. Legacy Motor Club will switch to a new OEM, starting with the 2024 season.
The news dropped on May 2 ahead of the trip to Kansas Speedway. Legacy MC revealed that it will join Toyota Racing Development while helping the OEM expand to eight full-time entries in the NASCAR Cup Series. Legacy MC will receive considerable support while Toyota Racing will achieve its goal of expanding further into NASCAR.
“Maury Gallagher and I are very excited about the partnership with Toyota and TRD beginning in 2024,” team co-owner Jimmie Johnson said in a statement. “We admire and respect the level at which Toyota conducts their business in this sport and look forward to forging a new legacy for the future.
“I will always be appreciative to Chevrolet and everything we have accomplished together. I’m so thankful they took a chance on a kid from California so long ago and proud that the history books will forever memorialize our record-breaking success we shared.”
The 2 Legacy Motor Club Drivers Return to Toyota Racing
GettyLegacy Motor Club will join forces with Toyota Racing in 2024.
The move to Chevrolet will be a significant change for Johnson, who spent his entire Cup Series career in the Chevrolet camp while winning seven championships. It will be less jarring for the two full-time drivers.
Erik Jones and Noah Gragson both spent a considerable amount of time with Toyota Racing Development. Jones, in particular, won a Craftsman Truck Series championship with Kyle Busch Motorsports in 2015. He then won nine Xfinity Series races and two Cup Series races with Joe Gibbs Racing.
Jones joined Chevrolet after the 2020 season. Joe Gibbs Racing put Christopher Bell in the No. 20 Toyota Camry while Jones moved over to Richard Petty Motorsports. Now, he will return to Toyota Racing Development once again.
All of Gragson’s Xfinity Series wins were with JR Motorsports and Chevrolet, but he spent two full-time Truck Series seasons with TRD. He drove for Kyle Busch Motorsports in 2017 and 2018 while winning two races. He also finished second in the 2018 championship standings behind Brett Moffitt.
“We are humbled and delighted to welcome Legacy Motor Club into the Toyota and TRD NASCAR family,” said David Wilson, President of TRD. “Jimmie Johnson and Maury Gallagher have impressed us with their long-term vision and commitment to building a championship-caliber organization.
“More importantly, their character and values are aligned with ours and our current Cup Series partners, Joe Gibbs Racing and 23XI Racing. Of course, we also look forward to being reunited with our old friends, Erik Jones and Noah Gragson.”
2024 Will Feature the Most Toyota Entries Since 2011
The move to Toyota Racing Development adds two more entries to the OEM’s lineup. There will now be eight, split between Joe Gibbs Racing, 23XI Racing, and Legacy Motor Club.
The last time Toyota Racing had this many entries was during the 2011 season. There were several teams that worked with the OEM during the 36-race season. Some were full-time members of the family while others ran different entries for different races.
Joe Gibbs Racing was obviously on this list, as was Michael Waltrip Racing. JTG Daugherty Racing, Red Bull Racing Team, Germain Racing, NEMCO Motorsports, and HP Racing all used Toyota stock cars while LTD Powersports alternated between multiple entries.
“All of us at Toyota are thrilled to add Legacy Motor Club to our NASCAR family,” said Jack Hollis, Executive Vice President of TMNA and President of Toyota Motor Sales. “While Toyota’s tenure in NASCAR has yielded on-track success, our proudest accomplishments are those relationships that have been built off the racetrack.
“Jimmie Johnson and Maury Gallagher along with the great club that Legacy MC is assembling, will be a great addition to our existing Cup Series team partners with Joe Gibbs Racing and 23XI Racing who are truly part of our family.”