After news broke that John Hunter Nemechek is likely out at Legacy Motor Club, Jordan Bianchi from The Athletic revealed that Josh Berry will be reportedly his replacement.
Nemechek and Berry have experienced similar campaigns in the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season, but Berry is on a hot streak with Wood Brothers Racing, which is replacing him at season’s end with 2025 O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champion Jesse Love.
Berry, a likeable personality who made his way through the late model rankings under the leadership of Dale Earnhardt Jr., was left without a ride after the Wood Brothers unexpectedly announced he would be replaced. With limited seats in the Cup Series garage, many believed Berry would end up moving back down to the O’Reilly Series or the Craftsman Truck Series.
The move to Legacy Motor Club will fit like a glove for both sides.
Why Does Josh Berry Fits Legacy Motor Club?
Berry — if all goes according to plan — will join a team led by seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson. Johnson has completely uprooted the two-car team, which will expand to three full-time cars in 2027 after the purchase of a Rick Ware Racing charter.
Literally driving as if his career depends on it, Berry is riding the hottest streak of his young Cup career, with five straight top 10s in the famed No. 21 car. At New Hampshire, he led a season-high 73 laps before finishing third, which is what started to really stir up talk of where he could land.
Nemechek is only one spot higher in the standings than Berry, who fell victim to Ford’s early season struggles as a whole. However, Legacy is the only Toyota team without an alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing, as the team builds its own cars.
Nemechek only has one top five and two top 10s, while teammate Erik Jones has two top fives and five top 10s, nearly qualifying for The Chase before a bumpy few races to end the regular season.
Nemechek was stronger than Jones in 2025, though, with two top fives and eight top 10s after struggling in his first year with the team.
But Johnson is a forward-looking team owner, and understands that the team is now more capable than it was. With three cars in 2027, it will likely be even stronger.
Berry will provide a decent amount of short-track prowess that has been missing from the Toyota-backed organization. He will also be a good fit for sponsors due to his clean racing on-the-track and family atmosphere off-the-track.
Legacy’s Expansion
Berry will likely be the No. 2 driver to Jones, who will return in 2027 to Legacy Motor Club.
The team will soon announce its new third driver, which will likely be Riley Herbst, who is departing 23XI Racing for Corey Heim.
Herbst, who is in his second year with 23XI Racing, has three top 10s in 2026, and he sits in 26th in the standings ahead of both Nemechek and Berry. He will also bring sponsorship from Monster Energy with him to the new third Legacy Motor Club entry.
Josh Berry Is A Perfect Fit For Legacy Motor Club