— LEGACY MOTOR CLUB (@LEGACYMotorClub) September 2, 2026Nemechek made his national-series debut in 2013 at age 16 in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving for his father and former racer Joe Nemechek. Nemechek earned his first win in 2015 at Chicagoland Speedway and continued winning in subsequent seasons before advancing to the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series full time in 2019. Nemechek graduated to the Cup Series in 2020 for his rookie year with Front Row Motorsports and notched three top 10s, but he ultimately decided to venture back to the Truck Series full time in 2021, joining Kyle Busch Motorsports to rebuild his career on stronger, winning grounds. That process largely worked, as he won five Truck Series races in 2021 and finished third in the championship standings before winning another two races in 2022 and finishing fifth in the title hunt. Nemechek then joined Joe Gibbs Racing’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Series program full time in 2023, winning a career-high seven races and finishing fourth in the final tally. In all, Nemechek is an 11-time winner in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and a 13-time winner in Trucks. Legacy Motor Club did not immediately announce who will replace Nemechek in the No. 42 car for the 2027 Cup Series season. Two-time Southern 500 winner Erik Jones signed a multiyear contract extension with Legacy in 2024 to pilot its No. 43 Toyota and is set to return to the ride for a sixth season next year.
John Hunter Nemechek out at Legacy after 2026 season
Sean Gardner | Getty Images
John Hunter Nemechek will not return to Legacy Motor Club for the 2027 NASCAR Cup Series season, the team announced Wednesday.
Nemechek currently drives the No. 42 Toyota for the organization and is in his fourth full-time Cup Series season. The 29-year-old ranked 27th in points after the regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway.
MORE: Cup Series Chase standings | Cup schedule
Nemechek has endured an uneven tenure at Legacy M.C. since taking over its No. 42 car ahead of the 2024 season. The second-generation racer posted four top 10s in 2024 and a career-best two top fives and eight top 10s in 2025 en route to a personal-best 20.3 average finish that season.
That same success didn’t translate to the 2026 campaign as Nemechek has posted just one top five and two top 10s this season, the highlight being a fourth-place finish in June at Pocono Raceway to couple with a 10th-place finish in May at Watkins Glen International.