Legacy release gives Nemechek renewed motivation: ‘I have a fire lit underneath my ass’

MADISON, Ill. – John Hunter Nemechek didn’t see it coming. Legacy Motor Club’s decision to go in a different direction for the 2027 NASCAR Cup Series season caught the veteran driver by surprise, forcing him to suddenly look elsewhere at the eleventh hour. On Aug. 31, less than 48 hours after finishing 15th in the regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway, Legacy Motor Club brass called a meeting with Nemechek. It’s there that he found out that he wouldn’t be returning to the No. 42 Toyota in 2027 despite having a contract in place. RELATED: Cup Series standings | Gateway schedule "I said OK and walked out the door," Nemechek told NASCAR.com on Saturday at World Wide Technology Raceway about how he handled the news. Nemechek was stunned. He fully expected a fourth season with the No. 42 team, hoping to build on the foundation that he and Erik Jones have laid since the organization transitioned to Toyota in 2024. "It was definitely very surprising to me and shocking news," Nemechek added. "Like Jimmie [Johnson, majority owner of Legacy M.C.] had said on the [Dale Jr] Download, my contract had gotten renewed for another year. "It was definitely surprising. I was still under contract for another year." Emotions boiled over for Nemechek. He returned home to see his daughters, Aspen and Penelope, and enjoyed the rest of the evening. But then he immediately went into reflection mode, wondering how the result could have been changed. "Not knowing that there's a change coming or you are being sat down and being told you are out of the car for 2027, in that moment, you take it all in," he stated. "It was one of those moments where you look back and reflect and you’re like, 'What went wrong? What did I do wrong? What is this, what is that?' You move on from it, continue on and keep pushing as hard as I can every single day." Nemechek couldn’t pinpoint specifically why he was being released. The No. 42 team has a couple of top-10 finishes through the opening three-quarters of the season, with a best effort of fourth place at Pocono Raceway in mid-June. He has the exact same average starting position and finishing position at 22.1. Meanwhile, his replacement, Josh Berry, is on a career heater, earning six straight top-10 finishes, the first time a Wood Brothers Racing driver has accomplished that in over 50 years. "I wish I truly did know the full extent of it," Nemechek said about why he was told this decision was being made. "I was told they wanted to make a change and they felt like the timing was necessary for them to do that with Josh being available and that’s where it went from there." Over the last week-and-a-half, Nemechek has had ample phone calls with various teams. With limited options in Cup, a return to the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series or Craftsman Truck Series – where he has won a combined 24 times – could be in his immediate future, with aspirations of returning to Cup in 2028. "I don't think this one will be another reset," Nemechek said, bluntly. "I do feel like if I do have to take a step back, going and winning races is the number one priority. I have a fire lit underneath my ass right now, and we’re going to prove all parties involved that helped make this decision that they are going to regret it." Johnson admitted earlier this week on the Dale Jr. Download that informing Nemechek of Legacy’s decision was uncomfortable. "We had an auto-renewal with John Hunter, and that happened, I guess, in the summer," Johnson said on the podcast, which was published on Wednesday. "But through that moment to when we finally made the decision – a lot of internal pressure, a lot of pressure in general to potentially make a change. Through all the work that we’ve done with analytics, Josh’s numbers stand out in so many categories." Nemechek sits 28th in the driver standings and has remained within three spots of that position since the sixth race of the season at Darlington Raceway. Execution has been an issue for the No. 42 team, contributing to its mixed results throughout the season. Still, Nemechek takes pride in finishing his Legacy tenure on a strong note. With many team members uncertain about their futures, there is added motivation within the organization to perform at a high level over the final two months of the 2026 season. "I want to go win. I want to go perform the best that I can the last nine weeks," Nemechek elaborated. "It doesn’t matter what is happening behind the scenes or whatever it may be; I'm here to race, I'm here to do my job. I'm going to show up the best that I can prepare, and to prove the decision-makers wrong.”