DARLINGTON, S.C. — Few teams have been more squarely in the NASCAR Silly Season crosshairs over the last week than Legacy Motor Club. In the handful of days since team co-owner Jimmie Johnson unveiled the retro-themed No. 48 that he’ll run in his Daytona 500 farewell next year, the team announced the pending departure of John Hunter Nemechek from Legacy’s No. 42 Toyota, then welcomed Riley Herbst to a full-time spot in the team’s No. 84 ride on the next day.
One of the constants within the organization’s walls has been the No. 43 and Erik Jones, a combination that’s endured through the team’s transition from Richard Petty Motorsports to Petty GMS to Legacy M.C., and from Chevrolet to the Toyota banner. Though he sits 21st in the Cup Series standings, just outside The Chase presented by Mobil 1, Jones arrives at Darlington Raceway in search of his third Cook Out Southern 500 crown in Sunday’s Labor Day classic (5 p.m. ET, USA Network, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
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Though Herbst had been linked to Legacy Motor Club’s proposed third entry in recent weeks, the confirmation that Nemechek would not return to the team in 2027 was more abrupt. Nemechek is in his third season with LMC and ranks 27th in the Cup Series standings ahead of the 10-race home stretch.
“I mean, I guess at the end of the day, I’ve been through the same thing, and it’s never easy,” Jones said before Saturday’s scheduled on-track Cup Series activity was washed away by rain. “I wasn’t privy to sit in many conversations or those discussions, so I don’t really know what all led up to it. He was a good teammate while he was here for me, the last two years or so. … So it’s never easy to make that change, but obviously there was a decision that led to it that I’m not sure, but we’ll move on. It’s never easy. Change is hard, and relationships are tough, and it’s never fun to have to go through that. But at the end of the day, I’m hoping the best for him and he can find a new home and somewhere that works.”
Jones’ sympathies with Nemechek’s situation stem from his own career arc, which first rose through the Toyota pipeline and Joe Gibbs Racing and its affiliates. His dismissal after the 2020 campaign with JGR’s No. 20 team hit hard, especially after multiple years within that ecosystem. Upon reflection, Jones says he appreciates the door that opened afterward.
“I mean, I know the feeling,” Jones said. “I know the feeling of getting that call and what the emotions are and kind of where it puts you as a headspace, and some of the worry and doubt of what’s next and where do things go from here. You know, I remember all those emotions really well from that day. At the end of it all, I think there’s things to be learned. I know I learned a lot from my experience, from losing my job at the 20 and finding a new home here and what it’s taught me over the years. I didn’t think it was a positive at the time because there’s no way you could look at it like that, but look, if I look at it now and who I am today, it was a positive day for me.”
Jones says he’s been involved in the discussions about what comes next with the No. 42’s sudden vacancy, saying the ideal candidate would be “somebody who fits the culture well and fits the mold.” The goal once that lineup is firmed up, Jones says, is three competitive teams that can make gains against the heavyweights in the Cup Series garage.
He also says he’s ready to accept the leadership mantle as the team’s senior-most driver, bringing Herbst into the fold from 23XI Racing.
“He’s still got some work to be done at the job he’s at,” Jones says, “but I’ve reached out and tried to bridge that gap and build that relationship there. You know, at the end of the day now it’s just going to be me who’s been here for a while, so bridging some of these gaps of where’s the team at, and what do we need from drivers, what’s expected from them, that’s kind of going to fall more on my shoulders at this point, so we’ll start as early as we can.”
Jones was a fringe contender for The Chase field, registering a season-best second place at Michigan in early June and following through with a sixth-place result at Pocono the next week. Fifth at Atlanta in July helped keep him in the conversation, but Jones’ aspirations sagged with three DNFs in the final four regular-season events that shut him out of the 16-driver grid.
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The last early exit came just last weekend at Daytona, where Carson Hocevar’s crash in the late going collected Jones’ No. 43 Toyota. Though there was no ill intent from the meeting of their two cars, Jones says the two texted about the incident to make sure the air was clear.
“Yeah, I sent him a message, and we chatted back and forth. He was sorry and felt bad about it,” Jones said. “Obviously at the end of the day, he just made a mistake and wrecked. You know, it‘s not like he intentionally went out to take us out of the race. You know, he just lost control. So yeah, is it frustrating? Sure, for me. But I mean, at the end of the day, everybody gets held to a different standard. I think if it’s somebody that never causes trouble and they wreck and cause a wreck, there’s probably no talk or not much talk. But your reputation does precede you at some points, and unfortunately for him right now, that’s the situation.”
Jones says he still has goals to achieve the rest of the way this year, starting with Darlington, which has produced two of the three wins in his Cup Series career. Finishing 17th in the standings as the “best of the rest” outside The Chase picture would be a source of pride, and Darlington would be a logical jumping-off point for that quest.
Asked to pinpoint what exactly stood out about the 1.366-mile oval and why he’s taken to it, Jones pointed to a “natural feel” for tire management on the rough track surface and a resemblance to the tracks that shaped his early career at the grassroots level.
“I mean, we always circle this track on the calendar each year,” said Justin Alexander, the No. 43 team’s crew chief. “I don’t know what it is about this place that he likes, but he just knows how to get around here. Some drivers just have tracks that suit them, and this one suits him. So, I think he does look forward to it. I look forward to it. We’re just looking to have a good run, and hopefully get ourselves in position to maybe get a win. He’s done it here before, and I think we can do it again.”
