Veteran teams, including the likes of Hendrick Motorsports and Richard Childress Racing, make the NASCAR Cup Series quite a difficult field for new teams. But that can be changed if the team is backed by a former racing legend, who has the expertise and resources to bring significant changes. That is exactly what the case with Legacy Motor Club seems to be. Owned by seven-time Champion Jimmie Johnson, the team has shown stable improvements in the past two years.

2026 could be a breakthrough year for them. Under Johnson’s guidance, the team has been making quite a few major restructurings. Most recently, the team even went ahead to sign an iconic member from Richard Childress Racing, who could prove to be LMC’s competitor this year, if their plan goes to work. But this iconic member has quite a story to share, especially having left RCR multiple times before rejoining them. Moreover, his role with LMC doesn’t seem to be limited.

Erik Jones’ 2026 crew chief looks back on his days after leaving RCR

Justin Alexander is an iconic crew chief in the NASCAR Cup Series. He has helped Austin Dillon win races, and despite moving away from RCR back in 2022, he took the backseat once again in 2024 with the driver. His influence with teams is rather strong, and that is exactly what made him the perfect candidate for LMC, as they signed him as Erik Jones’ crew chief for the 2026 season.

Despite his immense experience, this wouldn’t be a very smooth transition for Alexander. He had been away from racing ever since he left Richard Childress’ crew. Having spent some time with family in the past months, he found LMC’s work more comfortable, and with scope to improve it.

“I took a little bit of a break earlier this past year after I left RCR,” he told SiriusXM. “I took some time off. Spend some time with my family and just got reset[…]I came over to Legacy about midway through this past year and just gonna start over here doing some  things for helping them out, and you know, really just found a good home over here.”

Even though Alexander had walked away from racing, why did he return with Legacy? Well, there seem to be multiple explanations for it, the primary one being the team’s work culture and what they would demand from the long-time chief.

Justin Alexander’s experience is pivotal at Legacy Motor Club

Working with Legacy Motor Club seems to be the right choice for Justin Alexander. In recent years, including 2017 and 2022, he has left his position as crew chief multiple times to spend more time with his family. However, with RCR, he was called back every single time, helping Dillon clinch multiple NASCAR victories. But that pressure is unlikely to persist with Legacy. The team is new. Although their drivers have proven to be race winners, the cars don’t seem to be as strong in their current state. To put it simply, it will be Alexander’s experience in the years of racing, both as an engineer and a crew chief, that the team would need the most. His role with the team is expected to expand beyond just a single car.

“All the years I’ve been on the box and to help the team out, and you know, just it was a good fit, and we shuffle a few things around, and I think we made the company stronger as a whole, so I think it’s gonna work out great,” he said.

As it seems right now, Johnson’s team is expecting to expand their NASCAR operations in the future. With Alexander on their side, LMC will get closer to its goal, as his move seems to be part of a bigger plan.

“Certainly, as we’re trying to grow and certainly looking towards the future, we want to try to get the best people and keep the best people we can to help strengthen the organization as a whole,” he further mentioned.

At the same time, he is expected to have some indirect influence within the team.

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Can Alexander make LMC a NASCAR race winner?

Austin Dillon struggled with top finishes at Richard Childress Racing before Justin Alexander backed him up as his crew chief. Shortly after his arrival, Dillon won his maiden race, the 2017 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte. This marked a major change for the team and for him as a driver. The next year, he managed to become a Daytona 500 winner.

In fact, this trend continued. After a winless season in 2019, Alexander was reinstated as Dillon’s CC the following year, and he delivered yet another race win, this time in Texas.

Following these trends, Justin Alexander became a cornerstone of RCR’s modern racing identity. He has proven to be a catalyst for performance, which is exactly what LMC needs.

LMC has showcased some improvement recently, but they’re still far from being a race-winning team. Erik Jones had four top-5 finishes in 2025, and perhaps all it would take is a chief like Justin Alexander to convert it to a race win. Moreover, as mentioned, the team will also benefit from his years as an engineer, apart from his excellence as a crew chief.

The bottom line is this: Alexander’s signing to LMC is perhaps one of the best decisions Jimmie Johnson could have made. This could erase the defining line between an emerging team and a legendary team like Richard Childress Racing.