Resilience has been the name of the game for Jimmie Johnson. The seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion became a team owner in 2023 and has pursued lofty dreams since. These involved shifting to a new OEM and tackling multiple challenges on the racetrack. Yet almost three years since its formulation, LMC continues to struggle – as one of Johnson’s drivers admitted ahead of the 2026 NASCAR season.
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Jimmie Johnson’s driver sees a long road ahead
“100% is the end of the road, and that checkered flag in your chasing championships. I would say we’re at at 40%, 50 percent mark somewhere there,” was the bold confession that Erik Jones made in an interview with Bob Pockrass. “I would say, legacy’s in the middle of the Rebuild. You know, if you look at 2024 was a real start, made a lot of changes, a lot of hirings, a lot of firings, and we’re now two years on with a new manufacturer. And new people in a lot of places.”
Where is Legacy Motor Club as far as trying to get to where it wants to be? Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek speaking a few weeks ago on trying to improve (and Jones on new crew chief Justin Alexander): @NASCARONFOX pic.twitter.com/e85eKaRckX
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) February 10, 2026
Indeed, Legacy Motor Club has seen a team shuffle in recent times. For the 2026 season, Justin Alexander has become the new crew chief for Erik Jones and the No. 43 LMC Toyota Camry XSE, replacing Ben Beshore. Beshore will transition to the role of Director of Race Engineering. Also, Chief Financial Officer Scott Roggenbauer has been named the Chief Operating Officer for LMC. But at the same time, Jimmie Johnson’s team has a lot of work to do.
In 2024, the team sagged with just six top-10 finishes and a single top-five across the board. 2025 was a welcome change; John Hunter Nemechek fetched multiple top-10s and even ran upfront at tracks like Darlington. Erik Jones also showed flashes of talent, like in Darlington, where he almost beat Chase Briscoe. Nevertheless, he could only finish the season 24th in points. And a race win was nowhere in sight for either driver. So Jimmie Johnson‘s team is in an uncomfortable reality.
Jimmie Johnson continues part-time in the No. 84 Toyota, a non-chartered entry. In 2025, he stood out with a spectacular 3rd-place finish at the Daytona 500. As the 2026 iteration approaches, the team owner is high-spirited.
And Erik Jones is looking forward to the new season as well, with fresh partnerships.
Forging new bonds for growth
The foremost goal for LMC, as Erik Jones stated, is to pave the path to race trophies. For that, Jones has a dynamic colleague on his team. Justin Alexander, the new No. 43 crew chief, has a successful resume. He won five races with Austin Dillon at Richard Childress Racing, including the 2017 Coca-Cola 600 and the 2018 Daytona 500.
“He seems like a great guy, very smart, very intelligent, usually very well-thought-out in what he’s trying to explain,” Erik Jones said. “I think he has a lot of vision and a lot of great ideas. But I think he is pretty open to others as well. Some stuff at the test we learned was new for him, I think, and helped out. So I’m excited about it; he’s got a great pedigree, honestly, for his time in this sport as crew chief. I hope we can make his and mine both a little bit better.”
As per a recent announcement, AdventHealth will sponsor Jones and the No. 43 team for 11 NASCAR Cup Series events in 2026. This partner, albeit not new, will help push Erik Jones towards more consistency and a race trophy in 2026.
All hands are on deck for Jimmie Johnson’s team making a breakthrough in NASCAR. Let’s wait and see what unfolds.
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