Legacy Motor Club’s expansion just got its crew chief, and NASCAR fans are already sharpening their knives. Meanwhile, RFK Racing owner-driver Brad Keselowski was the only RFK driver not to make the Chase. Yet, three races into the Chase, it’s his team that is going through a change. 

RFK Racing announced on Monday that Keselowski’s crew chief Jeremy Bullins is leaving the team for new opportunities. Keselowski thanked Bullins and wished him well. While Keselowski’s crew chief for the upcoming race at Kansas will be Mike Skarbowski, Bullins’ next role has already been confirmed. 

Legacy Motor Club is expanding to three cars in 2027. Jimmie Johnson has been reshaping the roster. The No. 84 car, which will be LMC’s third car, is set to be piloted by Riley Herbst, who is being replaced in the No. 35 23XI Racing Toyota by Corey Heim next season. 

With Herbst on the way in confirmed, LMC didn’t even take 48 hours after RFK Racing announced Bullins’ departure to announce that he would be the crew chief on the No. 84 car for Herbst. 

“Jeremy Bullins’ experience and leadership are exactly what we need on the No. 84,” said Jimmie Johnson, owner of Legacy Motor Club, according to RACER. “He has a proven record of success at every level of NASCAR, but what truly sets him apart is his ability to develop talent, build winning cultures, and embrace innovation. Pairing him with Riley creates a strong foundation for the No. 84 team to compete, evolve, and achieve long-term success.”

Bullins’ last victory as crew chief came in 2024 when Keselowski won at Darlington, his only race win at RFK as an owner-driver to date. In total, Bullins has 10 wins as a crew chief in the Cup series. 

While Bullins’ departure was one major change for RFK Racing, Johnson’s Legacy has been on the drawing board for a while now. Herbst was the first signing announced in September, which has been a month filled with updates for Johnson’s team. 

LMC told their No. 42 Toyota driver, John Hunter Nemechek, that he will not be returning in 2027, despite having an auto-renewal clause in his contract that secured him till the end of next season. 

In place of Nemechek, Josh Berry, who was let go by Wood Brothers Racing for Jesse Love, was announced as the replacement. Berry will drive the No. 42 Toyota; Erik Jones retains his place in the No. 43 Toyota, and Riley Herbst will be the first full-time driver for LMC’s new No. 84 team. 

Although Johnson has been looking at all the changes being made to LMC for 2027 as positive ones in the correct direction that he aims to take the team in, fans have been ruthless with LMC’s newest hire.

Fans aren’t holding back on Bullins to LMC

As is custom, several journalists announced Bullins’ move to Johnson’s team, and Jeff Gluck’s announcement post was filled with comments that Johnson and his team wouldn’t want to read. 

One fan wrote,  “You could put Chad Knaus, Ray Evernham, Cliff Daniels and Maurice Petty as his CC and he won’t win anything.”

The fan referenced legendary crew chiefs—Knaus (7 titles with Johnson), Evernham (3 with Gordon), Daniels (2 with Larson)—to underscore how bad he thinks Herbst is. 

Another fan wrote, “Maybe Riley’s spins per race metric will go down since the LMC cars are slower 🤷‍♂️,” referring to the multiple spins Herbst has had through the 2026 season, in which he is the only 23XI driver not in the Chase and is currently ranked 30th. 

While LMC drew some flak, RFK and Keselowski caught a few strays too. 

“@RFKracing should sue! Prevent him from being on the box for a year (at least)! Get ahead of it now!” wrote one fan, as a reference to the ongoing lawsuit between Joe Gibbs Racing and Chris Gabehart, who left JGR and joined Spire. 

Another fan wrote, “It won’t hurt Brad as he’s washed & it won’t help Herbst as he’s a never-was pay driver. That is the truth in a sentence.”

The fan called Keselowski washed for not winning in two years, though he competed strongly at Gateway

Gluck’s post wasn’t the only one, though; even Bob Pockrass’ post announcing Bullins’ move was met with similar affection from fans. 

“Da** sh******* crew chief with sh******* driver is crazy,” read one comment, sharing a similar sentiment to those on Gluck’s post. 

That theme continued, with one fan writing, “pairing a** with a**” while another read, “So hyped to watch Riley Herbst stay out after every caution.”

If that wasn’t enough, fans even took a shot at LMC’s ownership structure because of the number of partners they have on board, something that isn’t seen as traditional in a NASCAR team. 

“Is he going to be part owner too? Lol,” wrote one fan to make their point, while another targeted the organization’s finances and wrote, “Cheapest ‘ok’ guy they could get?”

Clearly not the kind of response Johnson and Co. would have expected to see from fans on either of their new personnel. But we will not know who is right, LMC or the fans, until the 2027 season gets underway.