Legacy Motor Club has made big changes to be prepared for the 2027 NASCAR season. They added a third charter, expanding from a two-car to a three-car organization. This also came with a few surprises. John Hunter Nemechek was fired despite a renewal and Josh Berry is going to be his replacement in the No. 42 car.

From Jimmie Johnson’s standpoint, it was a necessary change the team needed to make. And now, Richard Petty, the team ambassador, has chimed in on the internal changes, along with Josh Berry’s inclusion.

King Petty was asked about Berry’s inclusion in the LMC lineup, and his response was measured while highlighting the limitations of the current setup. “I think for Legacy to move forward, we’re going to have to start getting the drivers in there that can be competitive and can race with each other to make each other better. And right now we’ve not got that.” These six words, “right now we’ve not got that” explain why LMC made drastic changes to their lineup.

Erik Jones is a two-time Southern 500 winner, but he isn’t under pressure from his teammate, John Hunter Nemechek, to outpace or outperform him on the racetrack. An inter-team rivalry is what pushes drivers to compete for those top-10, top-five finishes and, eventually, a win. Take 23XI Racing, for example.

Tyler Reddick won five races this season, and Corey Heim, running a limited schedule, bagged two Cup wins for himself. Now, this in turn fuels a competitive environment within a team, which is absent from Legacy Motor Club. Josh Berry won his first Cup race last year with Wood Brothers in Las Vegas, and he is on quite a run with the No. 21 team.

He collected six consecutive top-10 finishes from the Brickyard 400 to the Southern 500. This was the first time a Wood Brothers Racing driver had accomplished that since David Pearson in 1976. So, the leadership team at LMC identified him as that ideal candidate who can raise the bar within the organization.

“We still have work to do there, but with great collaboration amongst the drivers, Erik and Josh, although they haven’t spent a lot of time together, those that know both very well are like, ‘these two dudes are going to be like so good together and pushing each other.’” Johnson explained in a podcast with Dale Jr.

This wasn’t the ideal scenario for Nemechek, as he thought he had a contract to drive the No. 42 LMC Toyota for 2027. “It was definitely very surprising to me and shocking news,” Nemechek said. Moreover, he didn’t have to sign an extension; he had an auto-renewal clause that was in motion and expected to keep him in the No. 42 car.

Josh Berry himself was in a similar predicament. In June, WBR informed him that Jesse Love would be taking over the No. 21 Ford, leaving him stranded mid-season and searching for a new opportunity. After Stewart-Haas Racing’s exit, this was the second time Berry was forced to look out for a new job despite being decent on the track.

Fortunately, the top-10 streak caught Jimmie Johnson’s eye, and he is now going to join Jones and Riley Herbst in a renewed team combination at LMC next season. From driving Chevys at the O’Reilly level to then moving to Ford in the Cup Series, Berry will pilot a Toyota from 2027 onward. It is going to be a cultural shock for him, but it could turn out to be a win-win situation for both parties.

Meanwhile, Nemechek could be headed back to the O’Reilly Series. He has admitted that he wants to get back to winning ways. “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 a** right now, and we’re going to prove all parties involved that helped make this decision that they are going to regret it.”

There are no links or silly-season rumors regarding Nemechek’s next destination, but this can change soon as new doors open up for him.