The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series is shaping up to be a game changer, with small teams like 23XI Racing, Trackhouse Racing, and Wood Brothers Racing creating quite a stir. The star of the season, however, seems to be Jimmie Johnson’s Legacy Motor Club (LMC), a team that’s showing significant promise. The question on everyone’s mind is: Can they maintain this momentum?
Johnson’s full-throttle commitment to his role as an owner has been a turning point for LMC. This season, Johnson is only participating in two races: the Daytona 500, where he finished an impressive P3, and the forthcoming Coca-Cola 600. This is a stark contrast to the previous season when Johnson, unable to shake off his driver’s instincts, participated in nine races without cracking the top 20. His drivers, too, failed to finish in the top 20, indicating a struggle to balance his dual roles. This year, however, things appear to be aligning favorably for Johnson and his team.
The season started on a high note for LMC, with all their drivers performing well at the Daytona 500. John Hunter Nemechek secured P5, while Erik Jones finished at P12 after a near-miss at the Duel race. Jones’ qualifying runs have been particularly impressive, securing P4 at the Daytona 500 and P5 at both the Phoenix and Las Vegas races. Despite the speed of the car, Jones has not been able to replicate his Daytona 500 performance in his subsequent races.
Nemechek’s stats, however, have been consistent. Of his last five races, four have resulted in top 20 finishes, three in the top 15, and two in the top 10. This combination of Jones’s qualifying prowess and Nemechek’s race performance could potentially catapult LMC into a formidable position this season.
NASCAR analyst Eric Estepp echoed this sentiment, stating, “Legacy Motor Club could be a formidable team if they can somehow take Jones’s qualifying and Nemechek’s race performance and combine that.”
The team’s decision to shift from Chevy to Toyota and gather their own data on the next-gen car, which may have posed a short-term challenge, seems to be paying off in the long run. The speed of the Toyota Camry this year, as evidenced by Christopher Bell’s three consecutive wins, coupled with Johnson’s renewed passion for ownership, could signal a positive direction for LMC.
Looking forward, Nemechek’s performance so far suggests that a race win for LMC this season is not out of the question. With four top 20 finishes in just six races, Nemechek is showing substantial year-on-year growth. His successful track record in the Xfinity Series, with seven wins in 2023 and two last season, underscores his potential.
The upcoming Homestead Miami could be a favorable race for Nemechek, given his past success there in the Xfinity Series. Martinsville, where Nemechek has also won in the Xfinity car, could be another race to watch. His average finish of 14.5 on drafting tracks in the Cup Series, coupled with his past success at Nashville in the Xfinity Series, suggests that he could be a strong contender in future Superspeedway races and beyond.
Both Nemechek and Jones have displayed a positive mindset in their recent post-race interviews, which could play a crucial role in LMC’s trajectory this season. After the Las Vegas race, Nemechek stated, “I feel good about our result (P20) after we started but we still have some work to do on our mile and half program but step in the right direction.”
Could 2025 be the best season yet for Legacy Motor Club? Will they secure a win? Only time will tell. For now, though, their progress is certainly worth watching.