STATESVILLE, N.C. — Legacy Motor Club named Josh Berry to its No. 42 car for the 2027 NASCAR Cup Series season.
Berry will take over the No. 42 Toyota from John Hunter Nemechek, the team first announced Tuesday to “The Club”.
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The announcement comes a week after Legacy announced Nemechek’s release after 2026 and two months after Wood Brothers Racing’s release for the same time.
For Berry, the last two months have been a major turnaround. After a disastrous start to the season that likely cost him his ride, he now has six consecutive top-10 finishes. That includes a stellar third-place finish in the race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway that Legacy sponsor Dollar Tree sponsored.
Berry will be 36 years old when the 2027 season starts. Combined with experience at a team adjacent to Team Penske, he could be a key asset for Legacy for the next decade.
Berry has one NASCAR Cup Series win – at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March of 2025 – and a subsequent Chase berth. His recent run of top-10s has allowed him to rack up the second-best average finish and seventh-most points of all drivers in the last six races.
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Berry ranks behind only Christopher Bell for average finish. For points earned, he’s behind only Bell, Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, Ty Gibbs and Chase Briscoe.
In those six races, Nemechek has ranked 30th for points earned. Meanwhile, Legacy driver Erik Jones has ranked 32nd, thanks to two unfortunate crash DNFs – at Iowa Speedway and Daytona International Speedway – and another DNF from a mechanical failure, in the Dollar Tree 301 at New Hampshire.
Legacy has been busy signing drivers this month. The long-awaited signing of Riley Herbst was made official Thursday, Sept. 3, naming him to the No. 84 Toyota for 2027. He will have support mainly from Monster Energy.
Team owner Jimmie Johnson has ramped up the team, naming new investors and signing different personnel from top teams, like Hendrick Motorsports’ Brian Campe.
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Johnson told Roundtable he expects his team to contend for a NASCAR Cup Series championship within the next few years. However, they have a ways to go. None of their teams have ever made the Chase. Their best points finish is 19th in 2022 with Erik Jones and the No. 43 team.
Jones is expected to return to the team in 2027 to join Herbst and Berry.
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