Legacy Motor Club makes crew chief change, effective immediately

Legacy Motor Club (LMC) has promoted Chais Elaison, making him the new crew chief for the No. 42, driven by John Hunter Nemechek. In 2027, Josh Berry will take over that entry, with Elaison set to be paired with Berry next year as well.

“I’m grateful to Legacy for the opportunity to take this next step in my career,” said Eliason. “I’ve learned a lot working with this group throughout the season, and I’m looking forward to putting that experience to work as we finish out 2026 with John Hunter and begin preparing for 2027. We have a strong group of people around this team, and I’m excited to lead them through the remainder of the season.”

Elaison has worked as the strategy manager and senior performance engineer for Legacy Motor Club this past year. A Michigan Technological University graduate, he previously worked at Hendrick Motorsports and Trackhouse Racing as an engineer. He was part of the 2016 and 2021 championship-winning teams, and first worked as an interim crew chief with Shane van Gisbergen at Kansas last year. That day, SVG earned his first-ever top ten on an oval.

“Promoting from within and giving our people the opportunity to grow is central to how we’re building Legacy,” said Jimmie Johnson, co-owner of Legacy Motor Club. “Chais has shown throughout this season that he’s ready for this. We’re looking forward to seeing what he and the No. 42 team can accomplish over these final eight races and into 2027.”

Elaison replaces Travis Mack, who is departing the organization. Mack has worked over 200 Cup races from atop the pit box, helping Daniel Suarez to his first-ever Cup win at Sonoma Raceway in 2022. Since then, he has worked as a crew chief for Trackhouse, Kaulig, and Legacy for the past two years.

“We’re thankful to Travis for his many contributions to Legacy and the No. 42 team,” said Johnson. “He has played a pivotal role in this organization and helping the CLUB during an important period of growth. We appreciate the foundation for excellence that he has helped build at Legacy and wish him continued success in his next endeavor.”