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In May 2023, Legacy Motor Club announced that they switch from Chevy to Toyota. With this new era in the young organization's history upon us, how will this jump impact NASCAR in 2024?
In May 2023, Legacy Motor Sports announced that the organization would switch from Chevy to Toyota beginning in 2024. The decision to jump manufacturers came as a surprise to many, particularly given the decorated history that Legacy minority owner Jimmie Johnson had with Chevrolet.
Nevertheless, with this new era in the young company’s history upon us, the question now becomes what impact this will have on both Toyota and Legacy Motor Sports.
While the answers to these questions may not be fully answered for some time, there are three things that we can anticipate going into the season.
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Legacy Will Not Be An Afterthought for Toyota
With Toyota, Legacy moves way up the line: In 2023, there were 16 Chevrolets in the Cup Series, divided between eight teams. Given that two of these teams are traditional powerhouses (Hendrick Motorsports and Richard Childress Racing) and that one is quickly becoming a fan-favorite organization (Trackhouse Racing), smaller teams like Legacy can feel like it is less of a priority.
On the contrary, with Toyota, Legacy will be one of three teams racing for the Japanese manufacturer, representing just two of eight cars. This alone should give fans of Legacy confidence that they will not be an afterthought, particularly given that there is far less competition for attention from the manufacturer, a focus that should help the No. 42 and No. 43 to be more competitive this season.
NEWS: LEGACY MOTOR CLUB to partner with @ToyotaRacing beginning with the 2024 season.
Read more: https://t.co/VI2y9sKYgt pic.twitter.com/WmyqDrR6Rg
— LEGACY MOTOR CLUB (@LEGACYMotorClub) May 2, 2023
The Partnership With Legacy Shows Toyota’s Commitment to NASCAR
When Toyota debuted in the Cup Series in 2007, there were a lot of questions about Toyota’s long-term commitment to the sport, particularly given the negative response that many NASCAR fans had in the aftermath of the announcement.
Fast forward 18 seasons, and it is clear that Toyota continues to see NASCAR as an essential part of its business model as the company has added four cars since 2021 (No. 23, No. 45, No. 42, and No. 43). This type of investment goes a long way in growing the sport as it shows a level of confidence from a strong business partner.
Legacy Joins a Winning Brand
Except for rookie Ty Gibbs (who won the 2023 Rookie of the Year), all five other Toyota drivers in the Cup Series qualified for the 2023 NASCAR playoffs. Going back to 2022, these same five drivers (Hamlin, Busch, Bell, Reddick, and Wallace) have all found their way to the winner’s circle, results that show that Toyota puts out a competitive car.
With Legacy now a member of the Toyota family, expectations should be high that the No. 42 and No. 43 will experience success similar to what Joe Gibbs and 23XI Racing have experienced in recent years.
John Hunter Nemechek will drive the No. 42 Toyota in 2024, Legacy Motorsports has announced, replacing Noah Gragson. Visit @cupscene to read my full story where I look at some of the consequences of the deal for Legacy and Nemechek: https://t.co/5tbghHvspj pic.twitter.com/K4jQROtQUt
— Owen Johnson (@Owen____Johnson) September 7, 2023
2024 Outlook
Although switching to a new car manufacturer, even to one as consistent as Toyota, doesn't guarantee success, it creates a hope that Legacy Motor Company may not have had otherwise. Considering the success of 23XI Racing, a team that's built similarly to Legacy, there's no reason why Legacy can't achieve success quickly, success that will disrupt the status quo when it comes to the NASCAR Playoffs.
