Bubba Wallace’s spotter discloses rumors about Haas and Jimmie Johnson’s LMC’s cancelled NASCAR deal

There are unconfirmed rumors that Legacy Motor Club, owned by seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, is considering merging with the newly formed remnant of Stewart-Haas Racing, Haas Factory Team. This could also include the purchase of the No. 41 charter, to add a third car to LMC’s roster.

Jimmie Johnson’s team is already in a legal battle with Rick Ware Racing over a previous charter deal. That being said, Freddie Kraft, spotter for Cup Series driver Bubba Wallace, revealed yet another rumor that makes the previous one about LMC and Haas Factory Team look a bit less interesting.

Calling Haas Factory Team by its old name, Stewart Haas Racing (SHR), Kraft said (1:08:20),

“We heard about a month ago that SHR was potentially going to merge with Legacy (Motor Club) in some sort. I heard that the deal is out of the window and SHR potentially going Chevy. Is that floating around? That is the rumor I heard.”

Legacy Motor Club switched its manufacturer alignment from Chevrolet to Toyota for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season. Well, if what Kraft said were to be true, it’s most unlikely that a Toyota organization would ever consider merging with a Chevy team.

Last Sunday at Darlington, Legacy Motor Club brought home a pair of top-fives. While most eyes were on Chase Briscoe, who led a race-high 309 laps, LMC drivers Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek quietly worked through traffic, making up for their respective 19th and 30th starting positions with impressive third and fourth-place finishes. Notably, Chase Briscoe ended up winning the event.

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John Hunter Nemechek revealed Jimmie Johnson’s message ahead of Darlington NASCAR race

Following his second top-five performance of the season, that too at a tricky racetrack like Darlington Raceway, John Hunter Nemechek revealed a message from his Legacy Motor Club boss, Jimmie Johnson. Named the Cook Out Southern 500, the 367-lap event marked the opening race of the 2025 playoffs.

Nemechek had four top-10s and no top-five finishes last year, his first season with Legacy Motor Club. However, this season, the Mooresville, North Carolina, native has logged seven top-10s and two top-fives already.

When asked if he received any advice from Jimmie Johnson going into Darlington weekend, Nemechek said,

“To be honest, not a lot. Jimmie, next to me this morning, and said, ‘Be yourself. Remember why we’re here.’ So I guess that was good advice. But I’ve had a really good feeling about coming to this place for quite some time. I love coming to Darlington, it’s one of my favorite race tracks.”

Despite being a non-playoff driver, John Hunter Nemechek still has nine races to bag his maiden victory of the 2025 season. Next up for the driver is the Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway. Scheduled for this coming Sunday, September 7, the 240-lap race will be televised on USA (3 pm ET) with live radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.