NASCAR Silly Season Rumors 2025: Jimmie Johnson-led LMC could steal Jesse Love from RCR with third charter

According to recent rumors, Legacy Motor Club (LMC) is pursuing Richard Childress Racing's Xfinity Series star Jesse Love for its third Cup charter for 2026.

Seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson-led LMC, which switched from Chevrolets last year, fields two full-time Toyota entries with John Hunter Nemechek and Erik Jones. The team also fields a part-time car for the majority owner and is looking for a third charter. However, the legal dispute with Rick Ware Racing (RWR) over an alleged charter sale has stalled their plans.

According to FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass, Love’s connection to Toyota could help him in joining LMC.

LMC filed a suit against RWR in early April and claimed that the team agreed to transfer a charter to them for 2026. If the court rules in LMC’s favor, the additional charter would clear the way for LMC to field a third car and potentially offer Love a Cup ride under Toyota. RCR has already locked in its 2026 roster with current drivers Kyle Busch and Austin Dillon, and LMC could benefit from the logjam.

However, the team has had limited success in the years since its rebranding in 2022. Both its full-time drivers, Nemcheck and Jones, finished the 2024 Cup season ranked 34th and 28th in the points standings overall.

Meanwhile, Love, who captured the 2023 ARCA Menards Series title in a Toyota, has impressed in Xfinity, consistently performing among the series’ best. The 20‑year‑old is currently in his second full-time season with RCR and stands fourth in the Xfinity points standing ahead of this weekend's race in Mexico City.

---

Jesse Love's NASCAR Cup schedule for 2025

Jesse Love has made three NASCAR Cup starts so far this year but has struggled to land good results. He finished in 31st and 29th place at Bristol and Kansas in RCR's No. 33 Chevrolet. The two-time Xfinity race winner made another Cup start in Beard Motorsports' No. 62 Chevy at Texas, which also ended with a 31st-place finish.

Love is scheduled to appear in two more Cup races, one with RCR at Richmond Raceway on August 16 and the other with Beard Motorsports at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 27.

"I'll have a chance to at least do it a couple more times this season. The goals are to keep collecting experience and learning the Cup car. Both races at Texas and Indy will allow me to gain knowledge of how this car races at different tracks, which will hopefully set me up to pounce on future opportunities," Jesse Love said in a statement (via Jayski).

Meanwhile, in the Xfinity Series, Love has collected one win at the season opener at Daytona and eight other top-10s so far.