Legacy Motor Club has signed Trevor Bayne as Driver Optimization Leader and Corey Heim as reserve driver to their NASCAR Cup team for 2024.
The team announced the signings on Tuesday, January 25th. Legacy Motor Club was founded in 2021 after the purchase of Richard Petty Motorsports. Entrepreneur Maury Gallagher and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson are co-owners of the team. Mike Beam, Cal Wells III, and Bill Scott take leadership as President, Chief Executive Officer, and Chief Operating Officer, respectively. Another seven-time Cup Champion of legend Richard Petty is the Club’s Ambassador. Additionally, former Cup Title victor Matt Kenseth signed to the team in October as Competition Advisor. Johnson, Petty, and Kenseth bring a combined 15 Titles to their resume alongside a growing team of personnel.
Legacy Motor Club fields two full-time Cup Series entries. Erik Jones enters his fourth full-time season as driver of the No. 43. Teammate John Hunter Nemechek fills the No. 42 seat in his first year with the team and second full-time year in the Cup Series (his first since 2020).
Co-owner Jimmie Johnson will attempt a minimum of nine races for the team including the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400. He will drive the No. 84; the numbers reversed from his iconic No. 48 ride with Hendrick Motorsports. Johnson retired from full-time Cup Series competition in 2020 and raced part-time last season.
TEAM MODIFICATIONS
In the past 13 months, massive changes have been made at Legacy Motor Club. Firstly, the team name changed away from what was once known as “Petty GMS Motorsports.” In May of last year, the team announced the switch of Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) from Chevrolet to Toyota for 2024. Additionally, Dollar Tree and subsidiary Family Dollar were announced as new sponsors in a multi-year deal. Former driver Noah Gragson was suspended by NASCAR in August and ultimately released himself from the team. Additionally, Maury Gallagher’s ARCA team ceased operation for the 2023 season, and his Craftsman Truck Series teams closed their doors at the end of last year.
The leadership and various changes across Legacy Motor Club lead to a highly-anticipated 2024 with the addition of Trevor Bayne and Corey Heim.
New Driver Optimization Leader Trevor Bayne works as an analyst on FOX’s “NASCAR Race Hub.” He started in three Xfinity Series races last season and has made numerous starts in all three of NASCAR’s leading series. In 2011, Bayne became the youngest winner ever of the Daytona 500 just one day after his 20th birthday.
Corey Heim will serve as the Legacy Motor Club’s Simulator and Reserve Driver. The 21-year-old has won nine ARCA Menards Series races and five times in the Craftsman Truck Series with Tricon Garage. Heim battled for the Series Championship but would finish fourth in points after an incident with Carson Hocevar while leading. He returns to full-time competition with Tricon Garage this year.
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