PLANO,
Texas, May 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Toyota is
pleased to announce a partnership with LEGACY MOTOR CLUB beginning
with the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) season. With LEGACY M.C. two
entries, Toyota will field eight full-time Toyota Camry TRD's in
NCS action starting next season.
"All of us at Toyota are thrilled to add LEGACY MOTOR CLUB to
our NASCAR family," said Jack
Hollis, executive vice president of TMNA (Toyota Motor North
America) and president of Toyota Motor Sales. "While Toyota's
tenure in NASCAR has yielded on-track success, our proudest
accomplishments are those relationships that have been built off
the racetrack. Jimmie Johnson and
Maury Gallagher along with the great
club that LEGACY M.C. is assembling, will be a great addition to
our existing Cup Series team partners with Joe Gibbs Racing and
23XI Racing who are truly part of our family."
LEGACY M.C. is co-owned by seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion
Jimmie Johnson and businessman
Maury Gallagher. Johnson's NASCAR
legacy ranks him amongst the series' best drivers, as the
California-native ranks sixth
all-time in NASCAR Cup Series victories with 83, along with his
seven championships, five of which happened in consecutive years
(2006-2010). Johnson owns two Daytona 500 victories (2006, 2013)
and four All-Star Race wins (2003, 2006, 2012, 2013). Gallagher has
achieved his own success on the track with his GMS Racing team. GMS
Racing owns two NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series championships (2016
and 2020) along with 65 race wins across six national racing
circuits. Johnson partnered with Gallagher's Petty GMS team at the
end of the 2022 season and guided the rebrand to LEGACY M.C.
beginning with the 2023 racing year. Adding to the legacy of the
organization is team ambassador, Richard
Petty, 'The King.' Petty etched his name into NASCAR's
history with his seven championships and an incredible 200
wins.
"Maury Gallagher and I are very
excited about the partnership with Toyota and TRD beginning in
2024," said LEGACY M.C. co-owner Jimmie
Johnson. "We admire and respect the level at which
Toyota conducts their business in this sport and look forward to
forging a new legacy for the future. I will always be
appreciative to Chevrolet and everything we have accomplished
together. I'm so thankful they took a chance on a kid from
California so long ago and proud
that the history books will forever memorialize our record-breaking
success we shared."
Toyota has achieved its own legacy in NASCAR as it celebrates
its 20th season in national NASCAR competition this year. With
nearly 600 victories across NASCAR's top three divisions, Toyota
has truly made a mark in its short tenure in the sport. Toyota's
Christopher Bell leads the Cup
Series in top-five and top-10 finishes, while four Camry drivers
currently hold top-10 positions in the point standings, which is
tied for the most with any manufacturer. Its winning legacy
includes such drivers as Kyle & Kurt
Busch, Carl Edwards,
Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth and Martin
Truex Jr., all of whom rank amongst NASCAR's most legendary
drivers. Toyota's legacy in the sport is not only at NASCAR's top
level as the manufacturer continues to give young drivers
opportunities to exceed with its extensive driver development
program.
"We are humbled and delighted to welcome LEGACY MOTOR CLUB into
the Toyota and TRD NASCAR family," said David Wilson, president of TRD, U.S.A. (Toyota Racing Development).
"Jimmie Johnson and Maury Gallagher have impressed us with their
long-term vision and commitment to building a championship caliber
organization. More importantly, their character and values are
aligned with ours and our current Cup Series partners, Joe Gibbs
Racing and 23XI Racing. Of course, we also look forward to being
reunited with our old friends, Erik
Jones and Noah Gragson."
Part of Toyota's legacy includes both of LEGACY M.C.'s current
drivers. Gragson made both his NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) and
NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) debuts with Toyota. Gragson
ran 47 races across three seasons with Kyle
Busch Motorsports in the NCTS, earning two victories –
Martinsville (2017) and Kansas
(2018). The Las Vegas-native
finished second in the NCTS standings in 2018 – the same season he
made his NXS debut, where he finished an impressive second at
Richmond Raceway in April of that year driving for Joe Gibbs
Racing.
Jones made history while with Team Toyota as he is the first
driver in NASCAR history to earn Rookie of the Year in all three
national series. He made his Toyota debut in the NCTS in 2013 and
won later that year in his fifth career start at Phoenix Raceway.
Jones later earned the NCTS championship in 2015, which is the same
season he earned his first NXS win at Texas Motor Speedway. He
later moved to the NASCAR Cup Series, where he earned two wins
while competing for Joe Gibbs Racing – Daytona in July 2018 and Darlington in September 2019.
The eight full-time Toyota Camry TRD entries are the most Toyota
supported entries to compete in the NCS since 2011.
About LEGACY MOTOR CLUB
LEGACY MOTOR CLUB is a
professional auto racing club owned by businessman and entrepreneur
Maurice J. Gallagher and seven-time
NASCAR Cup Series champion (NCS) Jimmie
Johnson. The club competes full-time in the NCS fielding the
Nos. 42 and 43 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for drivers Noah Gragson and Erik
Jones, respectively, along with the No. 84 part-time entry
for Johnson in 2023. Richard Petty "The King" serves as team
ambassador.
In 2021, Gallagher acquired Richard
Petty Motorsports and renamed the team to Petty GMS.
With the addition of Johnson to the ownership structure in
2023, the organization rebranded to LEGACY MOTOR CLUB (LEGACY
M.C.). With a unique title signifying a nod to car clubs of past
eras, LEGACY M.C. is an inclusive club for all motorsport
enthusiasts to celebrate the past and future legacies of its
members, while competing for wins and championships at NASCAR's
elite level.
To keep up-to-date with the latest news, information and
exclusive content, follow LEGACY MOTOR CLUB on Facebook
(https://www.facebook.com/LEGACYMOTORCLUB/), Twitter,
(https://twitter.com/LEGACYMOTORCLUB)
Instagram (http://instagram.com/LEGACY.MOTORCLUB) and
at www.LEGACYMOTORCLUB.com.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of
the cultural fabric in North
America for more than 65 years, and is committed to
advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota
and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs more than 48,000 people in
North America who have contributed
to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 45 million cars
and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota's 14th
plant in North Carolina will begin
to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With
more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker,
Toyota currently offers 22 electrified options.
Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights
the way it partners with community, civic, academic and
governmental organizations to address our society's most pressing
mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move,
anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit
www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.
Media Contacts:
Toyota PR Contact:
Sam
Mahoney
980-900-8573
Samuel.Mahoney@toyota.com
Toyota NASCAR PR Contacts:
Lisa Hughes Kennedy, Golin for Toyota Racing
704-902-6476
lhugheskennedy@golin.com
Cody Poor, Golin for Toyota
Racing
323-578-7159
cpoor@golin.com
LEGACY MOTOR CLUB PR Contact
Amy Stock
704-451-8380
astock@legacymotorclub.com
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SOURCE Toyota Racing