NASCAR 2026: Daytona 500 winner issues verdict on Cup Series team switch

Daytona 500-winning NASCAR crew chief Justin Alexander has spoken out for the first time since his move to a new position in the Cup Series was confirmed.

Earlier this week, Legacy Motor Club announced that Alexander would be stepping into a new role for the new season, becoming the crew chief of Erik Jones and the No. 43 crew.

Alexander has established himself as a respected crew chief in the NASCAR garage, with his record in the Cup Series standing at five wins, 18 top fives and 54 top 10s on top of the box. Those five victories included Austin Dillon's Daytona 500 win in 2018.

Previously, he also worked as a lead engineer for Legacy Motor Club owner and seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson.

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Legacy Motor Club 'stronger' after Alexander switch

Now, speaking to SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Alexander has offered an insight into the thinking behind the move and how it came about.

“I took a little bit of a break earlier this year after I left RCR, took some time off, spent some time with my family, and just kind of reset and yeah, I came over to Legacy about midway through this past year,” Alexander explained.

“It just kind of started over here doing some things for them, helping them out, and just found a good home over here and really enjoying it being here.

“The opportunity became available and it’s one of the deals where I feel like I can use my experience [and] all the years I've been on the box to help the team out.

“It was just a good fit and we shuffled things around and I think we made the company stronger as a whole. I think it’s going to work out great.”

Putting the dominos in place for a third team

As part of Legacy Motor Club's shakeup, Erik Jones' now former crew chief, Ben Beshore, will move into the position of Director of Race Engineering and remain with the organization.

Alexander says it is all part of preparation for 2027, when the team is looking to expand to a three-car lineup, although he says Legacy will feel the benefits immediately.

“Yeah, certainly as we're trying to grow and looking towards the future, we have to and we want to try to get the best people and keep the best people we can to help strengthen the organisation as a whole,” Alexander confirmed.

“So yeah, a lot of this is preparation for some of that down the line, and then certainly some of the near-term stuff we have going on as well, starting in 2026.

“So all around I think it’s going to be a good move for the company and just going to make it stronger, hopefully, coming out of the gate this year.”