Chais Eliason will be the crew chief for Legacy Motor Club’s No. 42 for the remainder of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season, the team announced Sept. 17.
The promotion will continue through into the 2027 season.
Eliason previously served as strategy manager and senior performance engineer for the team.
“Promoting from within and giving our people an opportunity to grow is central to how we’re building Legacy,” Legacy owner Jimmie Johnson said in a team release. “Chais has shown throughout this season that he’s ready for this. We’re looking forward to seeing what he and the No. 42 team can accomplish over these final eight races and into 2027.”
Eliason started in NASCAR by joining Hendrick Motorsports in 2012 as an intern and was part of Johnson’s 2016 and Kyle Larson’s 2021 championships.
Eliason has also engineered at Trackhouse Racing, even serving as Shane van Gisbergen’s interim crew chief at Kansas Speedway in 2025, where van Gisbergen scored his first top 10 on an oval.
“I’m grateful to Legacy for the opportunity to take this next step in my career,” Eliason said. “I’ve learned a lot working with this group throughout the season, and I’m looking forward to putting that experience to work as we finish out 2026 with John Hunter [Nemechek] and begin preparing for 2027. We have a strong group of people around this team, and I’m excited to lead them through the remainder of the season.”
Eliason replaces Travis Mack as the No. 42’s crew chief. Mack is no longer with the organization.
The No. 42 is currently driven by John Hunter Nemechek, with Josh Berry set to take over in 2027. In 2026, Nemechek has one top five and two top 10s, entering Bristol Motor Speedway 28th in points.
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