LEGACY Motor Club announces Cal Wells III as new CEO
It is the time of the year when teams start to make changes for the next season. LEGACY Motor Club has appointed Cal Wells III as the new CEO. There is no doubt that the 2023 NASCAR season has not gone the way the organization had hoped. However, there are a lot of new changes coming for 2024 that should get that dark cloud off of them.
Not only will LEGACY Motor Club switch from Chevy to Toyota for their manufacturer, but they also have a new CEO. Folks might remember Cal Wells III for a variety of things in his career. However, above all else, he is a man who has built race-winning teams before.
This is a great move for LEGACY Motor Club. It will also give them an executive that has had very close ties with Toyota over the last 40+ years. The ownership team in Maury Gallagher and Jimmie Johnson are excited.
“With the addition of Cal, we have the right people in place. He has more than 40 years of experience in racing and his senior management experience will shine through immediately. We have had a season of many changes starting with Jimmie partnering with the team and the re-branding of our team, so the addition of Cal is the ‘icing on the cake’ for us right now,” said team co-owner Gallagher, according to a press release.
LEGACY Motor Club will be a lot different next season. The move to Toyota brings Erik Jones full circle as he used to compete for the manufacturer. They will also have Wells to help lead them and build the team out with sponsorship and marketing that can help make the brand popular.
LEGACY Motor Club move makes total sense
When you look back at his history, the Wells move makes a ton of sense. Since 1979, Toyota has leaned on Wells to advance its place in a number of motorsports series. Starting in the Off-Road Championships in the Score Desert Series, Wells helped build a legit team. He would soon make the move, with PPI Motorsports to IndyCar and CART.
Toyota made their mark in the series and put together a competitive team with Wells in charge. Soon, Wells was eyeing NASCAR and so was Toyota. Wells got involved a little ahead of the game on Toyota, and PPI got to work with sponsors like McDonald’s and Tide.
In case you weren’t aware, Ricky Craven and his two career wins, including the Darlington race with Kurt Busch, were under Wells and his leadership.
PPI would close after 2005, but that would allow Wells to move to Michael Waltrip Racing and bring Toyota into NASCAR as well. Since then, he has worked with the manufacturer closely. Now, he’s going to try and do what he does best as the CEO of LEGACY Motor Club.