Legacy Motor Club has announced a crew chief change ahead of the race weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway.
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Travis Mack will depart the No. 42 team and John Hunter Nemechek after 64 races. He will move on to the next part of his life while Legacy Motor Club promotes strategy manager and senior performance engineer Chais Eliason.
This move is effective immediately, as Eliason takes over the No. 42 team at Bristol. He will remain in the role through the end of the season and then into 2027 as Josh Berry replaces Nemechek as the driver.
Promoting from within.
Chais Elaison will serve as the crew chief on the 42 car for the remainder of the 2026 season as well as in 2027.
Read more: https://t.co/Sz1ibmvxhI pic.twitter.com/gzcvhh4Ss1
— LEGACY MOTOR CLUB (@LEGACYMotorClub) September 17, 2026
"I'm grateful to Legacy for the opportunity to take this next step in my career," said Eliason in a press release.
"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 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 made his way into NASCAR as an engineeer at Hendrick Motorsports in 2012. He held roles while helping Jimmie Johnson (2016) and Kyle Larson (2021) win Cup Series championships. He then served as lead engineer for the No. 48 team.
Eliason also served as an engineer at Hendrick Motorsports, and he became the interim crew chief for Shane van Gisbergen at Kansas Speedway in 2025. Now, he will take on the crew chief role for the foreseeable future as part of the Legacy Motor Club change.
— TMack (@Travis_Mack_X) September 17, 2026
"I've enjoyed working with John Hunter, and I'm proud of the things we were able to accomplish together," Mack said in a statement shared on social media while confirming the change.
"Sometimes this business takes you in a different direction than you expected, but I've been around racing long enough to know that every chapter teaches you something and prepares you for the next one."
Mack's time with Nemechek featured 10 top-10 finishes and three top-fives. He previously served as crew chief at Trackhouse Racing (2021-23) and Kaulig Racing (2024) while celebrating one win with Daniel Suarez.
