Heading into the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB has made a couple of additions to the team's staff through a couple of key competition roles.
The race team has announced Trevor Bayne, the 2011 Daytona 500 winner, as the team's Driver Optimization Leader. Additionally, Corey Heim has been added as the simulator and reserve driver for the upcoming season.
Bayne, according to a team press release, will work closely alongside LEGACY MOTOR CLUB's competition advisor Matt Kenseth and Bayne's primary role will be race preparation for the team's drivers -- John Hunter Nemechek, Erik Jones, and Jimmie Johnson.
The 32-year-old Bayne is excited and in awe of his new role.
“I’m super humbled that Jimmie (Johnson), Joey (Cohen), Matt (Kenseth) and our drivers are trusting me with their preparation process this year," Bayne stated in the release. "Preparation is one of the biggest keys in motorsports, and with so much data that is available to the drivers, it’s my job to translate the most important parts to them and work with them to make sure they are ready to go in all aspects come race weekend. Jimmie, Matt and I built a great relationship through road biking and training together over the years. We all share a common mentality that drivers can all become even better at their craft if they are willing to put in the work -whether that be in fitness, studying, or leading their teams. Relying on raw ability at this level isn’t enough. It’s funny, because when I was a driver everything felt like it was being built around me, so as I make this transition, I’m looking forward to building up others and helping them make the most of their careers. Very few teams have in house programs like this so I’m excited to build this from a blank slate alongside our leaders and drivers.”
For Heim, the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series regular season champion and third place finisher in the championship standings, this is an opportunity of a lifetime.
“This is a big opportunity, and I can’t thank everyone at LEGACY M.C. and Toyota for believing in me. The access to information and the extra sim time as I continue to grow in my career is extremely valuable. I’m looking forward to learning as much as possible from the drivers and Club members at the track.” said Heim.
Heim, who has scored five wins for the Toyota nameplate in the NASCAR Truck Series ranks will be a major factor, from the simulator room, in the success that the LEGACY MOTOR CLUB team has on the track in 2024. Bayne will factor in large part to the success as well.
“With the parity of the race vehicles, NASCAR NextGen competition has placed a huge emphasis on the driver and their abilities to extract performance. Corey and Trevor are critical components to ensure our drivers have the best data and tools to execute and deliver results at the racetrack for LEGACY M.C. Toyota Racing also provides excellent resources to support this program and we are excited to see the results it can produce this season,” said Cohen.
In addition to his roles with LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, Heim has also been named the reserve driver for the 23XI Racing team for the 2024 season as well.
Photo Credit: LEGACY MOTOR CLUB
