Joe Gibbs Racing is the poster child of Toyota in the NASCAR Cup Series. It has hosted veteran speedsters like Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, and Denny Hamlin. The team keeps winning laurels almost every other week—like when Hamlin and Chandler Smith swept up the Richmond weekend in April. Other Toyota teams have always maintained a fuzzy relationship with Gibbs, like Hamlin’s brainchild 23XI Racing does. But a past rival’s creation, Legacy Motor Club, chooses to stay aloof.

Jimmie Johnson, a star-studded Cup driver, owns the team. It has weathered several challenges for some time, as both its drivers stand outside the top 30 in points. Despite rampant crew shuffles, this bleak scenario does seem to improve soon. A NASCAR expert believes that is not going to change until Johnson joins hands with Gibbs.

Gibbs’ absence may matter to Legacy Motor Club

Legacy Motor Club is the remnant of an older, stellar team. In 2022, Richard Petty Motorsports—a team whose founder owns 200 Cup Series wins—went into the hands of Maury Gallagher as Petty GMS Racing. Then Jimmie Johnson entered the foray and revamped it into LMC. But the 7-time Cup Series champ’s ownership dreams have trailed in mud so far—the team has had 104 top-10s in 356 Cup Series starts. Erik Jones ranks 30th, while John Hunter Nemechek is 34th in the championship standings.

However, this dire view is unlikely to change unless Johnson makes moves. Moves that entail greater coordination with Joe Gibbs Racing, as Eric Estepp said. “Most of Legacy Motor Club’s problems can be traced back to…their lack of a relationship with Joe Gibbs Racing. Ever since Michael Waltrip Racing closed their doors nearly a decade ago, every single notable Toyota team has had an alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing – from Furniture Row to Levine Family, and now 23XI Racing.” Unlike all the reliant Toyota teams, Jimmie Johnson chooses to be a lone wolf. “They’re attempting to build out their own database themselves.”

This solo approach may be harming Legacy Motor Club already, as Toyota is prioritizing JGR over this team. Estepp further elaborated on this: “There has been some drama behind the scenes between who actually owns the Sim data. What does Toyota own that they can share with Legacy Motor Club versus what does Joe Gibbs Racing own…Legacy has not been getting the most current or accurate Sim data this season. But the data they are getting is helping them build out their notebook hopefully for 2025.” Nemechek currently has just 3 top-ten finishes this year, his best being 6th at Bristol. Erik Jones, on the other hand, equals 1 top-five and 2 top-ten finishes.

Maybe the recent crew chief shuffles, the newest in a series of team changes, do not constitute the solution. However, Jimmie Johnson is well aware of his struggles.

Johnson is facing the music

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Maybe the veteran racer walked away from his IndyCar pursuits too soon. Jimmie Johnson had already achieved everything in NASCAR: 83 Cup wins, 7 championships, and 12 crown jewel victories in 19 full-time seasons. But he barely gave 2 seasons’ time to IndyCar—his 29-race career included just a pair of top-six finishes in year 2. After that, he bought into the stakes of LMC in 2022 and started a new chapter in his NASCAR journey. But two years down the line, he is grappling with the patience it takes to build something in your own image.

After Johnson and his drivers logged finishes of 28th, 29th, and 33rd at this year’s Brickyard 500, the Legacy Motor Club owner lamented a little. “I didn’t think it would be this tough. It’s a tough sport, and we have a great vision and have made a massive commitment to that long-term vision, so we’re on the journey. But I thought last year, we were kinda at the bottom — and then we went down a little lower and found a lower bottom. I do think we’re climbing our way out now, but there’s just so much that goes into it, and we’re getting the pieces in place and moving it along.”

Let us see whether Jimmie Johnson comes to grips with reality or not. Maybe aligning with Joe Gibbs Racing would be his best bet at creating a winning team.