“King” Richard Petty was left without a crown when Jimmie Johnson became the co-owner of Petty GMS in late 2022. Since then the old Petty GMS was rebranded as Legacy Motor Club. with another notable change. At that moment, Johnson expressed confidence in himself saying, he wanted “to make a difference and have something tangible to show for.” His arrival was marked with optimism, but it hasn’t been smooth sailing for JJ.

It will take time for Johnson to build a NASCAR team in his own image, having  83 NASCAR Cup wins and seven championships in 19 seasons. With his crew chief Jason Burdett among the members released by Legacy Motor Club of the 84 team, things do appear bleak with Johnsons still having three races left in the year. Grappling with the expectations, Johnson revealed he didn’t think the situation would be this challenging.

It’s fair to say that Jimmie Johnson and Legacy Motor Club have struggled this year, and their recent performance at Indianapolis Motor Speedway summed it all up. Two crashed cars, and finishes of 28th, 29th, and 33rd, are a far cry from what Jimmie Johnson is used to, especially in an event that he has won four times in the past. The 48-year-old himself has competed in six races this season, and with 0 wins, 0 top-10s, and 2 DNFs, his best finish has been 28th, ultimately resulting in crew chief Jason Burdett losing his job.

Reflecting on his struggles at Legacy Motor Club, co-owner and part-time racer Johnson told IndyStar in an exclusive interview, “I didn’t think it would this tough.”

The NASCAR Hall of Famer further added, 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 that last year we were kind of 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 getting the pieces in place and moving it along, there’s a lot there.”

Jimmie Johnson has a long history—30+ years with Chevrolet, 20 of those years at Hendrick Motorsports. He ranks sixth on NASCAR’s all-time win list with 83 victories—all under Chevy’s bowtie banner—but marking the latest significant shift for the two-car operation promised to provide Toyota a boost in numbers in Cup Series competition as the Japanese automaker stands to grow from six chartered cars on the grid to eight.

However, despite these major shifts at the LMS garage, the team continues to struggle. Recently, Legacy Motor Club released Jimmie Johnson’s crew chief, Jason Burdett, of his position and much of the No. 84 Toyota Camry crew. The decision to do so is the NASCAR Hall of Famer’s attempt to overcome the team’s struggles by changing the way the team uses its third car.

JJ switched from Chevrolet to Toyota and didn’t opt to go the Technical Alliance route like 23XI Racing, keeping a long-term vision in mind. The announcement came in May 2023, and it wasn’t solely Johnson’s decision as he mentioned his partner’s take post announcement, saying, “But as [majority team owner] Maury [Gallager] pointed out, strategically long-term, this is a foundational piece for the club that … this really makes sense. ” But did the decision of rebranding Petty GMS as well as discontinuation with Chevrolet pay dividends?

Unlike 23XI Racing, which opted to go for a technical alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing, Legacy Motor Club’s journey was always going to be slower. They are not renting data from an established team, paying an exorbitant sum to achieve quick success, and are laying the foundations that could make them a force to be reckoned with in the future. Jimmie Johnson’s “vision” was always to be focused on a long-term outlook rather than short-term results. Unsurprisingly, there have been hurdles along the way, but there have been plenty of positives as well.

Considering how many teams Chevrolet is supporting, joining the less crowded Toyota roster seems to be the better choice in the long run, even though recent results haven’t gone their way. As things stand, John Hunter Nemechek has only managed three top-ten results in 22 races, with a staggering five DNFs already. As for Erik Jones, the 28-year-old has just one top-ten finish all season with 2 DNFs in 20 races. Erik Jones is currently 27th, while John Hunter Nemechek is in the 31st position in the driver standings.

Back when Johnson took control of the erstwhile Petty GMS, Richard Petty expressed his apprehensions. After the team was rebranded, Petty said, “Most of the time, I ran the majority of the show. Jimmie brought all his people in. His way of running things and my way of running things are probably a little bit different. We probably agree on about 50 percent of what it really comes down to.”

When asked whether the changes brought in by JJ bother, him Petty gave a straightforward reply and said, “Yes it does.”

Meanwhile, in line with his long term vision for Legacy Motor Club, Johnson has plans for a third car and to develop new talent.

Johnson aims to nurture new talent with Legacy Motor Club’s third team

With Legacy Motor Club having released crew chief Jason Burdett and most of the No. 84 Toyota Camry crew, fans are wondering what’s next for Jimmie Johnson’s team. After all, it was not Burdett who was caught up in a crash at Indianapolis, nor has the crew played a role in Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek having disappointing seasons. However, it seems like Jimmie Johnson will now take a backseat from his part-time racing career, to nurture new talent in Legacy Motor Club’s third car.

Speaking about his plan for the third car, Jimmie Johnson said, “I want to race but I don’t want the third car to be a detriment to the other two. The revenue we generate can help us use the third car to develop new talent and can help us develop new setup ideas. But when you run nine races, you need a pretty robust crew to run that car and that’s inefficient for only nine races. If you take it down to three to five races, you don’t need that crew but then you’re pulling against the number 42 and 43 cars, so we’re trying to find that balance.”

The biggest priority for Legacy Motor Club needs to be to avoid early retirement. With the number of DNFs they have incurred this season, developing new setup ideas becomes difficult, and new talent cannot be nurtured if the team faces reliability issues. It’s clear that the team is going through a major transition behind the scenes. As Vice President of Racing Operations, Joey Cohen was replaced by Bobby Kennedy, who has joined as General Manager.

Fans will hope that Jimmie Johnson’s long-term vision pays off, and the team finally finds its footing in the Cup Series. Do you think Legacy Motor Club will improve in the 2025 season? Let us know in the comments!