So much has been said about Richard Childress Racing and how they are down in the dumps. However, another team is arguably suffering an even worse time, and that is Legacy Motor Club. The team was previously owned by the legendary Richard Petty and enjoyed moderate success in the Cup Series. Then in 2023, the Petty GMS Racing team underwent a rebrand, and Legacy Motor Club was born. The hype for the organization went through the roof when Jimmie Johnson joined as a driver-owner.

On paper, having two 7-time Cup Series champions as team owners is a mouth-watering prospect. Unfortunately, the campaign did not pay off for the organization. Earlier this year, LMC took a massive gamble by leaving Chevrolet and moving to Toyota. This could have been a chance for the organization to have a fresh start with a new manufacturer, however, the team is still struggling to this day so a serious fix is sorely needed.

Jimmie Johnson making some big shifts in LMC HQs

In a “Tier One” alliance with Toyota, Jimmie Johnson solidified his role as an owner, while John Hunter Nemechek made his return to the Cup Series after impressing in the lower series. The team made several significant moves during the 2023 season, including switching from Chevrolet to Toyota and securing multiple sponsors such as Dollar Tree and Family Dollar.

One of the issues faced earlier in 2022 with the transition to next-gen cars was the pedal box. Joey Cohen, then VP of race operations at Legacy Motor Club, told Racer.com, “You have drivers getting numb – the backs of their legs were getting numb, their butt cheeks were getting numb.” The problem was, the pedal box being fixed to the floor in the Next-gen car, and as a result, the floor of the car produced a lot of heat and vibration on the driver’s feet. Whereas the older generation cars had the pedals hanging off the chassis.

“There was a lot more attachment going to the driver’s bodies from those areas,” the result of pedal box changes as Cohen had stated. And, even though a lot of progress has already been made through their partnership with Toyota, still the team continues to suffer.

Now, as per the update by Bob Pockrass, veteran crew chief Bobby Kennedy has been promoted. And taking which spot? It was none other than the competition director Joey Cohen, who faced the axe. All this is likely because the organization is hoping that the restructuring will bring a change in fortune.

The X post that came up on July 14th ahead of the Pocono Cup Series race read, “Some changes at Legacy: Bobby Kennedy, who has been in the sport for decades as crew chief and other competition roles, is now general manager. Competition director Joey Cohen no longer with the team.”

To tell the truth, it would be difficult to see whether these changes are for the better or not. After all, no one can expect instantaneous results for John Hunter Nemechek and Erik Jones. Both drivers are incredibly talented, but they have often been let down by their machinery.

Out of the two, Jones is more experienced and his performances are relatively consistent with frequent Top 20 finishes. Even before the Legacy Motor Club transformation, Jones racked up one win in 2022 at Darlington. If that is not a ringing endorsement of his talent, then what is?

Meanwhile, Nemechek needs to work on his consistency and avoid getting into wrecks. Far too often, the #42 driver will either crash out or get caught up in a wreck, which can be very costly. A redeeming quality is that he does have three Top 10 finishes, compared to Jones’ single Top 10 finish.

Finally, there is Jimmie Johnson, who has been very underwhelming. It is painfully clear that the 7-time champion is past his prime, ever since he came out of retirement. In all, his best finish for his team has been a paltry 28th place at Daytona and Dover. It’ll be interesting to see how the internal changes at LMC affect their future runs. What are your thoughts on the new General Manager?