Is Jimmie Johnson close to calling it quits from NASCAR racing and focusing on his ownership role at Legacy Motor Club? Given the latest developments, it looks like the 7-time NASCAR champ is going to commit his hours at LMC after taking up the role of majority owner. Co-owner Maury Gallagher is stepping back from daily operations to serve as an ambassador alongside NASCAR legend Richard Petty.

Now, embarking on such a big move isn’t easy, which is why Johnson has garnered support from Knighthead Capital Management. This is an ambitious and bold move by the veteran driver, as LMC hasn’t exactly been running on all cylinders since its inception. A change in OEM partners, a lack of a competitive race program, and very little to show for it on the racetrack.

Well, Johnson’s vision isn’t just restricted to NASCAR, as he wants to follow Trackhouse Racing’s blueprint and expand to other forms of racing. “As time goes on and opportunities present themselves to Legacy Motor Club, we’ll have an open eye and certainly hope to expand,” said Johnson during the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona broadcast. Reacting to this seismic shift and change of power at LMC, Kevin Harvick wants Johnson to fully focus on his race team. Although the appeal of hopping on multiple projects is cool, it might not play out well in the long run.

Kevin Harvick wants Jimmie Johnson to follow in Roger Penske’s path

Harvick was once a part of the passionate and ambitious team, Stewart Haas Racing. He did reach the highest of the highs of NASCAR with the #4 team, but after his departure, the team folded. SHR announced the closure in 2024, and Harvick couldn’t help but point the finger at co-owners Tony Stewart and Gene Haas for not being at the shop and the racetrack. Chase Briscoe understood what it was really like to be a part of a passionate race team when he joined Joe Gibbs Racing.

The former SHR driver couldn’t help but highlight Joe Gibbs’ presence at the shop. “Coach [Gibbs] is literally there every single day. I was there yesterday, and he’s just walking around on the shop floor.” Now, Jimmie Johnson is in a similar position where he will have to tread carefully after taking control of his race team. “Well, the only way for Legacy to be more successful is Jimmie, in my opinion, will have to be there every day,” Harvick said on the Happy Hour podcast.

He further went on to highlight how the culture starts at the very top in teams like HMS, JGR, and Team Penske. “When you look at Roger Penske and you see him sit on the pit box every week… To make up the ground on the Penske’s of the world, the Hendrick’s all those groups that have been around for so long, it’s a 24/7 job, and it’s gonna be as much work as he’s ever had to put in anything.” It’s not always rainbows and sunshine in the way these top teams operate, but the differentiating factor has been the team owners.

You look at the likes of RFK Racing, 23XI Racing, and Trackhouse Racing. All of them have made significant gains in rubbing shoulders with the big brother teams on the racetrack. Despite being a tier-1 Toyota partner, the performance has been lacking, and this is where Harvick feels Johnson should spend his time and resources. “From the marketing side of things, at some point it becomes about performance… At some point, your marketing platform runs out, and I think performance trumps everything.” Well, it’s not that Johnson hasn’t taken any steps to make sure there’s a real change in on-track performance in 2025.

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Richard Petty highlights LMC’s preparedness for the new year

Legacy Motor Club is in NASCAR for a long run. They could’ve sped up their entry by opting for a technical alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing. However they are looking to create their program with the support of Toyota. This means they are not going to be able to close the gap on the big team overnight; rather, it will be a slow building process.

However, they cannot settle with the 28th and 34th place finishes on the driver’s standings for their drivers. Well, LMC certainly doesn’t shy away from making changes, and there has been a major overhaul of personnel changes within the team. Jacob Canter has been roped in as competition director, and Chad Johnston has been named manager of race engineering. Not to forget, Travis Mack has also joined in as the new crew chief for John Hunter Nemechek’s No. 42 team.

LMC’s ambassador, Richard Petty, was thrilled and optimistic after seeing how well the team is prepared for the new season. “We got the same drivers, but we got different crew chiefs, we got different people working on the car, and we got different engineers. So, it’s really almost like starting with a new team. So, I think all of our people are excited about it. [We] Have put the right people together in the right place. So, it’s gonna be exciting for us just because it’s gonna be like completely starting all over again.” The veteran driver explained in an interview.

It is hard to gauge or measure what a successful 2025 campaign would look like for LMC. But one of their drivers reaching the playoffs, along with a victory lane visit, would be enough for them to build upon.