It’s fair to say that Legacy Motor Club isn’t having the season they wanted. Having switched from Chevrolet to Toyota earlier this year, the team co-owned by Maury Gallagher and Jimmie Johnson had hoped to turn their fortunes around. However, John Hunter Nemechek hasn’t qualified for the playoffs. Moreover, both the team’s full-time racers currently occupy the tail end of the driver standings. Despite several changes introduced this year to improve the performances, the results haven’t changed so far.

Formerly owned by NASCAR legend Richard Petty, the seven-time Cup Series winner candidly spoke about Legacy Motor Club’s underperformance this year while expressing hope that the team could turn their season around.

Richard Petty puzzled by Legacy Motor Club’s results

It was just the start Legacy Motor Club had hoped for. The opening Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway marked a new beginning for the racing team and a heightened set of expectations. All three drivers took the wheel of their brand-new Toyota Camry, hoping their season would begin on a positive note. That’s exactly what happened. Full-time drivers John Hunter Nemechek and Erik Jones finished seventh and eighth respectively at the 2024 Daytona 500. The No. 42 car improved on that result three races later by ending the race at Bristol in sixth place. What could go wrong?

As it turns out, almost everything. After the opening race, Erik Jones hasn’t finished in the top 10 all year while Jimmie Johnson hasn’t ended a race higher than 28th place. Sharing his views about his former team’s season, Richard Petty said, “We hope they do a little bit better. I’ve said this before, I think starting the new season, first 3-4 races I thought we was in pretty good shape for, you know, going with Toyota for the first time. A new car, but I don’t know if we got worse or everybody else got better.”

While John Hunter Nemechek attained another 8th-place result at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the occasional spark in an otherwise disappointing season highlights just how severe Legacy Motor Club’s struggles have been. Despite the lackluster results, Erik Jones has signed a multi-year extension with the team, indicating the faith Johnson and co. have in his abilities. Once considered to be one of the hottest prospects in NASCAR, the 28-year-old began his career at Joe Gibbs Racing, after which he transitioned to a full-time role with Furniture Row Racing in 2017.

To turn Legacy Motor Club’s season around, Jimmie Johnson made several changes to the team’s technical staff. One of which is former Joe Gibbs Racing engineer Jacob Canter joining as Director of Competition. Bobby Kennedy also entered the scene as the new General Manager as he oversees the day-to-day operations, having previously worked at Michael Waltrip Racing and Ultra Motorsports. Johnson and Gallagher’s vision is to see their racing team succeed in the long term, which is why they have hired experienced personnel to guide Legacy Motor Club forward. Whether their decisions today pay dividends tomorrow remains to be seen.

Jimmie Johnson replaces Jason Burdett with a new crew chief

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No driver in NASCAR history is as successful as Jimmie Johnson. While others such as Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt have also won seven championships, all three remain at the very top of NASCAR’s all-time greats. The 49-year-old has a rich history in the sport but hasn’t lived up to his expectations since he became a part-time driver and co-owner of Legacy Motor Club. In the last two years, the veteran has been a shadow of his former self, prompting him to replace his crew chief Jason Burdett with Gene Wachtel.

Speaking about the appointment ahead of the 2024 Hollywood Casino 400, Johnson said, “It’s been a few weeks since I have been behind the wheel of a NASCAR vehicle so I’m ready to get back to work. Having Gene on board as crew chief will be great for our team, as he has great experience on the engineering side. We had a great run going at Kansas in the spring, and our day got cut short, so my goal is to pick up where we left off and put together a competitive race for the No. 84 team.”

Despite the renewed optimism at Legacy Motor Club, the result at Kansas Speedway was less than inspiring. Jimmie Johnson finished the race in 36th place, his worst result in the Cup Series this season. However, the California native will also be competing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and in the season finale at Phoenix Raceway this year, giving the pair a few more opportunities to finish strongly. While the team is scrambling for solutions, Richard Petty will be watching from the sidelines, hoping that one of them would work.