Jimmie Johnson Breaks Silence on Rumors of Historic Tom Brady Partnership With Painful 5-Word Claim

It’s no secret that Jimmie Johnson is a rookie when it comes to being an owner of a NASCAR team. But he’s now the majority owner of Legacy Motor Club and already has very ambitious plans for the team. If you remember, only a few months back, Johnson was talking about being inspired by Trackhouse Racing team owner Justin Marks and how LMC might also enter IMSA (International Motor Sports Association) in the future.

While everyone was still questioning his ‘too much too soon’ attitude, more rumors swirled about LMC entering the Indy 500. And with NFL legend Tom Brady no less. Now this is big news for the series and FOX Sports (their first time broadcasting a whole IndyCar season). A NASCAR legend paired with an NFL legend… imagine all the eyeballs that would tune in to watch that unfold. But recently, Johnson has cleared up the air on that situation.

Jimmie Johnson is not coming to IndyCar (at least for now)

So, all this started when NTT IndyCar Series reporter Tony Donohue on the Tony D. Podcast talked about this partnership. He claimed that JJ and Brady will run Chip Ganassi Racing’s fourth entry in the 2025 Indy 500. Even the driver and the sponsor were revealed. Sebastien Bourdais behind the wheel and Carvana as the sponsor. But turns out this is not happening.

Jimmie Johnson was recently on the Racing Writer’s podcast where he touched on the same. Johnson said, “I think there is a lot of change in the future with IndyCar. Power plants and discussions around a new car… So understanding that landscape is important but Indy 500 and one off opportunity… I would love for Legacy Motor Club to be there. I had a talk with [Chip] Ganassi earlier in the year about the opportunity. He has a fourth car. We are just not ready.”

It’s no surprise that Johnson would love for LMC to compete at the Indy 500. The majority owner himself took part in a full IndyCar season in 2022, driving the No.48 car for Chip Ganassi Racing. He was also awarded the Rookie of the Year at the Indy 500! This context caused the rumors to catch fire and spread wildly, and Jimmie Johnson dwelled on why the rumor felt so real.

Apparently, after he became a majority owner, investment adviser Knighthead Capital Management bought into the team. This is part of how private investments are now coming into NASCAR. And Tom Brady has stakes in Knighthead Capital, so it was rumored that maybe he too will be part of LMC. And then it just went on to how they both were entering the Indy 500 together.

“And I think the Knighthead rumors started to work their way out and Tom Wagnor one of the founders of Knighthead and Tom Brady, our close friends and have invested in a lot together and that kind of spun into what it did,” Johnson added. Basically, the internet did what it does best. Blow things out of proportion.

But even if JJ has put IndyCar plans on hold for the moment, he’s got plans around it. Especially with the landscape of the series changing.

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Jimmie Johnson’s big plans for LMC

Starting in 2025, even IndyCar will have a charter system. Owners of 10 teams have accepted charters for 25 entries and Johnson believes outsiders (including LMC) would now want in. He said, “Yeah Indycars is super interesting and earlier you mentioned the profitability of race teams. And when you see these other leagues providing a charter system… I think we are still extremely undervalued in NASCAR and it’s going to continue… And as other leagues, series create their own charter system and you get past that ten-year mark and stability is there… outside groups are gonna wanna invest and be involved.”

The charter system allows for long-term stability and makes a team’s entry into the sport less of a gamble. If you secure a charter, you are guaranteed to reap rewards from every race for the season at the minimum. Securing sponsors is a different conversation, but that’s when building a brand comes into play. And JJ is doing just that with Legacy Motor Club.

Johnson thinks currently the motorsports world doesn’t have many such brands. And when the face is a seven-time NASCAR champion…it means big things. “When I look across the landscape in the US, we don’t have many brands as teams or team owners. We have a lot of incredible individuals that have helped motorsports become what it is but very few are like household brands… I think we have a different way to look at it, a larger offering for a fanbase and to build a lifestyle brand,” Johnson added.

And not just IndyCar. JJ is also interested in supercars and then the IMSA plans are also in motion. We might soon see his team running 24 hours of Daytona! The point is that Jimmie Johnson has plans to make LMC into a massive brand. On which he said, “First and foremost, our NASCAR program has to be competitive, so that’s the primary focus. But the name Legacy Motor Club was very intentional for me, I believe there’s an opportunity to create a lifestyle brand, and I believe that racing in multiple platforms (and) divisions around the globe helps us build a massive motor club.”

Overall, it feels like they are on an upward trajectory starting in 2025. Look at the recent Daytona 500 results. JJ finished in P3. John Hunter Nemechek ended up in P5 and even Erik Jones got a P12. These are good signs for the young team.

What do you see in the future for Legacy Motor Club? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.