NASCAR’s heart beats with family, where drivers like Jeff Gordon and Kevin Harvick show that fatherhood often outshines even the brightest trophies. Gordon’s been open about how his daughter Ella’s birth in 2007 shifted his world, wins paled next to being a dad, and he admitted to The Charlotte Observer in 2018 that dropping Ella off at school had him “crying like a baby,” hitting harder than any race.

Harvick’s the same, balancing his Cup career with cheering on his son Keelan’s karting adventures, calling family his top priority in 2020 interviews. Kyle Larson’s kids, Owen and Audrey, are victory lane regulars, keeping him grounded, while Clint Bowyer laughs about his kids being his toughest critics in the broadcast booth.

Another race-dad, Jimmie Johnson, the seven-time champ, just opened up about one of those gut-punch moments. On his podcast Never Settle with Marty Smith, he got real about moving his daughter Genevieve to boarding school, a milestone that left him in tears.

Johnson’s emotional goodbye to Genevieve

Jimmie Johnson bared his soul about his daughter Genevieve, known as Evie, heading off to boarding school. “I started getting teary-eyed as we’re moving Evie in … I was just running through her as a little girl running the house … I’m thinking I’m not going to lay there in bed and hear her footsteps anymore,” he shared.

At 15, born in 2010, Evie’s departure hit Johnson hard, especially since his racing career kept him away from home for long stretches. The empty nest syndrome, felt by 45% of parents, per a 2018 study, stung more than he expected, as those memories of her footsteps echoed in the quiet moments he cherished. Like Jeff Gordon crying at Ella’s school drop-off, Johnson’s raw emotion shows even NASCAR’s toughest champs melt when it comes to their kids.

He reflected on the bittersweet mix, “I was running through those with a fair amount of joy, but just not believing the moment … and then Shanny and I did a really nice job networking around with the other parents … we’ve stayed in contact.”

Johnson and his wife Chandra, nicknamed Shanny, leaned on other parents to navigate the transition, a move backed by research showing peer support eases the stress of big milestones. After retiring from full-time racing in 2020, Johnson’s been all about family, and connecting with other parents helped him process the pride and pain of Evie’s step toward independence, a universal parenting moment that resonates far beyond the track.

The struggle was real, “Now that we’re in that boat, parents will expand more … it was really tough on her, it was really tough on us … now that we know more, it’s wild how tough it was.”

Johnson didn’t expect the emotional weight, a feeling echoed by Gordon’s “harder than any race” comment about Ella. For NASCAR families, where kids grow up fast amid travel-heavy schedules, these moments hit different. Johnson’s openness about learning from other parents shows how even a seven-time champ leans on community to cope, tying him to the broader NASCAR family ethos.

Johnson’s push to grow Legacy Motor Club

While Johnson wrestles with family milestones, he’s also steering Legacy Motor Club through choppy waters. As the majority owner since early 2025, he’s got big plans to expand from two charters, Erik Jones in the No. 43 and John Hunter Nemechek in the No. 42, to at least three by 2026. “We have full intentions to expand to a third car. Obviously, we’re in a litigation and working through all of that,” he said on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

The team’s caught in a lawsuit with Rick Ware Racing over a $45 million charter deal gone sideways, Legacy thought it was theirs for 2026, RWR says 2027. Things got messier when Legacy sued consultant T.J. Puchyr after he tried to buy RWR for $150 million amid the dispute. A preliminary injunction’s now blocking RWR’s charter sale, with a January 2026 court date looming.

Johnson’s vision is clear: “Our core product, if you will, is NASCAR Cup Series racing. And in order to be as successful as possible, you need as many cars as you can on track in order to leverage and maximize the financial aspect, the technical learnings, drivers, crew chiefs, all the aspects.”

He’d love four charters, but new NASCAR rules cap new teams at three, so that’s the goal. Expanding means more data, better setups, and stronger sponsors, critical for Legacy to compete with giants like Hendrick or Gibbs.