When you have 7 Cup Series titles with a single team, it’s no longer about driving for a team-owner. And in the case of Jimmie Johnson and Rick Hendrick, the relationship was more like father-son. After all, when Rick’s son Ricky brought Jimmie over to fly back home after an Xfinity race, Mr. H had served him a burger himself! But, nearly 2 decades later, Johnson stepped away from full-time competition in 2020. He sought new challenges in IndyCar and later embraced team ownership. When Johnson returned to NASCAR, not just as a part-time driver but also as a co-owner of Legacy Motor Club, things changed around the garage. Not only did he leave HMS, but he came back to go against them and every other NASCAR giant out there.

And right before the start of the 2025 season, Johnson was making a big comeback. He was going to be calling the shots after some help from Knighthead Capital let him take control of the team. Ever since, Legacy Motor Club has witnessed gradual progress, especially with its full-time drivers, Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek, securing Top 10 finishes this season. However, the worry of going against historic teams lingered at the back of his mind.

“It’s going to be hard to go and compete against Rick Hendrick. It’s going to be hard to compete against Joe Gibbs or Mr. Penske,” Johnson admitted on the Racing Writers’ podcast recently. “They have some deep pockets.” Don’t take Jimmie’s words lightly. Rick Hendrick created an empire for himself out of nothing. He owns the winningest team in NASCAR history, and being the biggest priority for Chevy, HMS is a force to be reckoned with. And it’s not just them. Joe Gibbs Racing, 23XI, RFK Racing; all of these teams are tough to compete against. They have old sponsor connections that bring a significant advantage.

It’s this difference that Johnson has noticed. “It’s not necessarily more comfortable, but I’ve spent more time and have been drawn more to the business side, maybe because it’s new. But I can also say the two years I spent in IndyCar, we essentially leased the car from Ganassi, I went out and found Carvana, we were able to manage and maintain that relationship and through that journey I was like, “Wow this is more competitive and more interesting and also an area for me to grow,” and so for these first few years I have been far more involved on the business op side and trying to find sponsorship and it’s not easy out there and so, that’s taken a lot of my attention but we have that shored up now.” 

Instead of owning a team during Jimmie’s 2 year stint at the NTT IndyCar Series, Johnson and his group leased the #48 Dallara Honda from Chip Ganassi, structuring a unique partnership that allowed him to race under their umbrella while handling much of the sponsorship and marketing responsibilities independently.

The good thing about his move to IndyCar was the fact that he attracted sponsors, especially Carvana, a company that has stuck with Johnson to date. And it’s not just them. Dollar Tree, AdventHealth, and Mobil1 are all big sponsors. In a time when teams like Stewart Haas Racing shut down because of a lack of money and sponsors, drivers like Denny Hamlin losing long-term partners like FedEx, Johnson has done alright for his team. And a big part of this was also his decision to work with Toyota.

Most labelled him a turncoat when Johnson abandoned Chevy for Toyota. “Clearly have a long history – 30-plus years with Chevrolet, 20 of those years at Hendrick Motorsports — and what we did together will always be in the record books and something that I’ll always cherish. But as Maury pointed out, strategically long-term, this is a foundational piece for the club that … this really makes sense. It’s something we need to do and to have this deep alignment and partnership with Toyota, it’s been a fun period of time to get to know them and really understand their passion and how much our core values truly align,” Johnson said at the time. 2 years later and his words are already ringing true. All three drivers from the team finished inside the top-15 at the Daytona 500, and that was just the beginning of their success.

Reflecting on it, Johnson said, “I think with Toyota involved and the deep connection that I’ve been able to forge and build there, our collective competition group, some new and familiar faces inside that competition group, I’m feeling more comfortable with it and certainly spending more time now that the business side is shored up.”

Now the question lies in whether LMC is ready to take up the huge challenge of proving its worth to the world of NASCAR, or is it too soon?

NASCAR legends want Jimmie Johnson to stay away from driving

Jimmie Johnson plans to steer LMC into a new era, with a mix of his on-track experience and strategic business acumen. As a majority owner, Johnson has partnered with Knighthead Capital Management — a firm that has a diverse portfolio including investments in Hertz and Birmingham City Football Club — to expand its brand presence.

And while he’s driven well for the team this year, NASCAR legends want to see him continue his business push. Talking about it, Kevin Harvick said, “I think that the sooner he can get out of being in that car, the better off he is. I understand when we had the Xfinity teams of having to drive the car to lure the sponsor. But you know, as far as the marketing side of things, at some point it becomes about performance. I think Danica Patrick was probably the best example of that. At some point, your marketing platform runs out, and I think that performance trumps everything that you can do after its consecutive years of not performing like you need to, and I think that’s what they’re striving for, right?”

Dale Jr. chimed in on the conversation. However, his perspective was much more mild. He said, “I would say, similar to Kaulig, Legacy Motor Club has made a massive gain, and I think that gain has happened during the season, not so much the offseason. Jimmie Johnson is now the majority owner of that team. We saw a ton of interesting hires over there the last six months. Jimmie is retooling that organization. He made it work, and it’s really impressive because Jimmie is spread thin as a human. He’s all over the place, but he’s plugged in enough to understand to put the right people in the right places to succeed in every department, going in the right direction, and it’s starting to show up on the racetrack. It’s fascinating. Incredible job.” 

Despite the challenges of competing against established teams like HMS, Johnson remains committed to building LMC into a formidable force in NASCAR and beyond.