Jimmie Johnson, owner of Legacy Motor Club and a part-time driver for the team, knows the ins and outs of NASCAR machinery after 700 Cup Series starts. The Next-Gen car debuted in 2022 with its first race at Daytona International Speedway in Florida, bringing spec parts for cost control. Johnson stepped away after 2020 but returned in 2023 to tackle this new era, offering a unique view from both cockpit and boardroom. Yet, with his vast experience across car generations, how does he see the ride evolving?

The 2026 schedule adds spots like the San Diego street course and shifts the All-Star Race to Dover, highlighting Next-Gen’s vulnerabilities on road courses and short tracks due to limited side force in yaw and low-profile tires that reduce feel. Chase Elliott recently shared with Johnson, “It’s not like it used to be. You can’t drive the same.” Back in 2007, the Car of Tomorrow rollout faced heavy backlash for prioritizing safety over excitement, with Kyle Busch saying, “I’m still not a fan of these things. I can’t stand to drive them. They’re terrible.” So where does Johnson stand amid the debate?

Jimmie Johnson’s Firm Stance on the Next-Gen Cars

On Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour X post, Jimmie Johnson pushed back against widespread fan gripes, doubling down on his favoritism for the Next-Gen car as an owner who benefits from its design. He explained, “It’s interesting being an owner and the way you look at your bottom line and understand that a spec car, you know, the way I look at it, is kind of a soft cap that we have in the sport. There’s only so many chassis we can have and only so many parts and pieces you can buy. So it does provide help.”

Being an owner is different from being a driver. @JimmieJohnson tells @KevinHarvick his thoughts on the Next Gen car and the changes he would like to see. pic.twitter.com/XEruCPlrDZ

— HarvickHappyHour (@HarvickHappyPod) August 22, 2025

This take stems from Johnson’s shift to team ownership in 2021 with Legacy Motor Club, where the spec setup has kept costs down, unlike the pre-Next-Gen days when teams like Hendrick Motorsports, where he won seven titles from 2006 to 2016, spent freely on custom builds. Johnson’s position clashes with fans who slam the car’s short-track struggles, like at Martinsville, where passing dipped 20% in 2022 compared to prior models.

Still, he credits the setup for enabling his ownership role, adding, “And I don’t think I would be a team owner if we didn’t have this combination, this setup of a spec car.” That echoes his 2023 return, when he ran three races to test the car firsthand, finishing P31, P38, and P37 in those races despite setup tweaks that leveled the field for smaller outfits like his. He admits tweaks are needed but stays positive overall.

Johnson noted, “I would like to see some changes, you know. I think a car that gains side force in yaw is a better car, one that drives better, is more interesting, and puts on a better show. This car does not do that.” This critique ties to ongoing aero tests at the R&D Center in Concord, where NASCAR has run CFD simulations since 2022 to boost yaw performance, yet changes lag due to OEM input from Chevrolet, Ford, and Toyota. While Johnson champions the car’s structure, he owns up to personal slips in adapting.

Johnson’s Candid Fault Admission

Johnson has been just as candid about his off-track game. In another Happy Hour podcast episode, he contrasted his brand presence with that of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s. “ didn’t have maybe the environment that Jeff had with Dale in that passing of the torch or whatever that moment was” Looking inward, Johnson admitted, “I had infrastructure, but all my infrastructure focused on was doing the bare minimum outside of the car so I could do the maximum inside the car.… I haven’t done a good job [with the JJ brand].”

He put it bluntly. “It’s my fault… I just haven’t been working [on it].” The realization came as he saw Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s apparel outselling his in places like Richmond, even with seven Cup titles to his name. That honesty explains his current push to elevate Legacy Motor Club as a motorsports property rather than just a race team.

Johnson’s plan is now straightforward as he strengthens his personal brand so it “spills over” to LMC while keeping the operation financially disciplined, the very guardrails the spec platform enables. It’s a rare window into how a seven-time champion is rebuilding the off-track side while still navigating a car he believes can be improved without blowing up the economics.