British national Lee Chapman filed a lawsuit this week against Jarit Johnson, the brother of seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson. The lawsuit accuses Jarit of fraud, breach of contract, unjust enrichment, and deceptive trade practices over a failed classic car restoration. Chapman filed the case in Iredell County Superior Court in North Carolina.
He hired Jarit, a former off-road and stock car racer, to restore a 1967 Chevrolet Chevelle Coupe in 2021. Chapman chose Jarit specifically because the shop marketed itself as being run by “NASCAR and racing guys.”
It’s also reported that Chapman paid $144,000 to Jarit up front. He claims that the work should have been completed years ago. Instead, Jarit continually delayed the project and ignored Chapman’s repeated requests for concrete updates.
In the lawsuit, messages that Chapman sent to Johnson over the years were recorded, with one, dated December 9, 2024, reading (as reported by The Charlotte Observer): “I have $120,000 of my hard-earned money out there. Where is my car? I am sick of this. I really am. Someone buy me out. I want out of this project now. I am going to have a breakdown.”
Jarit finally replied on May 1, 2025, promising to finish the car in 60 days. He missed that deadline too. On June 9, earlier this year, Chapman, with the help of a third party (that remained unnamed), removed the Chevelle and its parts from Jarit’s workshop. Now, they are claiming damages.
Per reports, Chapman had to pay $37,000 for parts that were not found in the garage. They were either missing or were never ordered, the complaints state. Also, what Jarit had worked on had allegedly put the car in a poor condition, meaning that Champan would have to rework most of it.
Chapman is currently seeking at least $175,000 in damages.
Jimmie Johnson himself is not accused of being part of this reportedly failed restoration project. However, the lawsuit directly threatens his reputation in the NASCAR garage. Over two decades, Jimmie built a revered, scandal-free brand. He is NASCAR royalty. The lawsuit claims Jarit used his famous brother to get the job. He allegedly used the Johnson name to scam a customer. Now, those actions risk dragging Jimmie’s spotless reputation into a legal battle.
According to The Charlotte Observer, Jarit’s restoration business does not even have a public phone listing.