Jimmie Johnson, a seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, is now focused on establishing a lasting impact as co-owner of Legacy Motor Club (LMC), aiming to secure a significant playoff appearance this season. Since acquiring and rebranding Richard Petty Motorsports in January 2023 alongside co-owner Richard Petty, Johnson has been steadily developing LMC into a competitive force in NASCAR.
With drivers Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek behind the wheel, LMC is positioning itself strategically. Heading into the upcoming street race in Chicago, Jones sits just inside the playoff bubble at 16th place, while Nemechek is ranked 23rd. Both drivers still have paths to the playoffs: a race win would guarantee a spot for either one, with Jones also having a realistic chance to qualify through points alone if his consistent performance continues.
Jones, who achieved his best finish this season with fifth place at Atlanta last weekend, remains winless but boasts two top-five finishes and three top-ten results, doubling his previous season’s top-five count. Nemechek, although winless as well, has shown improved form recently with one top-five and six top-ten results so far, an increase from his four top tens last season.
Building a Competitive Foundation Within Legacy Motor Club
The transformation of Legacy Motor Club has involved significant behind-the-scenes work, including key offseason hires and infrastructure improvements. NASCAR analyst and IMSA team member Bozi Tatarevic recently discussed this growth on the NASCAR Inside The Race podcast, joined by team figures Steve Letarte, Todd Gordon, and Kyle Petty. Gordon emphasized that while many expected quick success, the club’s progress reflects a carefully measured development process.
“Everybody was saying that Legacy was going to get there last year but I said it’s going to take a year, Look at the offseason hires, they brought in some really good people, they got to the point they could digest the information and we’re seeing the progression this year of what people expected to happen last year.”
—Todd Gordon, NASCAR Commentator
Gordon highlighted how Legacy Motor Club has started to optimize their Toyota Racing Development (TRD) resources independently of Toyota’s premier Cup team, Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), adapting their technical tools and data management to better suit their specific needs. This deliberate approach aligns with Jimmie Johnson’s long-term vision, though it requires patience beyond initial expectations.
“The Toyota tools are getting kind of solidified because they have groups within Legacy that are helping them kind of drive them forward. Their own TRD tools not JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing, which is Toyota’s premier team in Cup) tools and they’re getting ahold of, how they can manage that data and they’ve put good people in place.”
—Todd Gordon, NASCAR Commentator
“So I feel like this is a trajectory that Jimmie had a vision of. It just is a much longer process than I think people want to give it credit.”
—Todd Gordon, NASCAR Commentator
Tatarevic concurred with this assessment, noting that many had overestimated how quickly Legacy could establish itself during its formative years. He compared the process to building individual houses, each requiring custom work despite the foundational materials supplied by Toyota Racing.
“I think a lot of people maybe overestimated (Legacy’s expected progression), and I fully agree with Todd, because the way the tools work is Toyota Racing has a set of tools and a database, so it’s like you’re building a house, They’ll bring you the lumber, the nails and a blueprint of how it’s going to go.”
—Bozi Tatarevic, NASCAR Reporter
For the past two to three years, Legacy has been constructing these “houses” independently, crafting a technical foundation that goes beyond the standard equipment supplied. They have now developed a fully independent technical database and strengthened their staff, including improvements in their pit crew performance.
“They’re now competing in the top 10. If you look at the pit crew rankings, a lot of weeks you’ll see one of those two pit crews show up in the top 10. So they’re putting all the pieces together not just from the technical information but the people are getting there too.”
—Bozi Tatarevic, NASCAR Reporter
Erik Jones Notes Stronger Team Cohesion and Leadership
Erik Jones has observed significant progress within LMC’s organizational structure, attributing much of the current improvement to better staffing and communication. The team experienced a lengthy adjustment period following multiple personnel changes, but now the various departments are aligning effectively.
“It took a solid six-to-eight months probably to break that down and then beyond that, just hiring more people,”
Jones explained during media availability in Chicago.
He recognized the earlier shortfall in engineering resources but is encouraged by the current setup, which fosters more open dialogue and collaboration throughout the team.
“Now, I feel like everybody’s really in the flow of it and (there’s) a lot more open communication between everybody just knowing what’s going on, who’s working on what, given enough forum for guys to come up with new ideas and figure things out.”
—Erik Jones, NASCAR Driver
“It just took some organization. There was just a stretch where we didn’t have the leadership in place and now, I feel like our leadership group is really strong,”
Jones concluded.
With these internal improvements and steadily climbing race results, Legacy Motor Club is on course to break into the NASCAR playoffs this season. If drivers Jones or Nemechek can capture a win or Jones continues to rack up consistent points finishes, the team’s long-term investments may soon yield tangible success on the track. This momentum positions LMC as a quietly rising contender within the fiercely competitive Cup Series.
