NASCAR Hall of Famer and Legacy Motor Club co-owner Jimmie Johnson is a living testament of excellence in the sport.
Tied for the most titles in series history (seven) along with 83 victories (tied for sixth all time), Johnson’s stamp is embedded in NASCAR history.
However, he has the opportunity to continue building a legacy — not only for himself, but for an organization.
During Monday’s opening session of the fifth annual Race Industry Week, which aired live on SPEED SPORT.com, Johnson discussed his initial foray into team ownership — something he didn’t feel was a possibility during his driving days.
“That was not my childhood dream,” Johnson said. “It was very evident talking to someone like Tony Stewart that he wanted to be a team owner.
“I watched and knew that it was a different game and a lot of pressure and stress that went with it. But it just was tough to look at it as a viable business.
“The changes that have been made in the last 11 years with the charter system in NASCAR have really changed my point of view. In the early days, I was still in a Cup car and driving. Just wasn’t sure where it was gonna go,” Johnson continued.
“But I would say in the last three years, maybe even five, if you look back far enough at some of the early signs… the interests in sports, the interests in a franchise, NASCAR is one of the few that’s left.
“We’re watching the values grow and that’s obviously a telling sign.”
While Johnson left the stock car world to fulfill a dream of contesting the Indianapolis 500 and competing in the NTT IndyCar Series with Chip Ganassi Racing from 2021-’22, he “always knew that NASCAR… that’s where I grew up and where I wanted to end up being involved at some level.”
He found that involvement with Legacy Motor Club and co-owner Maury Gallagher.
“Partnering with Maury has really just been incredible,” Johnson said. “Incredible opportunity for me. We just have these opposing needs that the other can really offer.”
The name, Legacy Motor Club, certainly was a first for NASCAR as most teams are named after its team owner (i.e. Hendrick Motorsports, Team Penske, etc.)
From Johnson’s perspective, the name of the two-car team represents what the organization can become beyond the touring stock car series.
“I was very adamant and put a lot of time and effort into Legacy Motor Club,” Johnson began. “I feel that the name gives us a lot of optionality. It allows us to bring in and honor someone like Richard Petty and Dale Inman.
“Now in the Club we have Matt Kenseth working with us and also Trevor Bayne and the legacies they’ve created. Now we certainly hope our two drivers in John Hunter (Nemechek) and Erik Jones create their own legacies in our cars.
“So, it gives us some optionality with the name. Even with expansion, if we choose to race in other championships. We can still put a lot under the name itself.”
Pinpointing what expansion might look like, Johnson believes there is an opportunity to reach heights that NASCAR teams haven’t previously achieved.
“In my heart, I feel like the motor club piece is something that we haven’t had the chance to really build out yet because we’ve been focused more on the motorsports, the racing side,” Johnson said.
“There is a large fan base out there that is craving more. It can be high-level experiences, mid-tier, more day-in and day-out experiences. But there is such an appetite for motorsport.
“We see it around the globe and we watch Formula 1 come into the states and now have three events,” Johnson continued. “You name it, all motorsports are trending up. There’s an opportunity there for us to reach our fans and to really reach all fans.
“We hope to lean into that more as the ‘25 season kicks off and beyond.”
