When Jimmie Johnson retired from full-time NASCAR racing in 2020, he left as a colossus: 7 Cup Series championships, 83 career wins, and a legacy forged at Hendrick Motorsports alongside icons like Jeff Gordon and crew chief Chad Knaus. Team ownership, however, was never his dream. “That was not my childhood dream,” Johnson admitted in a 2024 interview, contrasting his path with peers like Tony Stewart, who actively pursued ownership. Yet, by 2023, Johnson co-founded Legacy Motor Club (LMC), merging Richard Petty Motorsports with Maury Gallagher, a move that stunned the racing world.

The transition from driver to owner has rarely been smooth for legends. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Gordon shifted to broadcasting, while Stewart’s ownership journey with Stewart-Haas Racing faced early financial turbulence. Johnson, however, confronted a perfect storm: reviving a historic team, navigating manufacturer change, and grieving personal tragedy, all while learning to lead.

Back when LMC was formed, Johnson didn’t have total control as the minority owner. “I was a minority owner in the team, and, you know, there’s really only so much that, uh, I could do at that point in time. And the opportunity came about in August of last year, and then we officially closed in late January. Since then, my calendar has been nothing but Legacy-related stuff,” he explained in an interview with Steve Letarte. But, with him stepping up his game and bringing in Knighthead Capital management, he took on the majority ownership role, which helped in deciding the path forward for the team.

This transition hasn’t been an easy one for the veteran driver, as in the very first year, he had to deal with the personal loss of the death of his in-laws, Jack Janway and Terry Janway, along with their 11-year-old grandson. Johnson did his best to recover from that phase and was able to muster the courage to implement necessary changes within the team. And the first thing he identified was a switch in manufacturers, leaving Chevy behind and joining the Toyota camp. It was a smart move, with the likes of Trackhouse Racing and Spire Motorsports competing for the same resources, a less crowded Toyota camp looked like a good choice. And now that Johnson has the organizational control, he is enjoying the entire process.

 “I really have enjoyed this journey, and I’m slowly getting my arms around it. I’m very thankful for the two years I had to study Maury and learn from Maury. I’m still surrounding myself with businessmen, but making more of the decisions, calling more of the shots and trying to evolve the organization and build the culture that I want Legacy Motor Club to have,” Johnson explained further.

LMC might have made strides with a switch to Toyota and the backing of Kinghthead Capital, but the results on track haven’t been great. Both Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek missed the playoffs last year, and the major concern was that Jones, a two-time Southern 500 winner, just couldn’t find his mojo back. But, fortunately, things are finally falling into place. Jimmie Johnson bagged a P3 finish at the Daytona 500, whereas Nemechek was able to register consecutive top 10 runs at Texas and Kansas.

But, a team co-owner and driver’s job isn’t just restricted to bringing in business partners and talents to the team. It is also about finding the right sponsors that can fund the daily operation of a race team. Johnson did just that and secured a deal with Caravan, an online car retailer company, and this move could’ve backfired on him.

Rick Hendrick didn’t mind Johnson forging ties with his competitor

Before Johnson donned the LMC owner hat, he was a driver for Rick Hendrick at Hendrick Motorsports. And the reason why HMS has been able to win multiple championships and races is because of the support of Hendrickcars.com. The Hendrick Automotive Group is one of the largest car dealers in the United States, with 98 dealership networks spread across the country. Now, Caravan is a direct rival to them and seeing his former champ bringing them to NASCAR to represent his brand was indeed a tough call.

However, Rick Hendrick didn’t mind his former driver building his relationship with new partners, but he did want him to continue beyond 2020. “I’ve been waiting for someone to ask me this and no one has. You know, I went and sat down with him, asked him if it was a problem. He’s like, I’m not gonna hold you back Of course, I’d rather you be in our colors. Mind you, I’m walking away from an opportunity that he didn’t want me to leave. He’s like, stay, you can stay in the #48, and I don’t know, I was just ready to do something different and move on, as difficult as it was.”

This was the first time Johnson opened up about the conversation he had with his former boss. Although a lot of HMS fans would’ve liked to see him extend beyond 2020, he had different goals in mind and leading LMC in the NASCAR new era became his next mission. He conquered the racetrack with his seven titles, and now he wants to build a new story as a team owner, walking in the steps of his former boss, Mr. H.