"Can't wait": Jimmie Johnson set for first NASCAR race since LMC's summer break shakeup

NASCAR legend Jimmie Johnson is gearing up for his first Cup Series race after Legacy Motor Club laid off several #84 crew members during the summer break. The seven-time Cup Series champion will compete in the Hollywood Casino 400 at the Kansas Speedway.

After parting ways with full-time Cup racing after the 2020 season, Johnson returned to NASCAR's Premier level in 2023, as a co-owner and part-time driver for LMC's #84 Toyota. However, the 83-time Cup Series race winner couldn't perform dominant enough in his partial 2024 schedule.

From six race weekends, Johnson couldn't bag a solitary top-10, let alone a top-5, and was marred by two DNFs- at the regular season race in Kansas and his most recent run at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Thus, his co-owned venture released several crew members, including crew chief Jason Burdett.

While Burdett moved to Tricon Garage for the Truck Series, LMC internally promoted Gene Wachtel, from the Director of Vehicle Performance Group to crew chief of Jimmie Johnson.

It's been seven race weekends since the NASCAR Hall of Famer sat behind the wheel of his #84 Toyota Camry to battle on the track. Thus, Johnson expressed his excitement about returning to Kansas for the second time since retiring from full-time racing.

"Can’t wait to get back behind the wheel tomorrow," Johnson wrote via X.

The 49-year-old's Toyota will be primarily sponsored by Family Dollar/Dollar Tree and beverage giant PepsiCo's Mountain Dew, among others.

Jimmie Johnson's former HMS colleague rekindles as his new crew chief

The summer break shake-up caused the need to strengthen Legacy Motor Club's business prospects. As a result, soon after the layoff, Jimmie Johnson's team hired Reid Atherton, the former VP of Motorsports at COTA. The new hire started his career with the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) and has worked with several motorsport insiders.

However, without a crew chief to call the shots, Johnson's bid to produce a promising outcome at Kansas could've led to disappointment. Thus, LMC promoted Gene Wachtel. He was the seven-time Cup champ's colleague at Hendrick Motorsports in 2006 when Johnson clinched his maiden Cup Series title.

Wachtel's NASCAR resume boasts working for Dodge Motorsports, Stewart-Haas Racing, HMS, and Joe Gibbs Racing. Jimmie Johnson's crew chief focused on acquiring data, simulation, and blueprint of the stock car, among other roles. He also served as a race engineer in JGR's garage.

Before getting his duties confirmed as the legendary driver's crew chief, Wachtel managed simulation tool sets to hone the performance of LMC's Toyotas.

Jonshon is scheduled to run three more races this year. This includes the upcoming Kansas race followed by Las Vegas Motor Speedway (October 20), and Phoenix Raceway (November 10).