“Glad to have him aboard”: Jimmie Johnson “thrilled” by Legacy Motor Club’s new hiring 

Jimmie Johnson, the co-owner of Legacy Motor Club, is "thrilled" to have Reid Atherton on their team's roster. Atherton is the former VP of Motorsports at the Circuit of the Americas and is now the VP of Business Operations at the legendary driver's team.

Before the 2023 Cup Series season kicked off, the seven-time Cup champion bought a stake in Petty GMS Motorsports and co-owned the venture, Maury Gallagher. However, before their second season, the team switched to Toyota from Chevrolet and rebranded it as Legacy Motor Club.

In addition to being the co-owner, Johnson drives a part-time schedule in the #84 Toyota Camry. He marked his latest run at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and finished 33rd.

To take their business operations up a notch, the Statesville-based outfit searched for someone well-versed in how NASCAR does business. As a result, they landed a deal with Reid Atherton, as his resume boasts vast experience in the industry. The Georgian has worked for sanctioning bodies, manufacturers, tracks, and teams.

LMC's co-owner expressed his pleasure in having Atherton on board and issued a statement (via Speedway Digest).

“I’m thrilled to have Reid join the CLUB as we continue to evolve, develop our brand and service partners. Reid’s passion, dedication, and unique career experiences will immediately strengthen LEGACY M.C. We are glad to have him aboard,” Johnson said.

Reid Atherton is a business management graduate from Georgia State University. He began his career with the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) and has worked with McLaren Racing and Arrow McLaren's IndyCar team, to name a few.

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Legacy Motor Club fires Jimmie Johnson's crew members

In 2020, Jimmie Johnson marked his final full-time Cup Series season and, after a two-year hiatus, returned to NASCAR as Legacy Motor Club's co-owner and part-time driver. However, the legendary driver hasn't been able to re-execute his dominant performance thus far and has succumbed to two DNFs from six races.

Though Johnson's slated to run at Kansas Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and Phoenix Raceway later this year, his 2025 season in NASCAR is yet to be confirmed.

Amid the rumors about whether the team has fired employees, Bob Pockrass confirmed that Legacy Motor Club has let go of multiple members of the #84 team, including crew chief, Jason Burdett. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), the NASCAR insider wrote.

"Legacy did release members of the 84 team including crew chief Jason Burdett earlier this week. Johnson still will run Kansas, Vegas and Phoenix later this year. Any 2025 plans still tbd," Pockrass shared.

LMC has two full-time drivers—Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek. But both have had lackluster performance thus far. While Jones' #43 Toyota has collected a solitary top-10 and suffered two DNFs, JHN's #42 Toyota has bagged three top-10s but succumbed to 5 DNFs. As a result, Jones is ranked 28th and John Hunter Nemechek is 33rd.