“I didn’t think it would be this tough” - Jimmie Johnson confronts ownership struggles amid crew chief shake-up

NASCAR legend Jimmie Johnson recently shed light on the challenges he faces as co-owner of Legacy Motor Club. Following a disappointing finish at the historic Indianapolis Oval last Sunday, the team announced the release of Johnson's crew chief, Jason Burdett.

Seven-time Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson drives the #84 Toyota part-time in the Cup Series. Over his 19 full-time seasons, Johnson has secured 83 Cup race wins and is a four-time All-Star race winner. Remarkably, he won five consecutive Cup titles from 2006 to 2010, a feat no other driver has achieved.

Johnson had earlier announced that he would run nine races this season in the #84 Toyota. His last race was at IMS, where he was performing well until an on-track incident brought an untimely finish to his race.

Crew Chief Jason Burdett and Johnson have run 6 races thus far, with their best finish being P28. Burdett was released from Legacy Motor Club after the race at IMS. Johnson recently shared his thoughts on the difficulties involved in being a co-owner and a part-time racer. He said:

“I didn’t think it would be this tough,” (Johnson told IndyStar at IMS). It’s a tough sport, and we have a great vision and have made a massive commitment to that long-term vision, so we’re on the journey."

“But I thought last year, we were kinda at the bottom — and then we went down a little lower and found a lower bottom. I do think we’re climbing our way out now, but there’s just so much that goes into it, and we’re getting the pieces in place and moving it along[...]I want to race, but I don’t want the third car to be a detriment to the other two. The revenue we generate can help us use the third car to develop new talent and can help us develop new setup ideas,” Johnson added

Johnson co-owns Legacy Motor Club (formerly Petty GMS Motorsports) with the CEO of Allegiant Travel Company, Maury Gallagher. The team fields two cars driven by Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek. Both drivers have had underwhelming seasons so far, with neither of them being able to secure a top-five finish.

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"Five years is the sweet spot" - Jimmie Johnson looks back at IndyCar career

After concluding his NASCAR career with a celebratory record, Johnson, the California native, felt like he still had a few gears in him. He subsequently joined the IndyCar Series as a part-time driver for Chip Ganassi Racing.

Johnson competed in 29 IndyCar races across the 2021 and 2022 seasons. His best performance came at the Hy-Vee Salute to Farmers 300 in Iowa Speedway, where he secured a fifth-place finish. Reflecting on his career, Johnson expressed regret over not transitioning to IndyCar sooner than 2020, believing it would have maximized his opportunities in the series. In an interview after the race at IMS, he said (via IndyStar):

“I really do miss it, I feel like I should’ve made the switch a few years earlier. I always have believed that you need five years – five years is the sweet spot before you really understand a given vehicle."

Following his IndyCar stint, Johnson announced his retirement from full-time racing before joining forces with Maury Gallagher and NASCAR legend Richard Petty to co-own Legacy Motor Club.