“It’s Funded Because of Jimmie Johnson”: Fans Jump to NASCAR Legend’s Defense Amid Abysmal Season

Neha Dwivedi | 30/10/2024
Two-time Daytona 500 Champion Jimmie Johnson walks through the garages to attend the drivers meeting before the Daytona 500, Monday, Feb. 19, 2024 at Daytona International Speedway.

Jimmie Johnson’s Legacy Motor Club has faced a challenging season. Following the departure of Noah Gragson amid a social media furor, the team has struggled for top finishes. Apart from Erik Jones, who managed a single top-5 finish, none of Johnson’s drivers have broken into the top echelon consistently.

John Hunter Nemechek, behind the wheel of the #42, has scraped together only four top-10 finishes, while Jones has added just one more top-10 to his tally. Johnson himself, slated to compete in nine races—the most since his last full season—hasn’t finished higher than 28th in his last eight outings.

Amid these struggles, a fan voiced a suggestion on X, expressing frustration about the team’s strategy: “It’s insane to me that Legacy has a third car and they insist on only putting Jimmie Johnson in it Why not run Corey Heim or Chandler Smith for a couple of races, the cars already funded.”

However, Johnson’s ardent supporters rallied to his defense amid criticism of his sporadic race appearances. One fan emphasized the importance of sponsorship dynamics, stating, “It’s what the sponsors want, if it wasn’t for Jimmie running a few races we probably wouldn’t have Family Dollar and Dollar Tree.”

The sentiment was echoed by another, who reasoned, “because the sponsors are there to specifically sponsor Jimmie and be tied to a 7-time champion.” Further bolstering this view, another enthusiast chimed in, “It’s funded because of Jimmie Johnson, that’s who the sponsor wants in the car. If they wanted someone else they’d say it.”

One commentator provided a broader perspective, reminding, “Remember that this organization is built by sponsorship. It may not even have been his call. They may have insisted that Jimmy jump in the car for sponsorship reasons.”

Johnson’s diverse 2025 schedule

The owner of Legacy Motor Club and part-time driver of the #84 car, Johnson has yet to finalize the number of races he will compete in next season. While contemplating his return, Johnson shared,

“Yeah, I’ve thought about it. We’re just trying to make sure that it’s not costing the team anything. It’s not hurting the #42 and #43. We don’t have it put together yet, but I’ll be out there a few times at least.” He will do so while talking up the role of NASCAR analyst at NBC Sports’ motorsports.

Additionally, the seven-time Cup Champion opened up about his challenges adapting to the Next Gen car model this season. He observed that the strategies that worked with the previous car models don’t quite apply to the Next Gen.

He elaborated on the differences, noting that the approach to corner entry and how the drivers manage the car coming out of the turn requires a gradual mastery, which is quite different from the old ‘easy in, first to accelerate’ tactic.’ Johnson has one more race left in this season to maneuver — Pheonix Raceway.

Post Edited By: Srijan Mandal
Jimmie Johnson

About the author

Neha Dwivedi

Neha Dwivedi is an experienced NASCAR Journalist at The SportsRush, having penned over 5500 articles on the sport to date. She was a seasoned writer long before she got into the world of NASCAR. Although she loves to see Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch win the races, she equally supports the emerging talents in the CARS Late Model and ARCA Menards Series.. For her work in NASCAR she has earned accolades from journalists like Susan Wade of The Athletic, as well as NASCAR drivers including Thad Moffit and Corey Lajoie. Her favorite moment from NASCAR was witnessing Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. win the championship trophies. Outside the racetrack world, Neha immerses herself in the literary world, exploring both fiction and non-fiction.

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