Even though he tied two of NASCAR’s greatest drivers, Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt, by winning seven NASCAR Cup championships, Jimmie Johnson admits he was never totally comfortable as a driver and is glad those days are behind him. A promising future as a team owner now lies ahead.
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Not only did he win seven Cup crowns and 83 races — sixth-most among all drivers in Cup history — but Johnson also hasn’t forgotten how he failed to win in his last 130 full-time Cup starts (144 if you count his handful of one-off starts over the last three seasons), or how his long-held aspiration to race in IndyCar was, to be honest, a flop, with only one top-five and another top-10 in 29 IndyCar starts.
Johnson, who celebrated his 50th birthday on Wednesday, has experienced both the highest of highs and the lowest of lows in his racing career.
“50 As A Kid Seemed Old … And Damn … Here It Is!”
“It’s wild (to turn 50,” Johnson told The Athletic. “Slowing down in some respects has helped me grasp the number. Having kids has helped, too. When I was racing all the time — even in my early 40s — you don’t ever look up. You’re just grinding and going.
“I’m taking care of myself, so I feel good, and the energy is there. It’s just a number, but life is slowing down in some ways. Gosh, it’s wild. In my head, 50 as a kid seemed old, you know? And damn … here it is!”
While the NASCAR Hall of Famer still has the occasional itch he likes to scratch with one-off appearances, he is eagerly approaching the newest challenge of his racing career — majority owner of Legacy Motor Club (formerly Richard Petty Motorsports). Johnson took over that role in January, shortly before moving his family back to the U.S. after living in England for the last two years.
Now, the man nicknamed “JJ” is ready to devote all his time and energy to improving his fledgling two-car, Toyota-powered Cup team, which currently has John Hunter Nemechek and veteran Cup driver Erik Jones behind the wheel. Johnson hopes to grow his team into a three-car operation by 2027 (possibly as soon as next season if Legacy can acquire one of the team charters that 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports are at risk of losing in their lawsuit against NASCAR).
Johnson is also borrowing from a number of team owner playbooks, taking cues and advice from the likes of Petty, Rick Hendrick (with whom Johnson spent his entire Cup career), Joe Gibbs, Roger Penske, and others.
“This journey on the ownership side — running a company, operations, all the different layers to it — has been a crash course,” Johnson continued. “I don’t know what half the acronyms mean when I sit in a meeting. There are things I’ve never experienced: having an HR person to talk to or report to, all these basics for the business world that are brand new to me at 50.”
Known for his wit and sharp sense of humor, Johnson strayed from racing during his interview with The Athletic to talk about his 15-year-old daughter, Evie. What happened that day made him feel older than turning 50.
“(Having kids has) been a journey, and it has definitely made me realize my age, especially a couple of weeks ago when the driver’s ed teacher showed up, and Evie drove out of the driveway behind the wheel. I thought, ‘What’s going on here?’ ”
Johnson Still Has To Scratch That Driving Itch Occasionally
As much as it’s a shock to the system to watch his oldest daughter learn to drive, Johnson hasn’t lost his own desire to get behind the wheel. That’s why he’s made 14 Cup starts over the last three seasons, including two this year. He showed he still has “it” earlier this season with a third-place finish in the Daytona 500, his best result in a Cup race since a pair of third-place finishes in 2020.
“It’s really about having fun now,” the two-time Daytona 500 winner stated. “The more time I spend around the Cup Series with this generation of car, the more I realize my chances of having a real shot to win — unless it’s at Daytona or Talladega — are slim. These Next Gen cars are so different, and the guys who do it every single day keep inching away from people like me who moonlight a few times a year.
“So my goals have shifted: If it helps the team, I’m in. If I get to go out there and have fun, I’m absolutely in.”
But the more he grows as an owner, the more he sees another side of racing that he is enjoying as much, if not more, as a driver.
“Watching our cars fight for wins recently filled a bucket in a way I wasn’t prepared for. I always thought I had to be the one holding the wheel, but now seeing the team compete is incredibly fulfilling.
“Ownership is so competitive — not just what you see on track Sunday afternoons. There’s competition for your workforce, for sponsors. We’re racing and competing in every area of the business. I’ve got all the steering wheel I need now to fulfill that competitive drive. The more I get into this, the more I realize Mr. Hendrick was right all along.”
Patience Is A Virtue That Johnson Knows Will Eventually Lead to Success
For a guy who won more than 80 Cup races, success behind the wheel came quickly. But success on top of the pit box or behind a desk is a new challenge Johnson is still adjusting to. He was always an aggressive driver with Team Hendrick, but with Legacy, he’s had to learn patience, understanding that building long-term success truly takes time.
“That’s where listening comes in,” Johnson continued. “Every race has a story. Every success or failure has a story. I try to find patterns and be realistic about where we are and where we need to go. The best way I’ve found is by surrounding myself with people I trust — people who have been here before and know how long we need to be patient, and when we need to start working in parallel on other plans. If we need to change course, they help me map out what that might look like.
“I’ve always been patient. With the 48 car, (crew chief) Chad Knaus was impatient for all of us. (Laughs.) So my role was to provide perspective and help pick up the pieces. That’s my natural headspace. But I also don’t want to be asleep at the wheel. There are two things I circle back to constantly. One is accountability. There are always more layers of accountability, for departments, individuals, the equipment we’re taking to the track. The second is communication. You can never communicate enough.
“… It’s taken us a little while to get some air under our wings, but that’s starting to happen on track, so it’s allowing us to spend more time with the Club and other elements that we want to roll out and you’ll start seeing soon. Now, as an owner, it’s different. The role requires me to embrace those interactions and represent the team. It’s a whole different headspace.”
Johnson always was an aggressive driver. But as an owner, patience has become his North Star, so to speak.
“Right now, it’s fear, fear of survival. This isn’t cheap. Today’s racing has more of a business plan than ever, but we’re eager to buy a third charter — and that’s going to put debt on the business. That fear is a motivator to bring my best work every day.”
While it’s sometimes difficult for some fans to visualize Johnson as a team owner, he also feels that way at times.
“it’s a journey I’m still figuring out. I’m learning every day. Our team is growing, and I’m incredibly proud of the people who’ve joined me on this path. It’s hard work, but it’s fulfilling in ways I never expected.”
