“Just Put a Huge Smile on His Face”: Jimmie Johnson Showers Business Partner With Praise Amid Role Change at Legacy Motor Club

After years as a co-owner of Legacy Motor Club, Maury Gallagher has announced that he will sell his stake in the Cup Series organization and become a team ambassador alongside his former partner, Richard Petty. Jimmie Johnson has opened up about Gallagher’s deep impact on the team at this juncture.

He told Racer Magazine in a recent interview, “I’m very thankful for the experience and mentorship and knowing he’s not going anywhere. The roles have changed. But at the end of the day, I want to win races for him. He’s the kind that I want to win these for and just put a huge smile on his face.” Johnson had joined Gallagher as a co-owner in 2023.

He continued to express gratitude for Gallagher’s unwavering commitment to the cause and his financial support during tough times. “He has set us up for a very successful future,” he stated. “Knowing these elements behind the scenes gives me more confidence and brings the excitement that now I get a chance to lead the company.”

The seven-time Cup Series champion will continue to lead the company as its majority owner, while Knighthead Capital Management LLC will come into the mix as a minority owner. Gallagher’s role change is the end of a big chapter in the modern era of stock car racing, for he has held the reigns of a NASCAR team since 2011.

Maury Gallagher’s journey in NASCAR since 2011

Outside racing is where the bigger part of Gallagher’s life is. He is a commercial airline entrepreneur and the CEO of Allegiant Travel Company. He has co-founded other airline brands such as WestAir and ValuJet as well. In 2011, he started GMS Racing as an ARCA Menards Series team. It expanded into a Truck Series operation in 2013.

The team won championships in 2016 and 2020, with Johnny Sauter and Sheldon Creed. In 2021, Richard Petty Motorsports’s Andrew Musrtein sold his stake in the team to Gallagher. The outfit was renamed Petty GMS Racing and the original GMS Racing was shut down in 2023. In the same year, Jimmie Johnson joined the fold as a co-owner.

The team was once again renamed, as Legacy Motor Club. Gallagher’s initial foray into racing came to accommodate and nurture the career of his son, Spencer. Spencer last competed in the Cup Series with BK Racing. He secured one win, in the Xfinity Series, before quitting racing to take on a managerial role in his father’s team in 2018.