Winning seven NASCAR Cup Series championships is a monumental achievement, but running a successful Cup Series team is an entirely different challenge—one Jimmie Johnson is learning firsthand. His team, Legacy Motor Club (LMC), faced significant struggles throughout the 2024 season. Eric Jones, driving the #43 car, ended the year in 28th place, while teammate John Hunter Nemechek in the #42 finished 34th. Determined to improve, Johnson has been making sweeping changes to help LMC find its footing in NASCAR.
One of the most notable changes was LMC’s switch from Chevrolet to Toyota for the 2024 season. However, despite this strategic move, the team struggled to see benefits. Johnson chose not to partner with Toyota powerhouse Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) to access their data, opting instead to build the team’s own database. Alongside this approach, Johnson has focused on internal restructuring and hiring experienced professionals to strengthen the organization. Recently, another seasoned NASCAR veteran joined LMC in an effort to steer the team in the right direction.
Johnson became part-owner of LMC in 2022 after purchasing a stake in Petty GMS Motorsports, which was initially formed when businessman Maurice J. Gallagher acquired Richard Petty Motorsports. After Johnson joined, the team rebranded as Legacy Motor Club. The 2024 season brought significant changes, starting with three entries: the #42 car with crew chief Ben Beshore, the #43 with Dave Elenz, and the #84, which Johnson drove for nine races under crew chief Jason Burdett. Joey Cohen initially served as competition director, but a major shake-up followed as the season progressed.
Cohen was replaced by Jacob Canter, a seasoned JGR race engineer, as the new competition director. Brian Campe also joined as the team’s technical director, bringing experience from Hendrick Motorsports, Team Penske, JR Motorsports, and IndyCar, where he won the Indianapolis 500 and a championship as a race engineer. The team also released the entire #84 crew, including Burdett, and parted ways with Elenz. Beshore took over as crew chief for the #43, while Campe became the interim crew chief for the #42 to close out the season.
LMC has since bolstered its ranks further by hiring Chad Johnston as Manager of Race Engineering. Johnston, who has seven Cup Series wins as a crew chief, most recently worked with Ryan Preece and Stewart-Haas Racing’s #41 team before SHR closed its doors. On Johnston’s arrival, Campe commented, “Chad is a great hire for us at LEGACY MOTOR CLUB. His decades of experience and extensive knowledge will make him a huge benefit to the CLUB. We have a lot of work to do this off-season, and Chad’s expertise will help us accomplish our goals.”
The big question now is whether these changes will translate into better results for LMC in the 2025 season. NASCAR analyst Eric Estepp recently weighed in on the topic, stating, “I don’t blame them for making changes trying to fix it. I think Brian Campe is a great hire. Chad Johnston, we’ll see. From the outside, it kind of looks like a circus. But they keep hiring industry veterans, so there must be some confidence. Is it because everyone believes Jimmie Johnson will eventually figure it out? Or that Maury Gallagher, who built a championship-winning Truck Series team, can do the same here? These veterans are buying into the group, and as long as the core stays intact, they’ll keep trying different combinations to get back on track.”
While turning LMC into a competitive force is a steep challenge, 23XI Racing has proven that success is possible for newer teams. Whether LMC can follow suit remains to be seen. Only time will tell if these efforts will help them contend with NASCAR’s top teams like JGR, Hendrick Motorsports, and Team Penske.
