Jimmie Johnson is the greatest NASCAR driver the world has ever seen and while we can debate his success alongside the legends of the sport, there was not a driver more dominant than he was at his peak. Johnson won 36 races and five straight championships from 2006-2010, with the latter being the most consecutive titles in NASCAR history.
On August 2, 2023, the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion achieved something that reigns supreme over all other accomplishments in his racing career. Johnson was announced as one of the three inductees in the 2024 NASCAR Hall of Fame class alongside his long-time crew Chad Knaus.
It was inevitable. The former Hendrick Motorsports driver was always a lock to join the NASCAR Hall of Fame on his first attempt. While it is simply ridiculous that Johnson was not NASCAR’s first unanimous selection, there is no debating where he stands in the sport’s history.
The veteran NASCAR driver reached victory lane 83 times with one of the best winning percentages (12%) in NASCAR history and became one of three drivers to win seven Cup Series championships alongside Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Sr. However, Earnhardt and Petty didn’t do it quite like Johnson.
Jimmie Johnson’s career Cup Series statistics (689 starts): 83 wins, 232 top-5 finishes, 374 top-10 finishes
There were four format changes under Johnson’s reign as NASCAR’s most dominant driver. From the Chase to the Playoffs in the present day, the California native kept winning and that translated into one title after the other. It was incredible to witness as a fan of NASCAR.
The 10-race Chase was Johnson’s bread and butter but he still seized the day in 2016 when he finally won at Homestead-Miami Speedway in walk-off fashion for his seventh and final title. Sure, he never won a championship under the full-season format but there is no doubt that he would have accomplished that too.
The final three full-time seasons of Johnson’s career were admittedly disappointing. It was obvious that he was no longer on the same level and failed to win a race in those years. Still, there is no stain on Johnson’s legacy, despite what people who despised his success for years want to say.
In fact, there are and will be no marks on his legacy from his latest NASCAR journey. Johnson was shockingly announced as a co-owner of Petty GMS Motorsports, now known as Legacy Motor Club, in November 2022 and has been a very prominent figure within the organization behind the scenes.
This has also included the on-track product as Johnson returned to the Cup Series after a two-year absence to drive the No. 84 car. The 2023 Daytona 500 was going well before a crash near the end of the race and while it has not been very successful since that point, there is no reason to look at him any differently.
After around nine months of being a co-owner at Legacy Motor Club, there are reasons to be optimistic about Johnson’s future in NASCAR. It may not be off to a fast start; however, the start of the 2024 NASCAR season represents a new chapter for Johnson and the race team.
Related: Jimmie Johnson discusses why he chose the No. 84 as his new NASCAR number
Jimmie Johnson’s bright future in NASCAR as co-owner of Legacy Motor Club
Johnson’s first season as a co-owner of Legacy Motor Club has not gone well. The organization’s drivers, Erik Jones and Noah Gragson, are nowhere near the NASCAR playoffs and the team has taken a notable step back in performance overall.
Still, Johnson and Maury Gallagher have executed moves that should leave people confident about the NASCAR team’s future. Legacy Motor Club announced earlier in the year that it would move to Toyota Racing starting in 2024 and it sent shockwaves throughout the sport.
It was well known that Toyota Racing wanted another team to join the camp in the Cup Series but no one could have expected it to be Legacy Motor Club. Overall, this is a fantastic move orchestrated by Johnson and Gallagher that should improve the organization’s future starting next season.
Instead of being a lower-tier team with Chevrolet for the coming years, Legacy Motor Club will share resources with Joe Gibbs Racing and 23XI Racing. The organization should become a higher priority and success should come along with this change.
Yes, this also means Johnson, a long-tenured driver for Chevrolet, will be driving the No. 84 Toyota Camry for select races during the 2024 season. It will be the first time that he drives for a manufacturer other than Chevrolet in NASCAR.
Everyone will remember Johnson as the driver of the No. 48 car for Hendrick Motorsports but this marks the beginning of a new journey. The seven-time Cup Series champion wants to succeed within a NASCAR organization in his post-driving career, just like Jeff Gordon, the person who wanted him in Hendrick Motorsports’ fourth entry.
There is no reason to believe that Johnson can’t succeed as a NASCAR owner. Everything that he has done in his racing career has come with an abundant amount of success and one season with Legacy Motor Club before a manufacturer change should not define the person he will be in 10 or 20 years.
It always helps to have a multi-time NASCAR champion a part of your organization but Johnson represents a different situation. He can still connect with drivers, sponsors, and the up-and-coming people in the industry who watched him dominate the sport while growing up.
Sure, there might be some more growing pains but that is common for somebody entering a new phase of their life. Johnson is no different and while it may take a few years, there will be continuous growth as he embraces his role as a NASCAR owner.
The 2024 NASCAR Hall of Fame class is one that will be celebrated for years to come. Johnson and Knaus, one of the sport’s most dominant combinations, will be officially inducted into NASCAR history on January 19, 2024. It will be a time of celebration as the whole industry recognizes the duo’s past success.
It also marks the dawn of a new era for Johnson. He can officially close the chapter on one of the greatest driving careers in NASCAR history and focus on what is ahead for Legacy Motor Club. Quite frankly, this is why the seven-time Cup Series champion’s return to NASCAR is amazing.
Johnson will still be around the sport after he officially joins the NASCAR Hall of Fame. This doesn’t represent an emotional goodbye as the last box connecting him to the sport. It represents the start of another resume that could be Hall of Fame-worthy in itself one day.
If people want to doubt Johnson’s ability as an owner, go ahead. No one will stop those people because everyone should understand what he is capable of accomplishing in racing overall. Personally, I am buying stock in the new co-owner of Legacy Motor Club.
Johnson had one of the best driving careers in NASCAR history; however, this is just another chapter of his book. The story is not over yet.