As Legacy Motor Club and Rick Ware Racing go back and forth in court, Jimmie Johnson is determined to get another charter. Growing Legacy Motor Club to a three-car operation is a big desire of his, and the majority owner is doing what he can to make it happen.
Next season, we can likely expect to see Jimmie Johnson racing again in the 84 car. Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek both appear set to return in 2026. They have both shown flashes of improvement this season, notably in the Southern 500.
Speaking on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Johnson talked about expansion. It isn’t if, it’s when. Johnson and Legacy believe they can improve even more with a third team involved.
“Yeah, we have full intentions to expand to a third car,” Jimmie Johnson explained. “Obviously, we’re in litigation and working through all of that. But our core product if you will is NASCAR Cup Series racing, and in order to be as successful as possible, you need as many cars, it’s my belief, you need as many cars as you can on track.
“In order to leverage and maximize the financial aspect, the technical learnings, drivers, crew chiefs, you know, all the aspects. If we could have four, I would aspire to have four charters if I could. But with the new rules, it’s only three for a new team. So, that’s our first step. We really need to shore up competition and then everything will build off that.”
Clearly, the long-term plan for Legacy Motor Club is taking a long time. There have been so many hirings and firings and front office moves and this and that. It’s nice to see that finally start to translate into on-track performance.
It appeared for a while that Legacy and Jimmie Johnson were more concerned with looking the part. A new font rebranding just a few years after rebranding from Petty GMS to Legacy Motor Club. It all felt very superficial. Now, we are finally starting to see the results follow.
A third car would stretch this team thin. They would need to hire more personnel. But by all accounts, that three-car setup is generally seen as the most ideal. You get the most bang for your buck, more data, and eventually, that results in better finishes and wins.
Legacy Motor Club has no technical alliances. They are building something entirely their own. There is a level of respect that should be given to the organization just for doing that. It would have been easy to buy into the Joe Gibbs Racing family like 23XI Racing. Get all of that data, but also sacrifice your own findings. Instead, they’ve embarked on the journey alone.