Legacy Motor Club and owner Jimmie Johnson enter this NASCAR season with “significant overhaul at key parts of the operation” after the team “wrestled with controversy, sluggish results and turnover in its debut season," according to Dan Gelston of the AP. Former NASCAR driver Matt Kenseth is “on board as a competition adviser, providing guidance and strategy to the team.” Toyota hopes deep ties to both Legacy driver Erik Jones and Kenseth can "accelerate the learning process in its first year as the team’s manufacturer." Johnson is back driving this season with a “limited nine-race Cup Series schedule.” But he also is "changing his role, too." Johnson expected last year to be spent “trying to build Legacy -- the bones of Petty Enterprises bought out by Maury Gallagher -- into a competitive team.” But he was "more of a CEO, glad-handing sponsors and working harder on the business and branding side of Legacy.” Johnson “navigated a stormy 2023” that opened last season at Daytona with team ambassador Richard Petty “carping over a reduced role in the organization.” Legacy’s plans for former driver Noach Gragson “unraveled” when he “hit the like button on an insensitive meme of George Floyd." NASCAR suspended Gragson, and he eventually parted ways with Legacy. The team “broke ties with Chevrolet and shifted to Toyota,” which will "try and lead Legacy into victory lane." Johnson believes that he can “turn Legacy into a winner one way or the other, as an owner, driver, pitchman or whatever works” (AP, 2/14).
