Toyota GAZOO Racing – Jimmie Johnson
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 12, 2025) – LEGACY MOTOR CLUB driver Jimmie Johnson was made available to the media on Wednesday prior to the Daytona 500.
JIMMIE JOHNSON, No. 84 Carvana Toyota Camry XSE, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB
What steps have you and LEGACY MOTOR CLUB taken for improved performance this season?
“On the competition side, we’ve really restructured, reorganized the department, and (pause), you don’t have a choice, but we started in the late spring of 2024 and started making changes, evolving and ultimately trying to recruit individuals to our company. That process is tough, on top of people who are available, on top of contracts and when they’re going to be free and come and work for us. So really, mid-November, maybe even the first of December, we had everyone in-house that we recruited. So, there’s been various steps along the way with people coming in. I’d say Jacob Cantor (director of competition, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB) was probably the earliest one to come in and his presence, trying to put processes into place and organize the competition department. He at least got a head start on it. We’re still playing catch up and we’re not totally where we want to be, but we’ve made a lot of massive steps forward. Being able to go to the track now and finding out where we sit is really important, but with that, we have two (superspeedway) races and a road course (to start the season), so we still have a month before we can fairly evaluate ourselves.”
Was it as much of a “cleaning of house” in the organization as it seemed from the outside?
“It might look that way, but (pause), I guess I’m reacting to ‘cleaning house.’ I didn’t clean Maury (Gallagher, minority owner and team ambassador, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB) out in a sense. There’s been of stuff going on and certainly, one of the worst parts I’ve experienced as an owner is termination and trying to move on from an individual or a department of people and bring in someone new. I’m not sure I’ll ever get comfortable with that. So that’s been tough, and we went through a lot of that over the course of last season. I was really surprised when I spoke to Maury at the end of last year that he was just in a different place in life and didn’t want much of the day-to-day (responsibilities) and wanted to give me that opportunity and he just wants to come (to the races), hang out, have a hot dog and put his headphones on to enjoy the races from a fan’s perspective in supporting us. A lot has happened, and the offseason has been very busy as a result.”
As a car owner, where do you stand on the storylines concerning NASCAR, away from the track?
“(I) could talk for hours. I’m learning my way and trying to surround myself with people who have deep experience in the sport, deep business experience, legal experience. Everything I can to make sure we’re smart and taking the right next steps. But there’s a lot in play and even with all of the stuff that might seem negative in some respect, I still feel our sport is as strongest as it’s been in a long time and as we went out to find a private equity party and land Knighthead Capital, the excitement at looking at NASCAR and the excitement around live sports, there’s a lot here and hopefully, we can work through these issues and get the drag on our sport’s trajectory up, out of it, and continue to climb.”
How nice is it to jump back into a race car and go for another win?
“It’s nice to be back in the car, but I find, especially last year, to be prepped and ready like I need to, I just didn’t have the time. There’s so much to focus on and work through. We’re trying to recruit, build. We had the recruitment of Knighthead Capital and everything that went with that. I just couldn’t be as prepared as I wanted to, and Daytona is different. There’s very little driver preparation required. So, I’m relieved at that (laughs) aspect, but I think that at least in the short term, I just need to run less races as a result. There’s more work for me to do on a race weekend with partners, prospects, crew members, drivers, crew chiefs than the advantage of a running a third car all the time, especially with nine races last year. And so, with this year, we have two (races). I’m not sure what next year will look like. I know I’ll at least be in this race (Daytona 500) next year. But we’ll see how we evolve as a company and if it makes sense. I feel I’ll need to chase my desire in driving the car, as that’s still very much there, through IMSA (International Motor Sports Association) or sportscar racing or classic car racing as we move forward here.
Do you feel like you’ll be in the Daytona 500 this year?
“I can’t tell. That practice session, as much as I was excited to have it, there was so much interference with drafting of other cars. We can’t tell who had a clean lap and who didn’t but I know our cars are much faster than they were last year so I’m hopeful we’re there.”
Did you look at the Open Exemption Provisional at all for this race?
“We didn’t know about it until the rule came out. Evidently, it was buried in the charter agreement that came out. But when the rule came out, I forget the time of the morning, three minutes later, we were on the phone with NASCAR and recognized it wasn’t within the 90 day-window and we weren’t eligible. So, we’ve had a lot of talks with everyone at NASCAR and I have a better understanding of the intent of the rule, and I would anticipate some changes following here (Daytona) to better define and clarify that. When first read, our reaction wasn’t great, but it is what it is and hopefully, we have a fast-enough car to get in.”
Have you had any conversations with Helio Castroneves?
“Well now that he’s (Helio Castroneves) locked in (with the Open Exemption Provisional), I would talk to him. Before knowing he was in, I would’ve lied to him (laughs).”
How stressful are today and tomorrow for you as an open car?
“It’s awful. What I went through last year to get in. I wasn’t in until the last half-mile of my duel race. Hopefully I don’t have to go through that again.”
With this new podcast you’re launching, how do you fit that into your schedule?
“I’ve not figured that out yet. My family is still in England until the school session is out, really since October last year when this opportunity popped up to advance my position in the team, I haven’t been there much. That part isn’t easy. But knowing that’s coming to end once the school session is out, that’s nice, but I’m trying to manage it (all).”
Is there any more pressure to make the race this year with the partnership with Shaquille O’Neal this year?
“Yeah. And the All-Star event is Sunday after the NASCAR event. TNT and FOX are collaborating and working together with planned interaction back-and-forth. And of course, we’d love to have Shaq (Shaquille O’Neal) here, but with the eyeballs and added exposure, this will have more reach as you’ll have the two networks and different fanbases (watching) and should be really, really good. So if we’re not in the race, that’s definitely a shame.”
Thoughts on Dale Earnhardt Jr. having the chance to potentially own a car in the Daytona 500?
“I’m really excited for him (Dale Earnhardt Jr.). I know that having a car in the Cup Series is very special, important for him, his sister (Kelly Earnhardt) and their family. Hopefully this is the start of many things for them.”
With this current car, is handling not as important as in previous generations?
“Handling still matters here. It’s changed a little bit with so much parody. The rule book is so thick that it’s bunched everyone up. But it still does require a lot of handling, and you make the car faster when you sacrifice handling and we’re just too dumb and we want more speed in the cars, trim them out and lower them, bounce off the bump stops and create handling issues as a result. Ultimately, tire wear, before they repaved the track, tire wear was quite high. We’re not back there yet and I’m excited for the day that we are and you can bring more driving back to this race and some setup options, but don’t think we’re quite there yet.”
What have Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek brought to the team that’s benefitted the organization?
“Erik (Jones) is that steady, calm thing for us. Erik has been so patient with the organization, going through different ownership changes and promises about making things better. We feel a deep obligation towards him to get it right. With Jinh Hunter (Nemechek), coming up through the Toyota system and our deep relationship with Toyota, we’re thrilled to have him back. As far as he’s concerned, in his first year with us last year, we didn’t have our act together and our obligation to John Hunter. But we switched up the crew chief arrangements, and last year with 10 or so races to go, we had a conversation about, ‘hey, let’s just try (the change). We’re not where we want to be, let’s try.’ It was tough for John Hunter to separate from Ben (Beshore, crew chief, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB) because of their relationship. But he’s had an open mind on what’s better for the company, and Erik and Ben got off to a decent start there. With Travis Mack (crew chief, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB) coming onboard and the energy he brings to the program, we do have a little different lineup there with engineering below that, but everybody’s had a really productive offseason and to roll into racing, we’ll see how this pans out.”
If some sponsorship funding came in, would you run any additional races this year?
“I would consider a few more. The time it takes to be prepared and do it right is something I overlooked running nine races. I’ve been living out of the country, a chance for my family to live abroad, as a minority owner of the team, it was easier to do. Now with my new position, it’s becoming much harder. So, staying focused on the growth of the team, our partners, prospects, OEM, management, drivers. It’s really tough to give the driving piece a chance right now.”
What feels different about this Daytona 500 for you compared to your previous?
“Qualifying to get in and that uncertainty is new. I guess I had it the first time I was here (Daytona) in 2002. Especially this year, cars trying to get in on speed have an affiliation with a bigger team. And I imagine, everyone’s trying to put their best stuff on those cars. RCR (Richard Childress Racing) with the No. 62 and Hendrick (Motorsports) with the No. 40. That’s interesting on speed, but with the duels and how they’re split up, if you’re in a duel without your teammates and have to look to the OEM, and if I’m in a duel without my teammates and I have the Gibbs (Joe Gibbs Racing) cars and Martin (Martin Truex Jr.) is there, they’re going to push Martin. It’s a wild scenario and hopefully we cure all of that by being in the top two (of open cars) tonight. Every year has its own challenges and for us, where I am now, it’s just getting in the race. In year’s past, it’s been the race and how we’re going to win. Of course, we want to do all of that but we haven’t thought about that yet. Everything’s been about getting into the race.”
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