Jimmie Johnson will return to the NASCAR circuit on Sunday when he brings up the rear at the Daytona 500, but the way he worked his way to the front of his racing team doesn’t sit well with the racing legend stock car Richard Petty.
Petty, 85, was essentially disempowered at his eponymous former team which was renamed and rebuilt once the 2022 season ended. Petty became the ambassador for the Legacy Motor Club and expressed dismay at Johnson’s rise to prominence.
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Erik Jones, center, talks to Richard Petty, left, and Jimmie Johnson before the NASCAR Cup Series Bluegreen Vacations Duel #1 at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 16, 2023, in Florida. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
“It felt weird to me,” Petty said on Saturday. “For the most part, I directed the majority of the show. Jimmie brought in all of his people. His way of directing things and my way of directing things are probably a little different. We probably agree on about 50% of what it really comes down to.”
Legacy Motor Club was known as Petty GMS Motorsports until January. Johnson bought a stake in the group in November.
“They don’t take care of the racing part, they take care of the front office,” Petty said. “With endorsements and appearances and all that, the Jimmie crowd sort of controls that. It’s something I’ve never had to put up with, I guess.”
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Jimmie Johnson and Richard Petty pose for photos at Daytona International Speedway on February 16, 2023 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
He added, “Basically, he’s going to end up running the show in four or five years completely. He’s probably going to be the majority owner or the owner of our operation. They see things completely differently.”
Petty and Johnson are the only seven-time living NASCAR Cup Series champions.
Johnson told The Associated Press he was “disappointed” after hearing Petty’s comments.
“He didn’t express them to me, to begin with,” Johnson said. “Honestly, there are a lot of emotional elements to this. There are business decisions that take place between Mr. Gallagher and the Petty family before I arrived. These are details that are simply not for me to say. .
“But a lot of what Richard talks about is based on business decisions he and his family have made and they are not related to my involvement.”
NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty prepares to drive a replica of his #43 Pontiac STP at WWT Raceway on June 3, 2022 in Madison, Illinois. (Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
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Legacy Motor Club will use two full-time cars and one part-time car. Noah Gragson and Erik Jones are the full-time drivers and Johnson is the part-time driver.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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