Jimmie Johnson will make his return to the NASCAR circuit on Sunday when he brings up the rear in the Daytona 500, but the way he’s worked his way up to the front of his racing team is something that doesn’t sit well with the racing legend. stock car racing, Richard Petty.
Petty, 85, was essentially stripped of power within his former namesake team which he renamed and rebuilt once the 2022 season concluded. Petty became an ambassador for Legacy Motor Club and expressed dismay at Johnson’s rise to power.
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Erik Jones, center, talks with Richard Petty, left, and Jimmie Johnson before Game 1 of the NASCAR Cup Series Bluegreen Vacation at Daytona International Speedway on February 16, 2023, in Florida. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
«It’s been weird for me,» Petty said Saturday. «Most of the time, I ran most of the show. Jimmie brought all his people on board. His way of handling things and mine are probably a little bit different. We probably agree on about 50% of what it really means «. It is reduced to.»
Legacy Motor Club was known as Petty GMS Motorsports until January. Johnson bought an ownership stake in the group in November.
«They don’t take over the racing part, they take over the front office,» Petty said. «With endorsements and appearances and all that, the Jimmie crowd is controlling that. That’s something I 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’re looking at things completely differently.»
Petty and Johnson are the only living seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champions.
Johnson told The Associated Press that 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 moving pieces on this. There are business decisions being made between Mr. Gallagher and the Petty family before I got here. Those are details that are simply not for me to say.»
«But a lot of what Richard talks about is based on business decisions that he and his family have made and 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 operate two cars full-time and one car part-time. Noah Gragson and Erik Jones are the full-time drivers and Johnson is the part-time driver.
Associated Press contributed to this report.