NASCAR legend talks returning to Cup Series following retirement

Jimmie Johnson has opened up on returning to NASCAR after his 2020 retirement, with the seven-time Cup Series champion now seeing the sport a different way.

Johnson had been out of the sport for a couple of years when he bought an ownership stake in the team formerly known as Richard Petty Motorsports in late 2022, with the team renamed to Legacy Motor Club for the 2023 season.

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The 50-year-old was then named majority owner at the start of 2025, and told the Athletic recently that he's finding that his team fighting for wins is as satisfying to him as racing himself.

Of course, Johnson does still race occasionally – getting behind the wheel of the No. 84 Legacy car for the last three years to run a part-time schedule in the Cup Series, running the Daytona 500 and Coca-Cola 600 this year with differing degrees of success (finishing third at the season opened and 40th on Memorial Day weekend.

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Johnson admits team ownership 'fulfilling'

"I’m finding there are other ways to fulfill the adrenaline rush of being in the car. A month ago, I did some historic racing and even drove a boat — those things scratched that itch in a way I didn’t expect.

"But honestly, watching our cars (driven by Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek) fight for wins recently filled a bucket in a way I wasn’t prepared for. I always thought I had to be the one holding the wheel, but now seeing the team compete is incredibly fulfilling.

"Ownership is so competitive — not just what you see on track Sunday afternoons. There’s competition for your workforce, for sponsors. We’re racing and competing in every area of the business.

"I’ve got all the steering wheel I need now to fulfill that competitive drive. The more I get into this, the more I realize Mr. Hendrick was right all along."

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