“I think Jimmie is looking at the future. He’s basically going to wind up running the show in four or five years completely. So, he’ll probably be the majority owner. Jimmie controls everything, basically, in the management part.”“I’ve been surprised at how much he still works, how active he is at the shop, how frequently he’s been at the shop. I’ve been really impressed,” said the 47-year-old Johnson.
“One thing I can say that’s never wavered since I’ve been engaged with him at this level is his reminders that we need to win races. It’s at least four times per conversation. How much that man wants to win and loves to win is amazing.” Petty cites his seven NASCAR Cup championships as well as Johnson’s along with retired crew chief Dale Inman’s eight as the reason for the Legacy name. However, it’s evident that the absence of the Petty name on a race team is painful for the 85-year-old man known as “The King”, and he admitted it bothers him that Johnson’s personnel have taken a major role with the team.
The Legacy Motor Club NASCAR team is going through a transition, and Richard Petty says that he and team owner Jimmie Johnson aren’t always on the same page.“But as I progress and as time progresses and things change in the world, then it’s probably time for a change,” Petty said.
In 60 years, Petty Enterprises recorded 10 championships, 260 victories, 888 top-five and 1,258 top-10 finishes, 151 poles and led 61,086 laps. Richard Petty Motorsports notched five Cup and two Xfinity victories, while Petty GMS Racing posted one victory, three top-five and 14 top-10 finishes last year.