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Jimmie Johnson “Feeling More Comfortable” in NASCAR Ownership Role With Legacy Motor Club

Jimmie Johnson has transitioned from seven-time champion to hands-on team owner, now more focused on running Legacy Motor Club than racing — as shown by his reduced part-time Cup schedule. Given Johnson’s long-standing identity as a racer, Steve Letarte pressed him on NASCAR’s Inside the Race about how comfortable he felt juggling boardroom discussions against […]

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Jimmie Johnson has transitioned from seven-time champion to hands-on team owner, now more focused on running Legacy Motor Club than racing — as shown by his reduced part-time Cup schedule.

Given Johnson’s long-standing identity as a racer, Steve Letarte pressed him on NASCAR’s Inside the Race about how comfortable he felt juggling boardroom discussions against competition talk. Johnson admitted it didn’t come naturally, but the challenge intrigued him. He spent more time on the business end, drawn by the learning curve and fresh terrain.

His taste for team operations sharpened during his IndyCar stint, where he leased cars from Chip Ganassi. Reflecting on that chapter, Johnson said, “Through that (IndyCar) journey, I was like, ‘Wow, this is more competitive and more interesting and also an area for me to grow.’ And so for these first few years, I have been far more involved on the business ops side and trying to find sponsorship.”

That pull toward management has only grown, especially with Legacy’s new alliance with Toyota. Johnson noted, “The deep connection that I’ve been able to forge and build there [at Toyota] — our collective competition group, some new and familiar faces inside that competition group. I’m feeling more comfortable with it and certainly spending more time now that the business side is shored up.”

Legacy, in many ways, marks the revival of Petty Enterprises, one of NASCAR’s most storied operations. Maury Gallagher, chairman of Allegiant Air and former owner of GMS Racing, acquired Richard Petty Motorsports in 2021, rebranding it as Petty GMS Racing. Johnson came aboard at the close of 2022, and the team entered 2023 under a new banner — Legacy Motor Club — fielding two full-time Cup entries.

In January of this year, Johnson stepped into the role of majority owner following a restructuring that brought Knighthead Capital Management into the fold. With that, his responsibilities grew exponentially, pulling his focus toward boosting the team’s competitive edge.

As a result, his energy is now firmly rooted in Legacy’s evolution, working to elevate performance and broaden the team’s profile. Though he once likened himself to a rookie again, reminiscent of 2002, Johnson now seems to be finding his footing in the boardroom as comfortably as he once did on the track.



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Motorsports

Ty Dillon’s last lap move bumps Bowman from $1 million challenge

When NASCAR and TNT introduced the in-season challenge, a bracket-style tournament with a $1 million prize for the winning driver, absolutely no one would have realistically picked Kaulig Racing’s Ty Dillon as a potential winner. And yet, the No. 32 seed defeated Denny Hamlin at Atlanta after Hamlin’s early exit from the race, later doing the […]

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When NASCAR and TNT introduced the in-season challenge, a bracket-style tournament with a $1 million prize for the winning driver, absolutely no one would have realistically picked Kaulig Racing’s Ty Dillon as a potential winner.

And yet, the No. 32 seed defeated Denny Hamlin at Atlanta after Hamlin’s early exit from the race, later doing the same with Brad Keselowski when the former Cup champion crashed in Chicago.

At Sonoma, however, it wasn’t going to be another easy advancement. Dillon had to actually race head-to-head with Alex Bowman and the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet on Sunday.

And as fate would have it, the duo found each other in the closing laps of the race. Dillon got passed by Bowman, but he remained close as they were both stuck in the middle of the pack.

On the final lap, Dillon gave Bowman a bump in the hairpin, pushing the HMS driver up the track. There was more contact on corner exit, but he passed him mere seconds before they reached the finish line. With that move, he ensured his advancement into the semi-finals with just four drivers left in the entire tournament.

Both Bowman and Dillon shared a friendly chat after the race, even shaking hands after the tense battle.

 

“It was a rough couple of laps there,” said Dillon. “Alex (Bowman) and I race really clean. I told him – man, if it wasn’t for the million dollars, I probably wouldn’t have done that, but I had to. It’s been an incredible run for this No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet team. We’ve worked so hard for this opportunity … I’ve worked so hard to get here and I’m just grateful. All of our partners that are on board, this has just been so much fun.

“We’re going to give it all we’ve got at Dover — put pressure on the guys. I think you’ve seen through this that our team doesn’t quit. I saw the No. 48 there at the end, and I knew it was our opportunity to race hard and go get him. Just proud of this team’s effort.”

Dillon will now face John-Hunter Nemechek of Legacy Motor Club at Dover, another driver that few pundits expected to make it this far in the tournament. On the other side, it will be Tyler Reddick versus Ty Gibbs in a battle between two Toyota drivers.

Photos from Sonoma – Race

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History repeats: Shane van Gisbergen wins 3rd NASCAR Cup road course race in a row

Shane van Gisbergen tied Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon’s mark of three consecutive road course victories from the pole with Sunday’s dominating victory at Sonoma Raceway. Gordon accomplished his feat in the 1998-99 seasons. Van Gisbergen’s road course victories have come at Mexico, Chicago and now Sonoma in the last five races. His three wins […]

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Shane van Gisbergen tied Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon’s mark of three consecutive road course victories from the pole with Sunday’s dominating victory at Sonoma Raceway.

Gordon accomplished his feat in the 1998-99 seasons.

Van Gisbergen’s road course victories have come at Mexico, Chicago and now Sonoma in the last five races. His three wins this year ties Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell for most this season.

“Unreal guys, thank you,” van Gisbergen radioed his team after taking the checkered flag.

Said crew chief Stephen Doran on van Gisbergen: “He’s something NASCAR has never seen on road courses.”

Van Gisbergen collected six playoff points with the victory and a stage win Sunday. His 17 playoff points rank third in the series at this point, trailing only Larson (23 playoff points) and Hamlin (19).

NASCAR Cup Series Grant Park 165

Ty Dillon, John Hunter Nemechek, Tyler Reddick and Ty Gibbs remain in race for $1 million.

Van Gisbergen’s win also gives Trackhouse Racing four victories in the last eight races, which includes Ross Chastain’s Coca-Cola 600 win on Memorial Day weekend.

Chase Briscoe finished second for his best road course result. Chase Elliott rallied to third after a late pit stop to earn his fifth consecutive top 10 at Sonoma. Michael McDowell placed fourth for his fourth top 10 in a row at Sonoma. Bell completed the top five, earning his best result at the Northern California track.

Van Gisbergen led 97 of 110 laps. The race was slowed by six cautions for 17 laps.

AUTO: JUL 13 NASCAR Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350

Here is what drivers said after Sunday’s Cup race in Northern California.

Stage 1 winner: Ross Chastain

Stage 2 winner: Shane van Gisbergen

Next: The series races at 2 p.m. ET Sunday, July 20 at Dover Motor Speedway.





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Michael McDowell scores highest finish of NASCAR Cup season at Sonoma

Michael McDowell picked up his highest finish yet in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season finishing fourth Sunday at Sonoma Raceway. Photo: Dominic Aragon/TRE The Spire Motorsports driver started 15th in the Toyota / Save Mart 350 but finished the race with his second Top-5 effort of the year. “We needed a little bit more […]

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Michael McDowell picked up his highest finish yet in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season finishing fourth Sunday at Sonoma Raceway.

Photo: Dominic Aragon/TRE

The Spire Motorsports driver started 15th in the Toyota / Save Mart 350 but finished the race with his second Top-5 effort of the year.

“We needed a little bit more pace,” McDowell said. “Qualifying really hurt us. I think we had decent pace, but we weren’t fast enough to get around the good cars.”

McDowell now has two Top-5 finishes in the last five races, tying his career-high for Top-5 finishes in a single season.

Additionally, McDowell led three laps in the race, leading laps for the second consecutive week.

McDowell started second at the Chicago Street Course. He led the opening 31 laps before a throttle cable relegated him to a 32nd-place finish.

Yet, if McDowell makes the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, doing so without a victory may not be feasible.

Photo: Sophia LaRiche/TRE

With six races before the playoffs, McDowell is 70 points behind the cutline for the post-season. The maximum points a driver could gain in a race is 60.

McDowell and crew chief Stephen Doran did their best to go for that win Sunday. Doran brought McDowell to pit road when the fuel window opened, with 47 laps to go. It put him on a strategy to stay out and stretch his fuel, which worked — until Shane van Gisbergen swept him up two laps later.

After pitting for fresh tires under a late caution, McDowell could only get back to fourth.

“We salvaged a top-five day, but that’s not what we need. We all know what we need to do, and we just weren’t quite good enough to do it today. But this is part of the process. You have good weeks and bad weeks,” McDowell said. “Last weekend (at Chicago), we had a car that could win. Today, we were a little off. We’ll keep building on it.”

Dominic Aragon is currently the editor-in-chief for The Racing Experts.

From Grants, New Mexico, USA, Aragon started watching NASCAR in 2004 and has been covering the sport since 2009. Aragon is a 2012 graduate of Grants High School and a May 2016 graduate of the University of New Mexico with a B.A. in Mass Communications & Journalism. Aragon has worked in local and national media, as a musician, and an educator. He is co-author of the 2024 book “All of It: Daytona 500 Champion Tells the Rest of the Story” with racer Geoff Bodine.

Aragon, his wife Feliz, and son Christopher currently reside in Grants, New Mexico, USA.

You can reach Dominic at daragon@theracingexperts.net.



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Highlights: NASCAR Cup Series race at Sonoma

F1 Power Rankings: Austrian GP Shake-Up Before British Grand Prix!The Austrian Grand Prix flipped the F1 Power Rankings upside down! From Lando Norris’ dominant win to Max Verstappen’s rare DNF, we break down the top 10 drivers heading into the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Don’t miss the drama, surprises, and standout performances! Subscribe for […]

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F1 Power Rankings: Austrian GP Shake-Up Before British Grand Prix!

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Go-kart racing returns to Superior for first time in nearly a decade

SUPERIOR, Wis. (Northern News Now) – Over in Superior, about a mile past Pattison State Park, it was a bit noisy on Saturday. After having to cancel the original first points race, Go-kart racing is back in Superior after nearly a decade. Hundreds of fans and racers showed up at the newly renovated Black River […]

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SUPERIOR, Wis. (Northern News Now) – Over in Superior, about a mile past Pattison State Park, it was a bit noisy on Saturday.

After having to cancel the original first points race, Go-kart racing is back in Superior after nearly a decade.

Hundreds of fans and racers showed up at the newly renovated Black River Motorsports for a day filled with racing.

43 Go Karts competed in the event, from as young as five years old to teenagers participating.

This spring, a group came together and worked to revitalize the track.

“We’re bringing back the go-karts, we’re racing on dirt. We’re just pushing to bring more kids back into racing, and if we don’t start young, then we’re not going to get them to go back to Superior and Proctor, all the local tracks,” said Donnie Lofdahl in May.

RELATED: Motorsport enthusiasts gear up for Proctor Speedways’ 75th anniversary

For more information on the track, click here.

The races are held on Saturdays throughout the summer, below is a schedule for the remainder of the season.

Click here to download the Northern News Now app or our Northern News Now First Alert weather app.



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Shane van Gisbergen Continues Road Course Dominance at Sonoma

“Honestly, I don’t know what more I need. I feel like my car is extremely, extremely good and every time I’m kind of running down Shane, he’d just pick up the pace himself and start driving back away. It was frustrating at times, but I was happy with the effort. This is honestly my worst […]

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“Honestly, I don’t know what more I need. I feel like my car is extremely, extremely good and every time I’m kind of running down Shane, he’d just pick up the pace himself and start driving back away. It was frustrating at times, but I was happy with the effort. This is honestly my worst racetrack, so I kind of surprised myself, truthfully.”

Chase Elliott finished third, followed by Michael McDowell and Bell.

With Sunday’s race, the semifinals are set for the NASCAR In-Season Challenge. Ty Dillon passed Alex Bowman on the final lap to win their matchup. He will face John Hunter Nemechek, who eliminated LEGACY MOTOR CLUB teammate Erik Jones.

On the other side of the bracket, a sixth-place finish for Tyler Reddick advanced him past Ryan Preece. He’ll face fellow Toyota driver Ty Gibbs, who finished seventh to eliminate Zane Smith.

The next stop for the NASCAR Cup Series is the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Dover Motor Speedway on Sunday, July 20. The green flag waves at 2 p.m. ET, with coverage on TNT, the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

-Photo credit: Harold Hinson, HHP for Chevy Racing



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