Jimmie Johnson gives a reality check on owning a NASCAR team: “We have to get comfortable being uncomfortable”

Being a NASCAR team owner has never been a walk in the park, and Legacy Motor Club boss Jimmie Johnson knows that. In an episode of the Never Settle podcast, the seven-time Cup Series champion said that a team owner must always stay out of their comfort zone to ensure growth.

Johnson, a NASCAR Hall of Famer, owns the majority stake at Legacy Motor Club, which operates full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series. Based in Statesville, North Carolina, Legacy Motor Club currently fields two full-time entries, the No. 42 for John Hunter Nemechek and the No. 43 for Erik Jones.

It’s perhaps safe to say that LMC’s journey over the past few seasons has been quite bumpy. The team hasn’t won in years and has been consistently missing the playoffs. On that note, Jimmie Johnson said:

“Then to now, kind of turn the corner, we're trying to create the culture that Jimmie Johnson wants and a culture that I want in that building. There's a different form of pride that is growing and satisfaction that's growing within it.”

Johnson saw 2025 as all about believing in the team’s culture, accountability, and having tough conversations.

“We have to get comfortable being uncomfortable and saying uncomfortable things...it's not that it's personal. It's gonna grow the individual, it's gonna grow the company. So let's get uncomfortable in those moments,” he added.

Legacy Motor Club's next event is the Iowa Corn 350 at Iowa Speedway. The 350-lap event is scheduled for this coming Sunday, August 3. Fans can watch the race live on the US network (3:30 p.m. ET onwards) or listen to exclusive radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Jimmie Johnson all set to relive a dream since he was 4 years old

Jimmie Johnson once got the opportunity to sit on the deck of the Blue Blaster, which happens to be one of the most storied hydroplanes of all time. But he was just four at the time.

Johnson, now 49, has recently landed a ride on his favourite boat as a part of his 2024 induction into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America. Per reports, the former Cup Series veteran will take the Atlas Van Lines Blue Blaster for a spin onto Lake Washington during this weekend’s Seattle Seafair.

“In 1979, I sat on the back of the Blue Blaster as a wide-eyed 4-year-old. I never forgot that day," Johnson wrote in a statement. "On (Friday), I’ll finally take it for a ride and honor the legacy of Bill Muncey (owner of the Blue Blaster).” “Grateful to the Muncey family and the Hydroplane Museum for helping bring this to life,” he added.

As things stand, Johnson’s endeavor will be an important highlight for the H1 Unlimited Series as the Seafair hydroplane races inch closer to their 75th running.

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Edited by Samya Majumdar