Jimmie Johnson-owned Legacy Motor Club has parted ways with crew chief Jason Burdett. Amid a lackluster season for Johnson, this move tops the list of several personnel adjustments the team has made before the Olympic break. The club will announce a new crew chief for the part-time #84 team at a future date.
In the current season, the #84 team has notched two 28th-place finishes in six starts with the seven-time Cup Series champion. Johnson's year has been tough, having two DNFs due to crashes at Kansas Speedway and more recently at the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The #84 team's average finish has been 30.8. But despite the crew chief change, Jimmie Johnson is set to complete his nine-race commitment with appearances at Kansas on September 29, Las Vegas Motor Speedway on October 20, and the season finale at Phoenix Raceway on November 10.
John Newby, a senior writer at Savage Ventures, broke the news on social media about Legacy Motor Club parting ways with Jason Burdett
"A Legacy Motor Club spokesperson confirmed today that crew chief Jason Burdett is no longer with the organization amid other personnel changes. Jimmie Johnson's schedule remains unchanged," Newby wrote on X.
Jason Burdett joined Jimmie Johnson's team in December 2023. Before that, he had worked with Hendrick Motorsports and JR Motorsports. During his tenure, he supervised the pit box for 293 Xfinity Series races and worked with three drivers.
While 48-year-old Johnson has maintained a part-time racing schedule, Burdett held a full-time position. Burdett started his crew chief career in 2015, leading Regan Smith to two victories, 11 top-five finishes, and 26 top-10 placements across 33 races, finishing fourth in the championship standings.
He spent 2016 to 2022 as Justin Allgaier's crew chief, during which Allgaier consistently performed well, never placing below seventh in the standings, reaching the Championship five times, and securing a career-high second place in 2020.
With 83 NASCAR Cup victories, seven championships, and 12 'crown jewel' race wins over 19 full-time seasons, the transition to team ownership hasn't been smooth sailing for Johnson. Reflecting on his new role, he shared [via Indystar]:
"I didn't think it would be this tough. It's a tough sport, and we have a great vision and have made a massive commitment to that long-term vision, so we're on the journey. I want to race, but I don't want the third car to be a detriment to the other two. The revenue we generate can help us use the third car to develop new talent and can help us develop new setup ideas, but when you run nine races, you need a pretty robust crew to run that car, and that's inefficient for only nine races."
Furthermore, Jimmie Johnson expressed a sense of nostalgia for his days in Indycar, saying he wishes he had left full-time NASCAR racing earlier.
"I really do miss it. I feel like I should've made the switch a few years earlier. I always have believed that you need five years – five years is the sweet spot before you really understand a given vehicle," he added.2024-07-27T05:34:12Z dg43tfdfdgfd