Richard Petty concedes he‘s been miffed at the downsizing of his role at the Cup team that bore his name before Jimmie Johnson became a minority owner.
Petty GMS Racing was renamed Legacy Motor Club, and “The King” has no ownership stake in the organization that includes the No. 43 he made famous. The seven-time Cup series champion remains in an ambassadorial role with Legacy Motor Club, but Petty, 85, explained (during a media availability Saturday morning at Daytona International Speedway) that Johnson and his management team are in charge of all major decisions.
“Yes, it does,” Petty replied with a laugh when asked if that bothered him. “Because I‘ve done things my way, which hasn‘t been too good lately, but as time progresses, things change in the world. Then it probably was time for a change.
“Jimmie‘s looking not necessarily at what‘s going to happen this year, but he‘s trying to lay a foundation for four or five years where he‘s still young enough that he‘s going to be around for a long, long time.”
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“I think Jimmie‘s really looking to the future,” Petty said. “Basically he‘ll wind up running the show in four to five years. He‘ll probably be the majority owner of our operation in four to five years. I know that they‘re looking at things completely differently.
“Jimmie‘s very observant. Jimmie controls everything, basically. You‘re making postcards and stuff, he has to approve it. He approves everything. He‘s a pretty busy man right now.”
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