Veteran crew chief Todd Gordon has been named as Jimmie Johnson’s crew chief as the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion returns to the circuit on a part-time basis.
Gordon, who has been involved in radio work since his retirement at the end of the 2021 season, will lead the No. 84 team at Legacy Motor Club beginning with the season-opening Daytona 500.
Legacy also announced a contract extension with crew chief Dave Elenz, who will continue to work with driver Erik Jones and the No. 43 team. Noah Gragson drives the team’s other full-time entry.
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Gordon, 53, scored 21 Cup wins and the 2018 Cup championship with driver Joey Logano at Team Penske. In 2020 and 2021, his final two seasons as a crew chief, he won four races with driver Ryan Blaney.
Gordon has totaled 25 race wins across his Cup career.
“I’m really looking forward to working with another champion that still has the desire to compete and win at the highest level,” Gordon said in a statement released by the team. “In my conversations with Jimmie, I found we both miss the competition but don’t want the grind of a full-time schedule, so this is a great opportunity for us to still race and help Legacy Motor Club build on the success they saw in 2022.”
Johnson said Gordon will give the team a big boost.
“I’m thrilled to have Todd come on board as my crew chief,” he said. “I’ve really enjoyed getting to know him over the last few weeks. I have known and respected him as a competitor for many years and have always appreciated his professionalism, work ethic and results. His wisdom and experience will be beneficial to Legacy Motor Club as a whole.”
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Johnson will drive the Next Gen car for the first time Tuesday on the first day of a two-day NASCAR test at Phoenix Raceway.
The new season will be the second for the pairing of Jones and Elenz. In their first year, they won the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway and scored three top-five and 13 top-10 finishes.