Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson weighed in on NASCAR’s decision to return to The Chase format in 2026. The sport was previously under the 16-driver elimination playoff format from 2014-2025.
Johnson, now a part-time Cup driver for his co-owned Legacy Motor Club team, won six of his record-tying seven championships under the 10-race Chase format. Now, as an owner and semi-retired driver in the Cup Series, Johnson gave his thoughts on the bold change ahead of the 2026 season.
Jimmie Johnson Calls The Chase a Great ‘Middle Ground’
During a media appearance ahead of this year’s Daytona 500, Johnson was asked by motorsports insider Steven Taranto about his thoughts on The Chase returning in 2026.
Recently, the driver of the #84 said he’s grown to respect the previous playoff elimination format. With all the variables that went into the prior system, the California native believes that the format was fair “on paper” and appreciated it for what it was.
“When you look at it on paper, I don’t know how you find a more fair, year-long way to do it. You have to earn every single point along the way, and it created all these interesting touch points of elimination rounds and one-race winner-take-all, so on paper, it played well,” Johnson said.
Despite getting accustomed to the newest playoff format, Johnson always felt like the 10-race Chase was the perfect “middle ground” for NASCAR. With all the different tracks thrown at the drivers, Johnson felt like consistency mattered in The Chase era.
“I felt like a 10-race format represented that very well, and I still feel that way and assume some of that is reflected in the change of going back to it, but we’ll see. It’s so tough. Our sport is just different. When we try to compare it to stick and ball sports, it’s just tough to find the real parallels,” Johnson said.
Jimmie Johnson Says NASCAR Should Focus on Being Themselves
In addition to talking about the return of The Chase, Jimmie Johnson is excited about NASCAR’s commitment to branding research and for finding their identity.
Instead of trying to draw parallels to stick and ball sports, Johnson said NASCAR is focused on being themselves and delivering their fans the best product possible.
“We’re just gonna go be ourselves. We need to stop focusing too hard on other sports. Let’s just go be us and authentic us as NASCAR and we’ll put on a great show,” Johnson said.
Johnson is set to make his 23rd career start in the Daytona 500 on Sunday, February 15. The 83-time Cup Series winner is guaranteed a spot in the field based on the open exemption provisional.
Johnson is a two-time winner of “The Great American Race” with his victories coming in 2006 and 2013. Last year, he wheeled the #84 Legacy Motor Club Toyota to a third-place finish in the Daytona 500. It was Johnson’s first top-five finish since Phoenix in November 2020.
Johnson co-owns LMC with fellow seven-time Cup champion Richard Petty. The team fields two full-time Cup Series entries, with Erik Jones in the #43 and John Hunter Nemechek in the #42.
Jimmie Johnson Comments on NASCAR’s Bold 2026 Change