Jimmie Johnson Feels the New NASCAR Format Could Prove to Be a Blessing in Disguise for LMC

In the previous three-race elimination format, Legacy Motor Club could not emerge as a mediocre outfit, let alone a competitive one. Jimmie Johnson could not make headway while driving part-time with his own organization since 2023, nor could any of his full-time drivers, Erik Jones or John Hunter Nemechek, secure a single win.

None of the two (full-time drivers) finished any season better than P24 in the final standings. Johnson, however, seems hopeful that the incoming Chase format could serve as a blessing in disguise for Legacy Motor Club. Last year was still an improvement over the 2024 campaign, when the team had just shifted to Toyota as its OEM. Jones and Nemechek finished P24 and P25, compared to their P28 and P24 positions from the prior year. Together, they logged six top fives and 13 top 10 finishes throughout the year.

With the Chase format returning, the LMC team owner believes that his drivers will no longer need to gamble on track and can instead focus on logging better finishes rather than falling into do-or-die situations.

As Johnson put it, “We were putting ourselves in a position at times to stretch, especially as we got closer to the playoffs, that window and the cutoff that was coming. And we can get back into an area where we think we’re the strongest, and that’s kind of locking down those top 10s and being consistent week in and week out. So, I do feel like it’s better for us, but we’ll go racing and see where it lands.”

Johnson stated that, for the team and for where they currently stand as an organization, the format will hopefully help them build consistency in their performance every week. That’s what the Chase structure intends to reward. Under the elimination system, the highest value was given to victories.

A driver could win one of the 26 regular-season races and enter the playoffs even while sitting near the bottom of the points table. The Chase format will place value on both consistency and wins, rather than skewing the scales toward just one.

It now remains to be seen how Legacy Motor Club can capitalize on the fundamental changes the sport has gone through ahead of the 2026 season. With an organization as young and as fluid as LMC, the new format should also improve culture within the team, and not only the driver’s mindsets on the track. The points-paying season officially kicks off on Sunday, February 15, with the famed Daytona 500.

About the author

Neha Dwivedi

Neha Dwivedi is an experienced NASCAR Journalist at The SportsRush, having penned over 5500 articles on the sport to date. She was a seasoned writer long before she got into the world of NASCAR. Although she loves to see Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch win the races, she equally supports the emerging talents in the CARS Late Model and ARCA Menards Series.. For her work in NASCAR she has earned accolades from journalists like Susan Wade of The Athletic, as well as NASCAR drivers including Thad Moffit and Corey Lajoie. Her favorite moment from NASCAR was witnessing Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. win the championship trophies. Outside the racetrack world, Neha immerses herself in the literary world, exploring both fiction and non-fiction.

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