Jimmie Johnson won five consecutive championships under the Chase format and added another before NASCAR introduced the elimination playoffs system. That’s what makes him the ideal candidate to weigh the advantages and drawbacks between the Chase and the elimination-style Playoff championship formats. The seven-time NASCAR Cup champion, however, holds a very particular (or not) stance on the matter.
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To Johnson, the six titles earned through the Chase format carried a different weight. The final 10 weeks and the emotions tied to them felt more intense because the outcome remained more predictable, with consistent expectations to perform. Drivers, in his view, were forced to carry that emotional stress for a longer stretch of the season, which created its own rhythm and environment.
Comparing that to the Playoff system, he explained how it felt different. “The playoff format you had these kind of three-race windows and a variety of different emotions, but they seem to be shorter-lived moments, good or bad.”
“And so there’s good and bad that comes with it all. And I will never forget just the shock and emotion that I had after winning the seventh. So, again, there’s good, bad with all.”
The seven-time Cup champion also recalled his 2016 NASCAR Cup Series season, when he posted the 10th-best average finish among full-time drivers. Across 36 races, Johnson posted an average finish of 14th, marking his second-worst total in that category since becoming a full-time driver in 2002.
By his own admission, he was not the best car when the Homestead-Miami finale came around that season. He had mentally conceded before a series of late restarts flipped the narrative and produced what he described as one of his most out-of-body experiences. He simply did not expect to win. “I will never forget just the shock and emotion that I had after winning the seventh,” he described the feeling.
Johnson experienced both systems firsthand. His seventh and final championship would not have happened without the playoff format. While he remained fond of the original Chase structure, Johnson acknowledged that the elimination system offered a different learning experience that required a more ‘shoot-from-the-hip’ mindset, contrary to the long-term consistency rewarded in the previous era.
Johnson’s advice to the drivers about the Chase era coming back
When asked about the Chase era returning, Johnson seemed to offer guidance to the drivers without overstepping. He understands NASCAR is not fully reverting to the old playbook, as stage points and the Next Gen car, featuring far more parity than the Gen-6 platform, remain part of the equation. When pressed for advice to drivers navigating the hybrid system, he said,
“For me, it’s more about trying to win the war instead of the battle. I don’t know how far you’re into that because this is a 10-race format with stage racing. And so when it’s in this hybrid world that I’ve never experienced, but there’s something that feels good and familiar about it, and I think it’s a good compromise for where the sport is today,” he added.
With NASCAR returning to a 10-race format in 2026, Johnson expressed that the renewed emphasis on consistency feels good and familiar for his team, Legacy Motor Club, yet he remained tight-lipped on forecasting dominance, noting only that the format represents a notable evolution for NASCAR.
