Jimmie Johnson Brands New NASCAR Format a ‘Blessing in Disguise’ for Legacy MC

NASCAR’s championship format was one of the most argued upon points in the sport. The discussions peaked so much so that the sport announced the return of the Chase championship format. Now, many people in the community are delighted with the revived championship format. Among many others, Legacy MC owner Jimmie Johnson has talked positively about this change and what it means for him and his team.

Jimmie Johnson‘s Legacy Motor Club team in NASCAR is currently facing a performance slump as none of the drivers on the roster have picked up a race win in recent years. Both John Hunter Nemechek and Erik Jones could only salvage a P24 and P25 finish in the pecking order in 2025, following a season full of ups and downs. Though the two achieved a handful of top-five finishes, it was nowhere near satisfactory.

However, a shakeup in the championship format could see Legacy MC vying for a much better finish in the championship standings as soon as the 2026 season. With the return of the Chase format for the championship, Jimmie Johnson has talked about the positive effect this will have on his squad. Johnson highlighted that his team suffered from a slump by the time the playoffs were near.

Now with the refreshed championship format, Jimmie Johnson is confident that the drivers at Legacy MC can put themselves in much better spots in the pecking order. The team will hopefully be more consistent throughout the 2026 season and keep striving for better results. Though Johnson accepted that the new championship format was better for the team, they still needed to finish the year to get a better idea of the improvements.

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.

Jimmie Johnson said via nascar.com.

Jimmie Johnson applauds NASCAR for making a ‘brave decision’

A change was certainly long overdue in the championship format, especially after such massive discussion on the status quo. Many people believed that NASCAR might not bring changes to the winner-takes-it-all format, but to everyone’s surprise, they did it. The sport even credited Denny Hamlin and Mark Martin as being among the many who pushed for a change to the format. Now, Jimmie Johnson credits the pinnacle of stock racing for taking a brave decision on changing the championship decider.

Jimmie Johnson applauded NASCAR for truly listening to the fans and the community and giving them what they were asking for for so long. The sport made a brave change, and Johnson is all here for it. The Legacy MC owner assured that there would be many people liking the change, with many others who would not like it. However, it was all part of the sport, and it made racing all the more exciting.

Hats off to NASCAR for listening, being brave again, and making another big decision. I’m sure some will like it, some will hate it, and some won’t care. It’s just kind of the way it goes.

Jimmie Johnson noted.

The 2026 season is right around the corner, with a couple of weeks to go. The first race at Daytona International Speedway looks promising and will certainly deliver an action-packed race. The multiple changes scheduled for the next year will only push for further betterment in the sport. Hence, it will be interesting how the coming year pans out following the massive changes in motion.

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