“Caught me off guard”: When Jimmie Johnson was ‘shocked’ with new playoff system that changed his final Cup title pursuit

Jimmie Johnson had just won his sixth Cup Series title when he realized that his pursuit of the seventh one would be different. On January 30, 2014, NASCAR introduced a new playoff format.

The then NASCAR chairman Brian France called him up and explained how the new system would work. 16 drivers would chase the ultimate title through a 10-race postseason, with eliminations after every three races. The last race would have the top four drivers compete for the Championship.

Earlier, the champion was determined from an aggregate of points earned in the last 10 races of the season. Therefore, the new system was a major shift from how the playoffs used to be and Johnson was "shocked."

"It just caught me off guard and shocked me," Jimmie Johnson said (via The Associated Press). "and I told Brian when he called me, 'Just give me a minute to adjust, because I'm on my heels.'"

Jimmie Johnson after winning the 2010 Sprint Cup Championship at the Homestead-Miami Speedway (Source: Getty)

Why did NASCAR consider changing the decade-old format? Speaking about it in an interview, Steve O’Donnell, then NASCAR’s senior VP of racing operations (now Chief Operating Officer) said,

"We wanted to simplify our system. Sports fans across the country understand the idea of 'playoffs,' since every American sport features some kind of elimination format."

NASCAR has altered the points system several times since 1949. They even changed the format of the annual All-Star Race in 2002 and 2003. However, the chase for the championship title was never on the line before.

"There are passionate fans out there, and I hear them as well. Those who may not like this are very passionate about it," O'Donnell further explained. "What I would say is, instead of dismissing them, we very much value their opinion. It’s OK. But I’d say, 'Give this a chance, because it’s still the sport you love. We’re just going to take the sport you love and elevate it that much more.'"

Jimmie Johnson won his seventh and final title in 2016. He bagged his first five titles in a row, shattering the record of consecutive championship victories (three), previously held by the legendary Cale Yarborough from 1976 to 1978.

Jimmie Johnson spills racing plans for 2025

Jimmie Johnson retired from full-time racing in 2020. However, he has been running select races every year since then. Most recently, Johnson ran the No. 84 Legacy Motor Club Toyota in the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and finished 28th.

Next on his schedule is the championship race at Phoenix Raceway on November 10th. There has been no official announcement regarding his plans to race in the upcoming season. Although Johnson's return behind the wheel in 2025 is possible, it will happen only if the No. 42 and the No. 43 cars are unaffected by it.

"I’ve thought about it," Johnson said during a post-race interview at Las Vegas. "We’re just trying to make sure that it’s not costing the team anything and it’s not hurting the No. 42 and No. 43. We don’t have it put together yet, but I’ll be out there a few times, at least." (1:06)

Jimmie Johnson, who won 83 races at 20 different tracks throughout his career at Hendrick Motorsports, was inducted into the prestigious NASCAR Hall of Fame earlier this year. In 2023, the El Cajon native was named one of NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers.