"It feels different than like what Jimmie Johnson did": Joe Gibbs' star makes opinion clear on NASCAR championship legitimacy

NASCAR Cup Series drivers, including Christopher Bell, shared their thoughts on how the sport's current playoff format can be improved to restore status similar to past drivers like seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson.

NASCAR’s Playoff Committee recently met to discuss possible changes to the championship format, which has received criticism from some fans and drivers. Joey Logano claimed his third Cup title last year after the lowest-average finish ever and many have claimed that the current system is too focused on entertainment rather than rewarding the best performers of the season.

In a video posted by NASCAR reporter Kyle Dalton on X at the Circuit of the Americas, Bell shared his perspective on improving the championship’s credibility. The Joe Gibbs No. 20 driver is part of the committee.

"So the goal for the whole thing is to help bring more legitimacy to the championship. And I think everybody has believed that the champions of the new age are held to it feels different than like what [Jimmie Johnson] did and the guys back in the day. So the whole goal is to make the drivers feel like that championship is a big deal, the biggest deal of our life," Bell said.

"And, so hopefully we can get a format that provides a lot of entertainment, a lot of excitement and some amazing finishes to the championship race while upping the legitimacy of the NASCAR Cup Series championship," he added.

The No. 11 Toyota driver, Denny Hamlin also spoke about the need for a fairer system.

"Yeah, I think that they're looking to strike a balance between entertainment and sport. And obviously, I think that the pendulum kind of swung on the side of entertainment probably a little bit too far over the years with kind of how the playoff format plays out and they're just going to try to I think get it back to rewarding guys that perform well all season long," Hamlin said.

The current playoff system, which includes four elimination rounds, was introduced in 2014. Officials say they are open to reviewing the format but major changes are not expected until 2026.

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Jimmie Johnson's seven NASCAR championships came in after playoff switch

Jimmie Johnson won his first NASCAR championship in 2006 after the playoff system was introduced. He later collected five titles in a row and two in 2013 and 2016 to tie with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt for the most championships.

NASCAR originally used the point system where a champion was given to the highest points collector in the whole season but switched to a playoff system in 2004.

However, the main change of a 10-race playoff with 16 drivers, mostly based on race wins was introduced in 2014. The champion is now decided by the most driver points after the 10 playoff races.