Jimmie Johnson On Which Tracks Shouldn't Host a NASCAR Championship Finale
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Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson has shared his thoughts on the recent changes to the championship-finale race in 2026 and revealed which tracks he doesn't think should be considered to host it in the future.
Johnson confirmed that he is supportive of the move of the Championship 4 race from Phoenix to Homestead-Miami for 2026. He also discussed the rumours that the championship-ending race could move onto a rotational setup beyond next year.
Speaking on the Rubbin' is Racing podcast, Johnson explained:
"I think moving the championship race around is a good idea. Whenever you come to a new market and have such a moment taking place, you get a lot of interest and people want to come see it. So I think that's a good move."
Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #84 Carvana Toyota, walks onstage during driver intros prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 25, 2025 in Concord, North Carolina.
Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #84 Carvana Toyota, walks onstage during driver intros prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 25, 2025 in Concord, North Carolina.He added:
"I clearly am very biased for Homestead. I've had so much success down there and won all seven of my championships there."
With speculation that Championship 4 races could move onto a rotational setup in the future, the seven-time champion argued that Superspeedway races should not be considered for this. Instead, he proposed North Wilkesboro as an option he thinks would be popular. He commented:
"Watching [the NASCAR All-Star Race last week at] North Wilkesboro, that was a damn good show, and I think that's what people want to have for a championship race.
"I think that a Superspeedway race would be the one where [a championship-deciding race] shouldn't happen, there's just so much outside of a driver's control."
Confirming the change, NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Venue & Racing Innovation Officer, Ben Kennedy, commented at the time of the announcement:
"This has been a while coming.
"It's been since 2019 since we've had the championship race at Homestead. We moved it out to Phoenix for the past several years, which has been great for us. It's been an amazing market.
"We've seen some great racing there, and we've crowned some of our biggest champions, but we're excited to go to Homestead-Miami Speedway. I can tell you from a few people that I've talked to so far across the industry, through our partners, they're over the moon about it. And from our fans, it's the No. 1 asked-about championship venue as well. So we're excited to finally get the news out there."
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