SAN DIEGO -- As if Jimmie Johnson didn't already have enough hometown fans, he endeared himself to a few more on Wednesday.

Speaking at the San Diego Hall of Champions on Jimmie Johnson Day, the El Cajon native and 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup champion had one suggestion that received rousing approval from a standing-room-only crowd.

"If I can do one thing as Jimmie Johnson on Jimmie Johnson Day, I think everybody should take work off," he said.

It was the first of several opinions Johnson extended -- an unofficial "State of NASCAR" speech, if you will -- about an hour after he roared into the Hall of Champions inside a Cup prototype car adorned with Johnson's No. 48.

Broaching topics from the new Chase format to Toyota's inclusion in the Cup series, NASCAR's champion appeared at ease as he prepares to begin his title defense Feb. 18 at the Daytona 500.

"I think I'm going to be more relaxed with the season and I'm hopeful the team will as well," Johnson said. "I think if you're a fan of the No. 48 or not, I think there's a level of respect there that says these guys really did earn this championship, the wins and the success they had."

There's no question the team earned it.

Johnson and his squad ran into a boatload of issues during the Chase, needing a string of six straight finishes of second place or better -- including a win at Martinsville, Va., to wrap up the title.

Heading into 2007, the fifth year of the Chase, NASCAR has tweaked the format to include 12 drivers in the playoff system while devaluing the regular season even more. At the beginning of the Chase, all 12 drivers will be equal except for point bonuses given for victories.

Thus far, Johnson's not a big fan. He would have preferred to see the regular-season leader receive an even bigger points cushion going into the Chase.

"It's (NASCAR's) sandbox," Johnson said. "So you have to be in the top 12 and then you've got some crazy seeding based on wins and I'm not sure that format is going to inspire anybody to win. We're always trying to win as it is. I don't know how it's going to make for a better show.

"I think there should be more credit given to teams over those (first) 26 races and it's going the other way now. It's lost credit."

One idea Johnson welcomes is Toyota's inclusion in the sport.

To prove Johnson's point, you only need to look at team owner Jack Roush's mission to get Ford to pony up an extra $10 million -- at a time when the manufacturer is losing big bucks -- to improve his team's programs in order to take down Toyota.

"I think it's good for the sport," Johnson said. "I think competition is really what founded our sport in a lot of ways, obviously on the track. But you look at the reason Home Depot got into the sport -- Lowe's was in it.

"The competition is what makes corporate America spend money on our sport. It's going to put a lot of pressure on the manufacturers to supply more technological support, more financial support and more marketing support."

That support will be needed more than ever during the next two seasons, as NASCAR introduces the Car of Tomorrow into the mix. The prototype will run at half the races in 2007 before completely taking over in 2008.

To get to that point, teams will need megabucks to be prepared.

But one point Johnson made is that with a new car, teams with more funding will have a chance to pull away from smaller outfits because they can test, test and test. As it was, Johnson thinks that the current playing field was becoming more and more level.

"The gap was closing because we perfected this package," Johnson said. "The current package, we're out of tricks. We have so many rules. Now it's changed and it's wide open again. … You've got a whole new rule book, so we can start over and officials don't know where the teams are working.

"At Hendrick Motorsports alone, we have 50 engineers trying to outthink the three engineers NASCAR has on their staff. That's just Hendrick. It's going to take a while for them to catch and figure out and police."

Johnson already knows out how he will feel when he heads back to Daytona for the Feb. 11 qualifying. He had the chance to drive in the Rolex 24 Hour race at Daytona last weekend, and it brought back a flood of memories.

"They had the drivers' meeting in Victory Lane for the Rolex Race, and I was like, 'Man, last time I was here that was a pretty good celebration,' " he said. "I'm looking forward to it. I love being at the track."

New position for Said

Carlsbad's Boris Said was hired an analyst for ESPN's daily show, "NASCAR Now." Said, who will run at least seven Cup races and six Busch Series races, is scheduled to do 30 shows over 15 weeks thus far.

The opportunity is a natural fit for the veteran driver, who is known around NASCAR for his outgoing personality and his willingness to talk frankly about any and all subjects.

"They approached me and asked if I was interested," Said said. "I did one dry rehearsal. They told me they want me to be myself. I don't know if I'll be any good at TV, but it's something to try, and if I like it I'll do more when I'm done racing."

- Contact staff writer Dan Hayes at (760) 739-6643 or dhayes@nctimes.com.

Pit passes

Carlsbad's Ron Capps posted the quickest Funny Car time at a test session in Phoenix, Ariz., on Sunday with a 4.678-second pass at 325.92 mph. The time bested 14-time champion John Force's 4.708/327.82-effort. "It was probably the best money ever spent for this test session," Capps said. "It's going to be a fun season." … Murrieta's Nick Wey finished fifth overall with Menifee's David Vuillemin sixth in the Amp'd Mobile AMA Supercross Series event in San Francisco on Saturday. Wey is fifth in the standings, 35 points behind leader James Stewart and Vuillemin is ninth, 55 points back. Jason Lawrence (Carlsbad) had a fifth-place showing in the Amp'd Mobile Western Regional AMA Supercross Lites event at San Francisco with Josh Hansen (Lake Elsinore) eighth and Michael LaPaglia (Murrieta) ninth. Lawrence is second in the standings, 26 points behind of Ryan Villopoto and Hansen is ninth and trails by 51. Murrieta's Mason Campbell had a 10th-place showing in the KTM Junior Supercross Challenge in San Francisco. … Poway High grad Andy McMillin and his Trophy Truck are headed for Parker, Ariz., to

compete in the Best in the Desert Parker 425 after posting the fastest lap time in Laughlin, Nev., two weeks ago. … Carlsbad's Jacob Pearlman, 14, made his debut in the Champ Car Rotax Kart Challenge Series in Beaumont over the weekend. Pearlman posted the fifth fastest qualifying session but was forced off the track in the main event by another competitor.