Joey Logano, the NASCAR driver, eagerly awaits the end of August. This date marks the start of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, a crucial moment in the season.
For Logano, this is the best time of the year, even if it doesn’t seem like it. “It’s the most exhausting time, maybe the most unpleasant of the year,” Logano commented. “But it’s also the moment that has the greatest reward, the moment when you can show what you and your team are made of, and create great moments.”
Logano, driving the No. 22 Ford Mustang for Team Penske, is a three-time Cup Series champion, which has allowed him to embrace the postseason and everything that comes with it. His first title came in 2018 and the second in 2022. The third title he obtained last year, joining legends like Cale Yarborough, David Pearson, Lee Petty, Darrell Waltrip, and Tony Stewart.
Now, his sights are set on a fourth title, which would place him in an even more select group, alongside Jeff Gordon.
“Four would be incredible. Three was definitely special, and puts you in a pretty select group. I guess sometimes, when you reflect a little bit, when you look at the end of your career and say you have three championships, are you going to be happy? That’s something to be pretty proud of. I’m not going to be upset about it”.
Joey LoganoThe only drivers with more titles in the Cup Series are Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, and Jimmie Johnson, all with seven championships in their careers.
Logano’s title defense begins with a similar feeling to 2024 and, as he himself points out, to the 2018 season. There have been years when Logano felt he had an incredible regular season and didn’t win the championship. He has also had years when the regular season was not outstanding, but ended up taking the grand prize.
Currently, he is in this última situation. He was not the most dominant driver during the regular season, achieving only one victory, but he had other opportunities that got away. The first 26 races were enough for Logano to be placed in 12th place in the championship standings, and that is where the postseason began.
What Logano really appreciates is that, regardless of his position in the table, he and his team, whom he praises for their experience and perseverance, have shown time and again that they measure up when others have written them off.“I think we’re really close to where we need to be,” Logano said. “I think our speed has gotten better. I think we’re in a comparable spot to where we were last year. So, if you didn’t know the 22 team and didn’t know our history, you’d probably argue the opposite. But knowing these guys like I do, and having been able to do it multiple times, I feel like we’re in a good spot.”
Logano points out that Team Penske in general excels in crucial moments. “I think if you look at a particular team, the 22 can do as well as, or even better than, any other team when it comes to people writing you off, saying your stats aren’t good enough to win a championship and then you show up. At this point, I think we like that.”
There is an ongoing debate about the postseason and whether the defending champion was a deserving winner. After Logano moved from 15th in the regular season to win the title, an intense debate arose about whether the best driver doesn’t always win the championship. There were criticisms towards Logano, questioning his worth as champion due to the format, and also towards the integrity of the format itself.
In the elimination era, from 2014 to the present, Logano shares the record with Denny Hamlin for the most appearances in the Round of 8 (nine) and leads all drivers with the most appearances in the Championship 4 (six). With three championships, Logano is the active driver with the most titles in the Cup Series. In addition, Logano leads all active drivers with the most playoff wins, with 15.
“I love it,” said Logano, who has been one of the biggest proponents of the format. “I know people say, ‘Oh, it’s because it works for you.’ I know. Sure. But I think it’s very exciting.”
NASCAR created a playoff committee after the 2024 season due to the controversy generated by fans and drivers over the format. There are ongoing discussions about potential future changes, such as the points structure, eliminations, and the possibility of moving away from a single-race final, with the hope that modifications will be implemented starting in 2026. The associated television networks will also have a say in these matters, considering the multi-million dollar media rights agreement they have with NASCAR.
Logano is one of the drivers who is part of this committee, along with former drivers, media partners, team owners, manufacturers and track representatives, as well as independent media.
“I think there are ways to simplify it a little bit because I think it’s a little confusing to have two point systems, where there are the regular season points and then the playoff points and the playoff grid,” Logano said. “There are ways that have come up in those meetings where we can simplify that, which I think is great. I think that’s good, and we can still achieve the same thing. I’d like that to happen. But I think to completely discard what we’re doing and try something different, I don’t think that’s right either, because a few people complained.”
Logano, however, will never be swayed by the emotion that the format provides with its “win or go home” moments. And he is ready to be the one to achieve it again in the next two months.
“There are a couple of people who say we should have all the points throughout the year and that’s the only real way to do it,” Logano said. “Well, then it should be that way in all sports too. But it’s not. Why? Because it’s boring. Nobody’s going to watch a boring sport; you have to make something exciting, and the playoff system does that. You won’t have a Super Bowl moment without a race, all or nothing. That’s what we have now.”
