"Are you kidding me?": Joey Logano emphasizes on the uniqueness of NASCAR Playoff schedule in 2024
Joey Logano recently touched on the idea of having back-to-back wild card-filled races in the successive playoff rounds. In the opening round, there was Atlanta, Watkins Glen, and Bristol.
The three tracks were a superspeedway-esque mile and a half, a road course, and a short track. In the next round, the tracks would be Kansas, Talladega, and the ROVAL.
Logano, who qualified for the Round of 12 with a win at Atlanta, was recently asked whether his expectations are the same for the next round because of the wild card races.
"I think it’s the most wild cards we’ve ever had in the playoffs ever as far as racetracks that we’re just not certain of. Kansas, we talk about Kansas and there are a lot of crazy things that happen at Kansas, too. When you look at those restarts when you’re four and five-wide, you’re gonna tell me that’s a calm situation? That’s the most calm race that we have in the next round? Are you kidding me? And then you look at this round. Watkins Glen was really supposed to be the most predictable race of the three," Logano said.
He claimed that there hasn't been a playoff schedule that has looked like the current one in 2024. As for his expectations, Joey Logano said that he "absolutely" expects more of the same in the Round of 12.
"It’s a lot about survival – survive and move on and get to the Round of 8 and figure it out from there," he added.
"It was either stage win, race win": Joey Logano on his team's flexibility after Atlanta
By winning the opening race of the Round of 16, Joey Logano booked his ticket for the next round and also gave himself time to prepare for the remaining two races. He admitted that the #22 team is willing to try new things and gamble in a scenario where he has to win.
Logano revealed that for Bristol, he would race with that mindset, and that's what they tried to do at Watkins Glen too.
"It was either stage win, race win – that’s all that mattered. We were in position to do that if that caution didn’t come out coming to the end of the second stage. We lost all our track position for basically nothing at that point and took our chance to win away, but that’s just the cards that were played. Sometimes they just don’t fall in your favor and that’s kind of what happened last week, but this week is the same thing," Logano said.
The 2x Cup Series champion said that one has to be able to go out and aim for the win. In case he's able to put himself off strategy by winning a stage, Logano added he might be open to the opportunity to race for something more than just the points.