“It’s worked out for us”: Joey Logano delivers his stance on the ‘entertaining’ nature of playoff format
NASCAR Cup Series Champion Joey Logano has come out in support of the current playoff format of the sport. The driver, who secured his third title last year, believes that the current setup allows teams to become more competitive in the final races of the season when vying for the championship.
The driver's comments came during a Zoom call with the media earlier this week, where he also spoke about not being deterred by the critics of his season that ended with victory.
The playoff format was recently announced to be undergoing a holistic review by a working group for the 2026 season, but according to Joey Logano, the current system works fine and is very enjoyable.
“The playoff system is very entertaining. It takes a lot to get through the 10 races to win the championship. ... When the playoffs start, a lot of times you see teams that fire up," Logano said (via Associated Press).
While admitting that it has worked out in the favour of Team Penske, with whom he has secured all his Cup titles, Logano added:
“And we’ve been one of those teams, thankfully, and it’s worked out for us three times. But I don’t think that means you have to change the playoff system."
Joey Logano secured his championship titles in 2018, 2022, and 2024. During his time in the Cup Series, Logano has secured 36 race wins, as well as 167 Top-fives, and 287 Top-10 finishes.
"Expect the unexpected": Joey Logano after getting chance to fight for Championship despite playoffs elimination
Joey Logano almost didn't win the championship title, after he was knocked out at the end of the Round of 12 elimination race at the Charlotte Roval this past year. However, Hendrick Motorsports' #48 car piloted by Alex Bowman failed to meet minimum weight requirements in the post-race inspection, causing the car to lose points and and be disqualified from contention for the title.
This allowed the 34-year-old, who was just outside of the Top-eight drivers, to take Bowman's spot and continue his battle for his third championship - which he secured at the race in Phoenix, crossing the chequered flag in the lead and beating runner-up finisher, Ryan Blaney, by five points.
Speaking via Motorsport.com in October last year, Logano was surprised by the turn of events but believed in just going with the flow of the competition, while attributing the up-and-down nature of the sport to the NextGen cars.
"It’s NASCAR, man. I don’t know what to tell you. Expect the unexpected. You’ve got to go and just roll with the punches and go with the flow and just continue on. I feel like these days more and more there are just seasons like this. There’s just more crazy things that can happen than ever before, and a lot of that is due to the Next Gen car," he said.
Joey Logano's 2024 season ended after he achieved four wins, seven Top-five finishes, as well as 13 Top 10s and three pole positions.