Joey Logano Slams Detractors Over NASCAR Playoff Format Criticism, Demands One Change
The latest from the NASCAR world comes with the formation of a playoff committee comprising past and present NASCAR luminaries like Christopher Bell, designed to refine the NASCAR playoff/championship format.
However, the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series champion, Joey Logano, has voiced strong support for the existing playoff structure, contending that the current competition framework for vying for the championship is fundamentally sound.
Despite his take on the matter, he acknowledged one aspect he might consider tweaking. During a media session ahead of Sunday’s first road course race of the season at COTA, the Team Penske racer was queried about his perspective on potential changes in the NASCAR format.
Logano expressed a dual viewpoint, stating, “On one hand, I’d say give me the format we’re going to do it. We’ll figure out how to win then. But on the other hand, I look at it as just a race fan and I think it’s pretty freaking good what we got.”
Logano elaborated on the prevailing sentiment surrounding the current NASCAR playoff format, noting that criticism arose when a less-favored driver like himself won the championship. He drew parallels between NASCAR and major league sports like the NFL and NBA, where excelling in the regular season confers advantages, yet success is not assured in the playoffs.
Logano, candid about Team Penske’s success with three championships in the last three years, acknowledged that his view might be seen as partial. Yet, he maintained that the current format delivers the quintessential thrill fans expect from the racing series.
Changes Joey Logano wants to see in the playoff format
On potential changes, Logano suggested, “I don’t think a car outside the top 20-something in points should get locked in by just a win. That doesn’t seem right.” His comment likely referenced Harrison Burton’s unexpected win at last year’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 in Daytona, which catapulted him into the playoffs despite languishing at the lower end of the standings.
Logano asserted that he firmly believes a car languishing around 30th in the points and winning a single race shouldn’t automatically earn a playoff berth.
As the new season has already begun, Logano’s start — finishing P35 at Daytona and P12 at Atlanta — mirrors the early challenges of last year. Yet, with the momentum he built to win last year’s title, it remains to be seen whether he and his team can defend their championship in the current format before upcoming changes tilt the scales against them.
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