Joey Logano has never been one to leave things to fate, but even he can’t ignore the peculiar pattern that has shadowed his career since 2014. Every odd-numbered season has seen him fall short of the Championship 4, while the even years have brought glory, including three Cup titles between 2018 and 2024. From 2015 to 2023, the trend held steady: strong in evens, out in odds. And in 2025, that script played out again.
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The Team Penske driver reached the Round of 8 but fell short of another title shot, sitting eighth in the standings heading into Phoenix.
In odd years, Logano has managed just 13 wins, while his even-year performances have yielded 21 successes. The contrast isn’t lost on him, even if he refuses to chalk it up to luck. Fresh off a championship in 2024, the 2015 Daytona 500 winner admitted disappointment at not being in the hunt again.
Speaking before the season finale at Phoenix, Logano was honest about his mixed emotions. “Obviously, not everything we hoped for. Our goal is to win the championship every year, and we fell short of that,” he said.
“Our goals are really high. By the same token, I feel like there were moments of the year we looked really strong. There were moments of the year where we didn’t capitalize on opportunities to win that we could have, and then I look at the playoffs as OK.”
Logano acknowledged that while his team didn’t seal a playoff win, their consistency carried them deep. “We didn’t really stack any wins in there, but we were able to work our way into the Round of 8 and be a threat up until the last race in Martinsville. I always say the goal every year when we start the playoffs is to make it 10 weeks of hell… Well, we got nine, nine hard weeks. That’s better than six, but it’s not exactly where you want to be,” he continued.
For Logano, this season’s ending stings. Missing out on the Championship 4 after last year’s title defense wasn’t part of the plan. Fans might see his 2025 campaign as solid, but for the #22 crew, “decent” never cuts it.
Still, the sting itself fuels him. Logano admitted that it hurts to be on the other side of the Championship 4. But he also understands that it’s probably good that it hurts, because it shows that he still cares. If it makes anyone a little angry, that’s probably a good thing, and they can use that to fuel themselves for better performance.
Logano’s focus now shifts to 2026, where he intends to channel that frustration into fire. With NASCAR’s revamped playoff format (still to be announced) debuting next season, everyone is wondering whether the new system will favor the Penske team once again, or if the odd-year curse will continue in even years as well this time.
