Joey Logano has good purpose to like the playoffs, which has been some extent of competition among the many fanbase for years. It fits his driving fashion and as he himself will inform you, the motive force of the No. 22 Group Penske Ford solely will get higher whereas underneath excessive stress, which seemingly tracks after he walked away Sunday with the 2024 NASCAR Cup Sequence Championship win.
However this 12 months has individuals significantly out of types as a result of Logano’s common end this 12 months was 17.1, which is now the worst ever for a Cup Champion. The earlier document was set only one 12 months in the past by his teammate Ryan Blaney with a mean end of 14.1 on his method to the 2023 title.
Joey Logano, Group Penske, Shell Pennzoil Ford Mustang
Picture by: NASCAR Media
However each drivers nonetheless received when it mattered whereas the title favorites failed to take action. Logano vaulted himself into the playoffs with a single win after which proceeded to gather three extra victories within the Spherical of 16, Spherical of 8, and the Championship 4. Logano raced throughout the guidelines of this format introduced to him and in his thoughts, that is no totally different than another main sport in America.
“To your level about championships and what it’s, the one purpose why they do not say this about different sports activities is as a result of they did not change the playoff system,” stated Logano. “However the playoff system in different sports activities is just not a lot totally different than what that is. You’ll be able to have an incredible common season. It seeds you higher for the playoffs. That does not imply you are assured to go all the way in which to the Tremendous Bowl or the Stanley Cup Finals or the NBA Finals. It does not matter. It’d enable you. It is the identical method in NASCAR, the way in which now we have the foundations now, is that you simply set your self up significantly better.”
“It is a bunch of bullshit”
He additionally famous how there have been drivers comparable to Tyler Reddick and Kyle Larson who entered the playoffs with way more bonus factors than him. “They’ve the identical alternative to go on the market and win and transfer on to the subsequent spherical,” stated Logano, who additionally needed to make up extra floor than these drivers with a view to get to the identical place.
“So for somebody to say this is not actual, it is a bunch of bullshit for my part. That is mistaken. That is one thing that everybody is aware of the foundations when the season begins. We found out do it the most effective and found out win. It is what our workforce has been in a position to do for the final three years.”
Whereas a format like that is frequent amongst stick-and-ball sports activities, it is nonetheless fairly overseas within the majority of motorsports. NHRA has been doing its personal model of the playoffs since 2007 and Australian Supercars might be introducing a knockout-style system much like NASCAR in 2025. Past that, it is nonetheless principally season-long methods the world over.
The occasions are a-changin’
Logano’s closing message on this matter was easy: Occasions change. But, NASCAR has had a playoff system for 20 years and the present format for ten, however individuals nonetheless put collectively factors standings primarily based on the Winston Cup factors of outdated — an X put up on that actual factor following the title-decider has garnered practically 300,000 views.
“…Folks that simply obtained to just accept what the occasions are,” added Logano. “Occasions change, proper? And I do not know if in case you have a whole lot of the moments that now we have at this time with out the playoff system that now we have. Do you wish to see the championship crown with three races to go? As a result of that is what used to occur. That is fairly boring. You’ve got obtained do-or-die moments. You’ve got obtained the stress. You’ve got obtained all these items happening the final 10 weeks. You have got guys making an attempt to get into the playoffs.
“You have got that storyline. What number of storylines may we make? It is wonderful. For individuals to complain, it makes me mad. It makes me pissed off to listen to that. Gosh, it’s superior. I watch the Xfinity Sequence and Truck Sequence, and it is onerous for me to speak in regards to the Cup Sequence as a result of I am in it, however I watch these as a fan, whether or not it is from the sales space or simply on TV, like I did final evening. That is entertaining stuff. I am glued to my TV, particularly much more through the playoffs than I’m through the common season. What’s mistaken with that? Golly, man. I do not know. Makes me mad, sorry. I am not sorry. (Laughter).”
Joey Logano, Group Penske, Shell Pennzoil Ford Mustang
Picture by: NASCAR Media
Logano additionally pointed how scouring over hypothetical factors is pointless as a result of the races would have performed out utterly in another way in such a format. Whereas this dialogue is not going away anytime quickly, the very fact of the matter is that NASCAR isn’t going again, and its newly topped three-time champion of this playoff period is completely tremendous with that.
“I’ve obtained a fairly candy trophy proper now. I will be laughing all the way in which to the financial institution.”