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Joey Logano has slammed critics who questioned the legitimacy of his third NASCAR Cup championship, calling the criticism "bull****" following his victory over Penske Ford teammate Ryan Blaney in the Phoenix title decider last weekend.
Logano's average finish in 2024 was 17.1, surpassing the previous record for the worst finish by a Cup champion set by Blaney in 2023, who had an average finish of 14.1. Despite his struggles earlier in the season, including facing elimination after the Charlotte Roval race in the Round of 12, Logano was reinstated due to Alex Bowman's Hendrick Chevrolet being disqualified for being underweight.
After securing his spot in the playoffs with a single win at Nashville during the regular season, Logano came alive when it counted, taking victories in the opening races of both the Round of 16 at Atlanta and the Round of 8 at Las Vegas, before holding off a fast-charging Blaney to clinch the title at Phoenix.
Logano defended the playoff system, saying that his performance adhered to the current rules, which he believes are no different from other major sports championships in America.
"The only reason why they don’t say this about other sports is because they didn’t change the playoff system. "But the playoff system in other sports is not much different than what this is." Logano said, referencing NASCAR's decision to cut down the number of championship contenders after every three races starting in 2014.
He continued, "You can have a great regular season, it seeds you better for the playoffs. That doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed to go all the way to the Super Bowl or the Stanley Cup Finals or the NBA Finals. It doesn’t matter; it might help you [but it might not]. It’s the same way in NASCAR; the way we have the rules now, is that you set yourself up much better."
Logano pointed out that drivers like fellow Championship 4 contender Tyler Reddick (23XI Toyota) and Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports, both eliminated in the Round of 8, entered the playoffs with far more bonus points than he did, yet they still had to fight for every chance to advance.
"They have the same opportunity to go out there and win and move on to the next roundSo for someone t. o say this isn’t real, it’s a bunch of bull**** in my opinion. That’s wrong." he said.
He emphasized that the rules were known from the start of the season, and it was up to the teams to figure out how to succeed under them. "We figured out how to do it the best and figured out how to win. It’s what our team has been able to do for the last three years."
While NASCAR remains unique in motorsport for using a playoff format to determine its champion, Logano defended the system and the excitement it brings.
"I don’t know if you have a lot of the moments that we have today without the playoff system. Do you want to see the championship crown with three races to go? Because that’s what used to happen. That’s pretty boring."
He highlighted the drama and intensity the playoffs create: "You’ve got do-or-die moments. You’ve got the pressure. You’ve got all these things going on the last 10 weeks. You have guys trying to get into the playoffs. You have that storyline. How many storylines could we make? It’s amazing. For people to complain, it makes me mad. It makes me frustrated to hear that."
Logano also dismissed the idea of comparing hypothetical points totals from previous seasons, noting that races would have unfolded differently under such a format.
