The NASCAR playoff format has been debated since its creation two decades ago. It’s designed to reward late-season pressure, not year-long consistency and last year’s Cup champion Joey Logano is one of its biggest defenders.
But not everyone in the sport is buying into his argument , especially Dale Earnhardt Jr., who thinks there’s more to being a champion than surviving one race in November.
Logano made headlines last week when he went all in on the drama of the format speaking for The Athletic. He said:
“If you’re complaining about it, then just do better. If you scored a bunch of points and you didn’t make the Championship 4, shame on you. You had a head start, and you still couldn’t do it. Don’t say it’s not legit. You could’ve gone out there and won to get it. You didn’t.”
For Logano the pressure is the point. His 2024 title wasn’t built on dominance over 26 races. He entered the postseason 15th, with one regular season win, but came alive when it mattered most advancing through rounds, winning big races and getting his third championship when others faltered.
To him, that’s what the system is designed for. “Change it? Fine,” he said. “We’ll go win it again.”
Dale Earhardt Jr. Pushes Back on Logano’s ‘Scared Drivers’ Claim
Earnhardt Jr. wasn’t going to call Logano’s title illegitimate but he wasn’t going to let him have it all either on his Dale Jr. Download podcast.
“You can believe Joey Logano is a legit champion and still believe the playoffs should be different,” Junior said. “I think Joey is a legit champion… All through the history of NASCAR every championship has been won under a different set of circumstances.”
Then he got more direct.
“My point being not just the playoffs and how you score points has changed. The sport has evolved. Every championship is unique. So is Joey’s. But I don’t think the single-race format is the best way to decide the champion. It doesn’t mean Joey doesn’t deserve to be celebrated. And it doesn’t mean if they were to change it, it wouldn’t dilute or take away from what he did. What’s done is done.”
It’s a friendly debate. Logano’s title is acknowledged while questioning whether one race at the end of the season is too much.
And that’s where we are today, caught between rewarding season-long excellence and playoff drama. Joey Logano likes the current system. Dale Earhardt Jr.. and many others wonder if NASCAR is really crowning its best driver with a winner-take-all finale.
NASCAR has recently created a special committee to investigate the playoff format moving forward, showing that the format could be changing in the future.
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