Joey Logano has good purpose to like the playoffs, which has been a degree of rivalry among the many fanbase for years. It fits his driving model and as he himself will inform you, the motive force of the No. 22 Workforce Penske Ford solely will get higher whereas beneath excessive strain, which seemingly tracks after he walked away Sunday with the 2024 NASCAR Cup Sequence Championship win.
However this yr has folks significantly out of kinds as a result of Logano’s common end this yr was 17.1, which is now the worst ever for a Cup Champion. The earlier file was set only one yr in the past by his teammate Ryan Blaney with a mean end of 14.1 on his technique to the 2023 title.
Joey Logano, Workforce 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 inside the guidelines of this format offered to him and in his thoughts, that is no totally different than some other 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 will not be a lot totally different than what that is. You possibly can 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 to. It is the identical method in NASCAR, the way in which we’ve 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 reminiscent of 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 fallacious. That is one thing that everybody is aware of the foundations when the season begins. We found out how you can do it the very best and found out how you can win. It is what our crew has been in a position to do for the final three years.”
Whereas a format like that is widespread 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 will likely be introducing a knockout-style system just like NASCAR in 2025. Past that, it is nonetheless largely season-long methods the world over.
The instances are a-changin’
Logano’s closing message on this matter was easy: Instances change. But, NASCAR has had a playoff system for 20 years and the present format for ten, however folks nonetheless put collectively factors standings primarily based on the Winston Cup factors of outdated — an X publish on that precise factor following the title-decider has garnered almost 300,000 views.
“…Folks that simply received to simply accept what the instances are,” added Logano. “Instances change, proper? And I do not know you probably have plenty of the moments that we’ve in the present day with out the playoff system that we’ve. 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 received do-or-die moments. You’ve got received the strain. You’ve got received all this stuff occurring the final 10 weeks. You will have guys making an attempt to get into the playoffs.
“You will have that storyline. What number of storylines may we make? It is superb. For folks to complain, it makes me mad. It makes me annoyed to listen to that. Gosh, it’s superior. I watch the Xfinity Sequence and Truck Sequence, and it is arduous for me to speak concerning 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 night time. That is entertaining stuff. I am glued to my TV, particularly much more in the course of the playoffs than I’m in the course of the common season. What’s fallacious with that? Golly, man. I do not know. Makes me mad, sorry. I am not sorry. (Laughter).”
Joey Logano, Workforce 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 a different way in such a format. Whereas this dialogue is not going away anytime quickly, the actual fact of the matter is that NASCAR isn’t going again, and its newly topped three-time champion of this playoff period is completely positive with that.
“I’ve received a reasonably candy trophy proper now. I will be laughing all the way in which to the financial institution.”
