Joey Logano taunts haters in pursuit of back-to-back championships: 'That'd really piss some people off'

The NASCAR playoff and championship format has many critics — Joey Logano is not one of them. It’s no surprise Logano loves the 10-race, elimination style format introduced in 2014, as he’s won three Cup Series championship since 2018.

“I love it,” Logano told Kelly Crandall of ESPN. “I know people say, ‘Oh, it’s because it works for you.’ I know. Sure. But I do think it’s very exciting.”

Logano’s latest championship triumph came last season. He was inconsistent throughout the regular season, but his win at Nashville Superspeedway earned him a spot in the 16-driver postseason field. Logano saved his best for the playoffs, winning three of 10 races, including the finale at Phoenix Raceway.

Joey Logano chasing NASCAR Hall of Famer

The legitimacy of Logano’s third championship often came into question. Logano finished the season with an average finish of 17.1, the worst of any driver in a championship-winning season. But under the current format, winning at the right time is everything. Logano did that, joining Cale Yarborough, David Pearson, Lee Petty, Darrell Waltrip and Tony Stewart as drivers with three Cup championships.

Logano is back in the playoffs, which begin this Sunday at Darlington Raceway. Winning a fourth championship would place him in a tie for second-most all-time alongside Jeff Gordon.

“That’d really piss some people off, wouldn’t it?” Logano said. “Four would be incredible. Three was definitely special, and it does put you in a pretty elite group. I guess sometimes in self-reflecting a little bit, when you look at the end of your career and you say you have three championships, are you going to be happy? That’s something to be pretty proud of. I’m not going to be upset about it.

“I’m still also going to be the person to say, ‘Boy, I missed out on like four or five that I should have won,’ and still frustrated about that. Yeah, I don’t look too far ahead to what [four] would be, but gosh, it would be great. There’s always room for more.”

2025 feels a lot like 2024 for Joey Logano

Logano’s season up to this point feels oddly similar to last year. He hasn’t been anywhere near the best driver, with just one win and seven top 10s in 26 races. Logano did enough to earn the No. 12 seed in the championship standings.

But it’s playoff time, and this is where Logano and Team Penske shine brightest. In the Next Gen era, Penske has taken all three championships — Logano in 2022 and ’24, Ryan Blaney in 2023.

The future of the current playoff format is uncertain. NASCAR put together a playoff committee consisting of former drivers, media partners, team owners, manufacturers, track representatives and independent media to determine if the playoff should change in 2026, such as potentially doing away with the one-race finale. Logano is on the committee. He’s made it quite clear where he stands.

“There are a couple of people who say we should have the full points all year round and that’s the only real way you can do it,” Logano said. “Well, then it should be like that in every sport, too. But it’s not. Why? Because it’s freaking boring. Nobody is going to watch a boring sport; you have to do something exciting, and the playoff system does that.

“You will not have a Super Bowl moment without a one race, all or nothing. That’s what we have right now.”