Joey Logano has good motive to like the playoffs, which has been a degree of competition among the many fanbase for years. It fits his driving model and as he himself will let you know, the motive force of the No. 22 Group Penske Ford solely will get higher whereas below excessive stress, which seemingly tracks after he walked away Sunday with the 2024 NASCAR Cup Collection 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 report 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 gained 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 completely different than every other main sport in America.
“To your level about championships and what it’s, the one motive why they do not say this about different sports activities is as a result of they did not change the playoff system,” mentioned Logano. “However the playoff system in different sports activities will not be a lot completely different than what that is. You may have an amazing 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 would not matter. It’d make it easier to. It is the identical means in NASCAR, the way in which we’ve the foundations now, is that you just set your self up a lot better.”
“It is a bunch of bullshit”
He additionally famous how there have been drivers akin to Tyler Reddick and Kyle Larson who entered the playoffs with much more bonus factors than him. “They’ve the identical alternative to go on the market and win and transfer on to the subsequent spherical,” mentioned Logano, who additionally needed to make up extra floor than these drivers with the intention to get to the identical place.
“So for somebody to say this is not actual, it is a bunch of bullshit in my view. That is flawed. That is one thing that everybody is aware of the foundations when the season begins. We found out methods to do it one of the best and found out methods to win. It is what our crew 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 international within the majority of motorsports. NHRA has been doing its personal model of the playoffs since 2007 and Australian Supercars shall be introducing a knockout-style system just like NASCAR in 2025. Past that, it is nonetheless largely season-long methods the world over.
The occasions are a-changin’
Logano’s closing message on this subject 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 publish on that actual factor following the title-decider has garnered practically 300,000 views.
“…People who simply received to just accept what the occasions are,” added Logano. “Occasions change, proper? And I do not know when you’ve got a whole lot of the moments that we’ve in the present day with out the playoff system that we’ve. Do you need 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 stress. You’ve got received all this stuff happening the final 10 weeks. You may have guys making an attempt to get into the playoffs.
“You may have that storyline. What number of storylines might 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 Collection and Truck Collection, and it is laborious for me to speak in regards to the Cup Collection 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 flawed 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 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 wonderful with that.
“I’ve received a reasonably candy trophy proper now. I will be laughing all the way in which to the financial institution.”
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