Joey Logano Is Proof That the NASCAR Playoff Format Values Luck Over Consistency
With the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season coming to a close last Sunday, the Championship Race in Phoenix ended with Joey Logano winning the race and, in turn, winning the championship. This marks Logano’s third career championship, now the most in the sport among active drivers. Logano finished outside of the top 10 in regular season points but was still able to win a title and now holds the worst average finish among any championship season in NASCAR history. No one can deny Logano’s driving ability and his clutch victories this postseason that kept his championship hopes alive, but was he really the most deserving champion? Many would argue no, however, the NASCAR playoff system allows for underqualified drivers to win championships quite often.
Since NASCAR implemented the playoff format 11 years ago, only four of the 11 NASCAR champions have won their titles while leading in at least one of the five major statistical categories. These are laps led, top fives, top 10’s, wins, and average finish. The four drivers who delivered a title while leading one or more of these categories were Kevin Harvick in 2014, Martin Truex Jr. in 2017, Kyle Busch in 2019, and Kyle Larson in 2021. Entering the 2024 Championship Race, none of the drivers remaining in the final four led the sport in any of the top five statistical categories. Despite winning the 2024 championship, Joey Logano placed ninth in laps led, trailing the leader Kyle Larson by over 1,200 laps. Logano ranked 11th in top fives, seven back of first place, and ranked 13th in top 10 finishes, finishing 10 behind first place Christopher Bell. When it comes to average finish, Logano ranked 13th in NASCAR but did place second in wins, winning three races during the playoffs, including the Championship Race.
With that being said, Logano’s playoff berth did not come without controversy either, as his lone regular season win in Nashville came after five overtime segments. When this race was originally scheduled to end in regulation, Logano was in 15th place. To further prove that luck was on Logano’s side, Hendrick Motorsports' #48 driver, Alex Bowman, was disqualified due to a failed post-race inspection at the conclusion of the Round of 12, giving the previously eliminated Logano a way back into the field. Taking nothing away from Logano, he has certainly proved himself as a driver, however, it should be noted that he has won three titles without ever leading the series in a single major statistical category through those championship seasons. This number of three titles for a driver of Logano’s caliber shows how watered down a championship has become in the sport today. Even with three championships, Logano finds himself as one of only three drivers to win a championship despite never having won a regular season points title in his career, with the other two being 2004 Champion Kurt Busch and 2023 Champion Ryan Blaney. To think that a driver tied for 24th in all-time career wins, with 36, now has more championships than Kyle Busch, who ranks ninth all-time with 63 career victories, is quite hard to believe. Furthermore, Denny Hamlin, who places second in wins among active drivers with 54, has never won a championship, even though he ranks 12th all-time in victories. Had the NASCAR playoff system rewarded drivers for their season-long consistency, the sport would not struggle with the issue of having such a meaningless championship.
Why is NASCAR like this? From 2006-2010, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmie Johnson won an all-time record five consecutive titles. To create 'more excitement' and prevent runaway championship victories, NASCAR introduced stage racing and the 16-driver playoff format, building up race after race until a one-race Championship Finale. With this format in place, the sport did not have to worry about losing viewership towards the end of the season, as it ensured that every race had something on the line. This was in direct contrast to the previous system that was built based on consistent finishing positions and could have a dominating driver like Jimmie Johnson run away with the title. Although this method makes sense from a business standpoint, it is unfair to deserving drivers who have earned rightful spots in championship contention. Where NASCAR tried to increase competition and reduce team dominance, they really increased randomness and reduced integrity, as the sport is now riddled with dive bombs or questionable maneuvers by non-contending drivers looking to punch their ticket into the postseason by earning one win.
How can NASCAR fix this? To begin with, the “Win and In” rule needs to be abolished immediately. This rule gives drivers with poor performances throughout the entirety of the year a chance to make the playoffs just off of one race. Considering caution flag-filled restrictor-plate race tracks like Daytona and Talladega, fuel mileage victories, and road course specialists, one win should not simply be enough. Drivers should need to prove themselves in more than just one race, considering the regular season makes up 26 races while the postseason makes up only 10. This season, three drivers made the playoffs while being outside of the top 16 in points because they had won a race. These being Chase Briscoe who placed 18th, Austin Cindric who placed 19th, and Harrison Burton who placed 34th, which was dead last among full-time drivers. To put this in perspective, Burton finished the season with an average finish of 25.7, one top five, and two top 10s while Chris Buescher missed out on the playoffs with an average finish of 14.3, six top fives, and 15 top 10s. Buescher eventually got his win before the season ended, but unfortunately was two races late, winning after the playoffs had already begun.
Next, NASCAR should also eliminate playoff rounds. There should be a fixed number of drivers who make the playoffs based on consistent points and finishes throughout the season, in the range of 14-18 drivers. After the playoffs begin, each driver should not be eliminated until they are mathematically too far behind to catch up. This way, drivers will continue to strive for good performances, and their season will be in their own hands. If they fall too far behind, they will eliminate themselves, and if they remain in striking distance, they will be given the continued opportunity to move up in the standings. This also keeps the sport exciting, as many drivers will have the chance to be in contention all at once rather than keeping a fixed number from round to round.
Lastly, to keep the integrity of the sport intact, NASCAR needs to let dominance happen. Drivers that run away with points titles and championships should be able to do so. Even though it may not be as entertaining, it still has been earned. Just like in other sports, some years may provide entertaining championship battles, while other years are quite one-sided. The sport should not be tampered with so much to the point where the best of the best cannot contend for titles, but rather streaky or lucky drivers instead.
Ultimately, NASCAR is the only one to blame for the major setbacks within the sport. Joey Logano has only been the beneficiary of an unjust system. As a result, NASCAR has finally stated that they will possibly tweak their playoff format before the 2025 season, due to negative criticism from fans. Many fans, however, will need to see it to believe it, as NASCAR viewership has gradually declined year after year due to poor rule changes, racecar changes, and diminished driving quality.
