• Loading stock data...
Thursday, July 10, 2025

Joey Logano Defends NASCAR Playoffs As League Reviews Format

Joey Logano won his third NASCAR Cup Championship on Sunday. He told FOS why he thinks the current playoff format is good for the sport.

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Joey Logano solidified himself as one of NASCAR’s all-time great drivers after his third NASCAR Cup Series Championship on Sunday. His win may have also been the tipping point for the league’s playoff format.

According to Sports Business Journal, NASCAR is expected to review its playoff format next year. However, it’s likely any changes to the format will only take place starting in 2026, since the 2025 season begins in February.

The NASCAR playoffs consist of the 16 drivers who score the most points in a 26-race regular season. The playoffs are divided into four rounds over 10 races, with the first three rounds each consisting of three races and the championship round being a single race. Four cars are eliminated after each of the first three rounds.

The report comes just days after Logano, a Team Penske driver, triumphed with the lowest average finishing position for a champion in NASCAR history. He was also originally knocked out in the second round of the playoffs but rejoined the field due to a disqualification to another driver.

Logano, who also won championships in 2018 and 2022, spoke to Front Office Sports and defended the playoff format. He said the previous system often risked a lackluster end to the year as certain drivers would already clinch the title before the final races.

“It used to be 36 weekends and it was just whoever scored the most points. So with three or four races to go, they’re crowning the champion and the last three races a year don’t matter,” Logano said on The FOS Interview. “No one’s gonna watch that. … It’s over, or the guys [are] so far checked out that no one’s even thinking about it.” 

Logano acknowledged he benefited from the format this year, but he also reminded critics the structure before the playoffs wasn’t perfect, either.

“I think you got to take a step back sometimes because it’s easy for us to look back at things to say, ‘The good old days. Oh, in the good old days, it was like this. The good old days, it was like that. Was it, though?’” Logano said.

The first iteration of the playoff structure started in 2004, following a 2003 season that saw Matt Kenseth clinch the title despite winning just one race. That initial version was a 10-week-long “Chase for the Cup,” which also received backlash after Jimmie Johnson won five years in a row.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Amazon NASCAR Ratings Down 17%, but Skew Younger

Prime Video averaged 2.16 million per race during its five-event stretch.

MLB’s Bold Bristol Plan: Inside the Renovation and Potential Records

Work accelerates to convert the massive motorsports venue for baseball.
Jun 8, 2025; Brooklyn, Michigan, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin (11) celebrates with his team, holding up three fingers, one for each of his victories at Michigan International Speedway, after winning the FireKeepers Casino 400.

Judge Urges Michael Jordan, Co-Plaintiffs to Settle With NASCAR

Jordan’s racing team filed a co-suit in October alleging antitrust practices.

Featured Today

Jun 28, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (29) bats during the game between the Texas Rangers and the Seattle Mariners at Globe Life Field.

The Torpedo Bat Business Is Still Going Strong: ‘Here to Stay’

Demand for the oddly shaped bats has stayed strong across the sport.
July 6, 2025

American Celebs Want to Be Sports Owners. Soccer Is Where They Start

As U.S. team prices climb, investors set their sights abroad.
July 5, 2025

Baseball’s Celebrity Row: Behind MLB’s First-Pitch Ritual

Often planned, sometimes spontaneous, the ritual throw is baseball’s celebrity row.
July 4, 2025

3,000 Hot Dogs, $20K in Prizes: Behind the Nathan’s Eating Contest

Nathan’s serves up thousands of hot dogs and $20,000 in prize money.
Stephen Curry celebrates after sinking the winning putt during the final round of the American Century Celebrity Championship golf tournament at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in Stateline, Nev., Sunday, July 16, 2023.

Golf’s Hottest Celebrity Tournament Keeps Getting More Exclusive

The American Century Championship tees off at Lake Tahoe on Friday.
Feb 5, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell during the NFLPA press conference at the Super Bowl LIX media center at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.
July 10, 2025

NFLPA Head Has Side Hustle With PE Firm That Can Invest in..

The NFLPA’s executive director is embroiled in multiple controversies.
Bruce Meyer and Tony Clark of the MLBPA
July 10, 2025

MLB, Players’ Union Spar Over Salary Cap As Labor Fight Looms

The MLB Players Association’s No. 2 executive outlines what he sees owners doing.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Dealmaker Jeffrey Kaplan maps the evolution of sports as an asset class
July 10, 2025

Murphy: Club WC Snags Won’t Derail Biggest Event ‘in Human History’

New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium is the concluding site of both FIFA events.
Crystal Palace FC
July 10, 2025

Crystal Palace’s Europa League Spot in Limbo After Lyon Wins Appeal

The ruling on Olympique Lyonnais was overturned this week on appeal.
July 9, 2025

U.K. Appoints New Soccer Regulator, EPL Matches Stay Behind Paywall

Men’s soccer in England will receive new levels of oversight.
July 9, 2025

NFL’s Alternate Uniforms Fuel Big Business—and Lots of Nostalgia

The Commanders kick off a run of new NFL helmets and uniforms.