Before getting too far into this article, it cannot be argued that Joey Logano is not the deserving champion of the Cup Series in 2024. Based on how the format is, Logano and the 22 team excelled when it mattered most. Sneaking into the playoffs via a fuel-saving win at Nashville, Logano won 3 times during his playoff run. During the Championship Race, Logano led the most laps of the playoff drivers and held off the fastest car on track to hoist the Bill France Cup. He is the rightful and deserving champion. However, that is not to say this is going to be a popular champion. Not because he is still vilified by the fans and booed during driver intros. Instead, it is based on his 2024 season results. His 2024 championship will be remembered as NASCAR’s worst case scenario for a champion.
After last week’s debacle of race manipulation, the current format of the NASCAR playoffs were put under a microscope. During their “NASCAR State of Sport” presser, Steve O’Donnell and Steve Phelps reiterated NASCAR’s unwavering support of this elimination format. Phelps stated that the racing during the playoffs has never been better. Whether fans like it or not, this format is here to stay. That said, NASCAR’s format will continue to fall under scrutiny when the driver ranked 12th in season-long points is the champion. Yes, winning is the priority but Logano essentially pulled off the dreaded scenario that playoff naysayers have pointed to for years.
Champion Based on 4 Races
Especially after the Top-30 requirement was stripped from playoff eligibility, defenders of the integrity of the championship have pointed to a scenario where the eventual Cup champion could be crowned based on 5 races. In order to win the championship, a driver could win one regular season race then pluck off a win in each round. For the other 31 races, his results would not matter. Win the right 5 races and that driver would be champion.
Essentially, that is what happened with Joey Logano this season, but worse. Prior to his Nashville win, Logano was struggling. In 18 races, he was averaging a 17.9 result with 2 Top-5s and 5 Top-10s. Sitting 14th in points, his path to the playoffs seemed destined to win and in. Luckily, Logano’s 20th place car managed to save fuel through numerous restarts at Nashville to steal a win there. Boom, Logano is locked into the playoffs despite a down season.
Heading into the playoffs, Logano sat 15th in the season-long points. Behind non-playoff drivers Chris Buescher, Ross Chastain, and Bubba Wallace, Logano’s poor season went largely ignored due to miracle wins by Harrison Burton and Chase Briscoe. Then, Logano went out and won the first playoff race at Atlanta. 2 wins and a Round of 12 birth locked up. What did Logano do for the remainder of that round? A 15th at Watkins Glen and 28th at Bristol. Good thing he won Atlanta.
Round of 12 DQ Save
The lone round of the playoffs that Joey Logano did not win was the Round of 12. However, if a push to Austin Cindric does not go poorly, there is a chance Logano brings home the Talladega race win. Still, Logano did not have a win to fall back on to advance to the Round of 8. How did Logano perform in this round? Admirably, but his poor season was set to catch up to him. Logano scored 83 points which sat him 5th in the playoff standings. Tyler Reddick eliminated him at the ROVAL during the 45’s gutsy drive through the field.
Based on a round of consistency, Logano fell short. Technically, he was eliminated from the playoffs. However, that changed after NASCAR disqualified Alex Bowman for the 48 being underweight during post race inspection. Much like the Undertaker, Logano’s championship hopes were back from the dead.
Now, this resurrection to the Round of 8 should not be overly controversial. Bowman got disqualified based on weight. Despite the eagle eyed viewers of social media, the piece of debris flying from the 48 after catching air on the front stretch chicane was not the undoing of the team. Hendrick Motorsports did not appeal the DQ, which pins the blame firmly on their shoulders.
With that said, it is never a good look for the eventual champion to only make it there due to a technicality. Based on his performance, Logano would have been eliminated at the ROVAL. While you cannot blame NASCAR for disqualifying the 48, this footnote will be a stain on Logano’s championship run.
Fuel Mileage Part 2
With renewed playoff life, Joey Logano and the 22 team capitalized on that immediately by winning the first race of the Round of 8. In race where Logano struggled to compete in the Top-15 (sound familiar), Paul Wolfe made the call to stretch it on fuel. With one lap to spare, Logano managed to outlast Christopher Bell to secure his spot in the Championship Four. Sure, there might have been some drafting from Ryan Blaney to help Logano pass Daniel Suarez for the lead. However, Wolfe and Logano pulled out another unlikely win.
With the massive (and unfair) advantage of taking the next two races off, Logano and the 22 team raced as a team focused on Phoenix. Homestead was a no-show by the team, bringing in a result of 28th. Meanwhile, Martinsville was more competitive, securing Logano’s 12th Top-10 of the season. Out of the 8 drivers in the playoffs, Logano finished 8th in points. Once again, Logano deserved to make it the Championship Four via the win at Las Vegas. However, it did not feel right based on the season thus far. Plus, the manner in which Logano won Las Vegas felt wrong too. If he had run Top-5 all race then pulled out the fuel savings to win, then good for him and no ill feelings. However, Logano making it to the Championship Race on a ballsy call with a mediocre call felt wrong.
Championship Decided by Dirty Air
Leading into the Championship Race, there were plenty of potholes for NASCAR depending on who won the championship. If William Byron won, the story of Martinsville’s race manipulation would have been front and center. NASCAR penalized JGR, Trackhouse, RCR, and 23XI, but not the team who actually benefitted from all of it: Hendrick Motorsports. If they were to win the championship, it would be reminiscent of MLB failing to punish the 2017 Houston Astros severely enough after the sign stealing. For Chevy, trading a few fines and suspensions for a championship would be entirely worth it.
Meanwhile, Tyler Reddick winning would be a soap opera unfolding on a national stage. Imagine the scene of NASCAR executives handing over their prized France trophy to the team actively suing them. That type of writing would read unrealistic in fiction, especially considering Michael Jordan would be the one accepting the trophy. NASCAR surely did not want those optics.
Ryan Blaney was the safest option of the four, yet it would be another glaring issue that this format now rewards the best Phoenix driver rather than a testament to a playoff (or season) run.
Yet, Joey Logano was still the worst case scenario. The NASCAR Cup Series champion is the driver who ranks 12th in points, has the fewest Top-10s (13) ever, and the worst average finish by 3 whole positions. How could it be worse? Logano won the race via dirty air/aero-blocking. The 12 car was clearly faster, given he made up almost 3 seconds to Logano in less than 20 laps. However, dirty air reigned supreme. Sadly, Logano was not throwing any crazy blocks or rearview mirror driving as badly as Ross Chastain did last year. Despite trying various lines, Blaney could only catch Logano, but not pass him. A paper champion crowned via the most aggravating way to watch someone win a race.
Cannot Blame Joey Logano
All this negativity might feel directed at Joey Logano. However, it is not. All of the credit goes to Logano, Paul Wolfe, and everyone on the 22 team. Sure, they had the worst statistical season a Cup champion has ever had. Yet, they won when it mattered. 4 wins secured them a championship. Do you have to like it? No, but you cannot say they did not earn and deserve it. It is real, no matter your feelings on it. They exploited the glaring loophole in this format. Credit to them.
Joey Logano says for someone to say his championship isn't real, "is a bunch of bullshit." #NASCAR
— Toby Christie (@Toby_Christie) November 11, 2024
Same can be said for Ty Majeski in the Craftsman Truck Series. Majeski hoisted the championship trophy Friday night after dominating that race. Once again, he was the deserving champion based on the format. However, it feels wrong that he is the champion instead of Christian Eckes, the driver who had 22 Top-10s (out of 23 starts) and an average finish of 5.4.
NASCAR, the media, and fans of this format will argue this is more entertaining. Elimination and championship races that boiled a season’s worth of work into a single race creates drama. Maybe it does draw the crowd in as they said it does. The viewership numbers seem to argue against it, as the most watched races are still the crown jewel events. Still, the numbers could be worse without a playoff system (or this playoff system). Yet, crowning Joey Logano champion feels wrong.
Steven O’Donnell talked about how other sports see underdog teams win. In a vacuum, fair point. But, it is difficult to apply that logic to NASCAR. In the four major American sports, each playoff round is head to head with another team. Outside of the NFL, each team has to win a series of games to advance. Look at this year’s World Series. Should the New York Yankees have won the championship since they won Game 4 by the largest margin of the 5 games? Of course not. But that is how NASCAR works. Joey Logano skates to a championship off the back of 4 wins and a DQ in 36 races.
Wishful Thinking
Despite online chatter, criticism, and even this article, NASCAR is not going to change. A playoff system was implemented in 2004 and it will never go away. This elimination format with a single race to determine the champion will not change. NASCAR is too stubborn, too ensconced, and too infatuated with the results they see to change. If you are unconvinced of this, look at their disappointing response to the Martinsville situation. Why did that race manipulation happen so blatantly? This playoff format. Who received the harshest penalties? Three teams out of the playoffs while the team/driver who benefitted the most receives nothing.
At this point, fans who hate this format for determining a champion will have to live with it. Barring a complete overhaul of the executives, NASCAR is not going away from this. They love the “Game 7” moments, despite those moments being diluted from overexposure. Sure, NASCAR could have seen a historic finish to this season with 3-4 drivers mathematically in it after 35 races. But that cannot be guaranteed every year so season-long points must be done away with. Instead, enjoy the manufactured drama of which Team Penske car will beat the other for the third straight season.
On the bright side though, only 98 days until the Daytona 500.
