Joey Logano begins his reign as a three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion on Sunday with the season-opening Daytona 500.
But the champion hasn’t been widely celebrated. In the immediate aftermath of the November finale, Logano and NASCAR received criticism about the playoff format and integrity of their championship. Logano took some of the brunt of this criticism because he finished the regular season 15th in the standings with one victory.
In the postseason, Logano won more than anyone. The No. 22 Team Penske team went to vict ory lane three times, including in the winner-take-all championship race.
Insults like “he’s not deserving” and “not the real champion” were thrown around. There were debates about the best driver not winning the championship or being in the Championship 4.
“It doesn’t take anything away, in my opinion,” Logano told RACER about hearing all the comments. “And I honestly don’t care what people think a lot of times if they’re talking specifically about me.”
NASCAR did not change its system for the 2025 season. However, discussions about potential changes for 2026 and beyond have started.
Logano enjoys the format, and he has a lot of thoughts about the comments about it. The same goes for the comments toward him and his team, and whether the last few months they’ve felt disrespectful toward his accomplishment.
Those were brought up to Logano and an exchange with RACER during Daytona 500 Media Day:
