The dichotomy of the NASCAR playoffs might not be new, but it’s still as intense. Just ask Denny Hamlin and Dale Earnhardt Jr, and they’ll sit you down to explain exactly what is so “fundamentally flawed” about a win-or-bust mentality. Joey Logano, though, would conveniently beg to differ as a clear beneficiary. Remember last weekend when a miscommunication debacle, a spin and, of course, a stroke of luck helped the Penske driver advance into the playoffs AGAIN? Well, just like last time, Logano was ready with an answer. And not everyone likes it!

“Something about this particular year’s playoff is just not doing it for me,” Earnhardt Jr pointedly noted about last weekend’s race on the latest Dale Jr. Download episode. “The more Joey Logano gets out of his car and talks about the playoffs, the more I don’t like the playoffs. The more he talks about it, and I know he’s defending it, and I know he believes what he believes, and I’m good with that for him, but the more he tells me why I should like the playoffs, the less I like him.”

This comes after Joey Logano had defended the current format to his heart’s content after what was a controversial last lap battle at the Charlotte Roval.

“The playoffs create drama,” he said in a post-race media conversation. “It creates storylines. It creates awesome moments like that. I don’t understand what people don’t like about it. I really don’t get it. And if you’re one of those people who say the regular season doesn’t matter, playoff points don’t matter — one point would have been the difference there. I preach that all the time. I’m not just saying that because it works for us. I’m saying it because it’s true. Everyone likes to look at it in other ways, but like I said, one point was the difference there.

“If you don’t have cutoff races and things like that, what are you even talking about today? How Shane waxed everyone’s b–t? That’s what you want? I’m just saying, this playoff format is wicked.” But wait till you hear what actually went down.

Joey Logano’s crew chief, Paul Wolfe, made a bold call to pit from 13th with just 11 laps to go, sacrificing a slim points lead over Ross Chastain, which paid off big. On fresh tires, Logano charged forward as Chastain lost ground. However, on the final lap, with Chastain clearly in a position to advance to the Round of 8, bad luck intervened. Denny Hamlin passed him, which meant Ross Chastain was no longer leading in points, giving way to a desperate move that ended his playoff journey instead.

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In the winding moments of the race, he tried passing the Joe Gibbs Racing driver, spinning them both and finishing P21. Logano finished P20. “I single-handedly took a car out of the Round of 8 and a chance to go to the round of four. In two months, we’ve elevated ourselves from, I say, an 18th-place car to an eighth-place car. Today, we were good enough to run top five, and I took us out of that. It’s all on me,” the Trackhouse Racing driver lamented later.

As for Denny Hamlin, it created a whole set of issues. He’ll now have to battle for a championship with a three-time Cup Series champion, instead of Chastain. “I would not have passed him!” was all Hamlin was left to say. And Logano? Besides the advocacy, he was definitely thanking his stars.

Notably, during last season, the veteran was starting at playoff elimination on Sunday, sitting four points below the cutline at the Charlotte Roval. However, Logano was back in the picture by Monday thanks to Alex Bowman’s failed playoff inspection.

The veteran had described the incident as “crazy things that can happen. I just go with it” en route to his third Cup Series championship. Meaning: He was fully aware that he did not achieve the position; he was just lucky. And, in the end, that one stroke of luck was all he needed to clinch his third Cup Series championship—putting the spotlight on how wins mattered more than consistency.

Having said that, even Junior wants a change, he will have to hang tight. Mike Forde, NASCAR’s director of communications, has made it clear that NASCAR will not announce its plan for the playoff system till the current season’s champion has been crowned. The discussions continue over the 2026 championship performance, with ideas ranging from a four-race finale featuring up to 6 contenders to a call for a return to the traditional season-long points system. NASCAR hasn’t used a full-season format since 2003, and its playoff structure has seen multiple revisions, the latest coming ahead of the 2017 season.

But with changes being made and Joey Logano’s playoff comment generating backlash, the defending Cup Series champion is definitely a threat heading into the Round of 8.

Why Joey Logano’s return to the Round of 8 spells trouble for the rest of the Playoff field

In 2018, 2020, 2022, and 2024, Joey Logano opened the Round of 8 with a win, and each time it carried him straight into the Championship 4. Three of those runs ended with him bagging the title. Historically, the No. 22 driver’s path to the finale has always hinged on victory, making Las Vegas a pivotal test.

Then comes Talladega, a wildcard race that might seem like a blessing for the rest of the playoff field. The unpredictable nature of the track could derail Logano’s momentum, unlike Homestead, which used to occupy that calendar spot and suited him better.

Still, The Athletic’s Jordan Bianchi warns that overlooking Logano is a mistake. In the Teardown podcast, he said, “I just want to say this, too. You let Joey Logano onto the next round. They are going to regret this. You picked them to be in the Championship 4, Jeff, you called it. This guy’s one of those horror movie monsters that you can’t put down, and he just finds a way to get in, and they did it again.”

And he’s not wrong; Logano came within inches of a win earlier this year at Dega, with teammate Austin Cindric snatching victory. Team Penske’s drafting strategy has long made them a powerhouse at superspeedways.

Whether the 35-year-old will win a fourth championship remains uncertain; others have shown stronger form this season, but if history is any indication, counting him out is risky. As the Round of 8 begins, all eyes will be on the No. 22 in Las Vegas.