Since 2018, Joey Logano has reigned in the championship conversation. The Team Penske star clinched three NASCAR Cup Series titles in a span of six years. It seemed like his team had grasped the secret to success in the sport’s playoff format. But just as they were getting comfortable as a star-studded team, the sport drastically changed its format. So, Logano is facing a revamped 2026 season while accepting his fate.

Joey Logano yields to the fans’ demand

“Consistency will matter more in the same thing. That’s definitely gonna be a bigger deal. But you’re not gonna have those do-or-die moments where you have to win to move on. All these crazy, desperate moves that we’ve seen. I don’t have to see that anymore. But it sounds like this is what the fans wanted, I guess. If that’s the case, cool. Let’s go, I’m good with that too,” Joey Logano said in a NASCAR Live episode.

When Joey Logano won the 2024 Cup Series title, it marked a crucial time for the sport. The protests against the championship format, from fans and drivers, were louder than ever before. That is because Logano won the title with the worst average finish, 17.1. And his success was based on clutch wins like a quintuple overtime victory in Nashville or a purely lucky advancement to the Round of 8.

Now, with the ‘Chase’ format in place with a postseason devoid of eliminations, Joey Logano will need to revamp his strategy. Achieving consistency will be key, something that the No. 22 Team Penske fold needs to think about. Logano’s last two seasons have been some of his worst since joining Penske in 2013, as his average finish has been worse than 15th place. So Logano could risk missing the Chase with such a predicament in 2026.

“I guess I don’t have much of an opinion. I’m good with whatever comes our way; we’re gonna figure out how to win it, or we have to. Whether it’s the old playoff format, which personally I liked. But I raced to a similar format to this before that, and I was good with that, too. It’s just gonna take a different formula to go in the championship now from what we used to do,” Joey Logano continued.

Joey Logano raced under the older Chase format from 2009 to 2013. He struggled during his first few seasons at the top level. The highest Logano finished was eighth in the championship standings in 2013, his first season at Team Penske.

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A strategy shuffle is a priority for Joey Logano in 2026. Yet even in the older format, he put in more hard work than was visible.

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A reality check for fans

True, Joey Logano’s performance has not been top-notch for the past few years. Nevertheless, that does not mean that his team is resting. In 2025, Joey Logano finished 7th in points after bowing out of the Round of 8 due to a Martinsville mishap. Yet he clinched 1 win, 7 top fives, and 13 top tens while leading for 577 laps. Barely scraping the Championship 4 may look like a defeat for a three-time Cup champion. But the hard work is no less, as Logano tried to explain to fans.

“A lot of fans think you just show up to the racetrack and drive in circles. Our job is so much more complex than that. There really wasn’t ever a time I’ve been around where you just show up and be good. Some drivers can do that because they’re just naturally great. I’m probably not that guy. I need to study a lot and focus a lot and really be a student of the sport if I want to be competitive,” Joey Logano said in an interview with The Athletic.

With a meticulous work routine and a revamped strategy, Joey Logano may have what it takes to tackle the new format. We can only wait and see how he performs.