Joey Logano Gets Real on His Championship Chances Amid Poor Regular Season Outcome

Joey Logano’s 2025 season is a mix of muted highs and too many off-the-pace lows. In 26 races, he has logged one win, three top fives, and seven top tens, with a single pole and 3 DNFs to muddle the mix. One bright moment came at Texas Motor Speedway, where he captured the Würth 400 in early May, a win that ultimately punched his ticket into the playoffs. Yet despite the victory, the No. 22 driver’s average finish hovers around 17th, and he has led only 385 laps, respectable but not the form of a race-week dominator. But the man who closed out 2024 with a championship knows how to turn things around when it counts.

Joey Logano entered 2025 carrying the swagger of a defending champion. But the season hasn’t exactly played out like a victory lap. While his career boasts three Cup Series titles and a reputation as one of NASCAR’s elite, this year’s results have left even his unwavering confidence in need of a boost. With the playoffs just around the corner, Logano is keeping it real. Far from cocky, he is the first to admit that his regular-season résumé is light on fireworks.

Reflecting on his season as a repetition of last year, the 35-year-old said, “As far as how do you get to the playoffs, like each round? Yeah, I mean, our blueprint is pretty much week to week. You know, it’s not anything really complicated or anything that I wouldn’t even talk about. Everybody kind of knows it. It’s just kind of one week at a time. You know, we’ll see what we got to do next week.”

Despite a stumble-filled regular season, Joey Logano delivered a playoff masterclass last year, one that defied expectations and underscored his clutch genes. He punched his playoff ticket with a gritty overtime win at Nashville, but entering the postseason, few pegged him as a threat. Indeed, in seven races leading into the playoffs, he endured five finishes of 19th or worse and three outside the top 30, an ominous trend for a defending champion.

After what some would say was a lackluster regular season, does defending Cup champion Joey Logano have the competition right where he wants them? Logano on his championship-winning blueprint. @NASCARONFOX pic.twitter.com/4jCjACjGXU

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) August 28, 2025

But once the playoffs began, the Team Penske driver flipped the script. He opened the Round of 16 with a win at Atlanta, swiftly advancing to the next stage. Things looked bleak after the round of 12 at Charlotte’s Roval, where he initially fell short, but a post-race disqualification of Alex Bowman gave him a reprieve and a ticket to the Round of 8. He didn’t waste the chance. Logano stormed into the Championship 4 with a pivotal win at Las Vegas. He then capped his campaign with a new perfect performance at Phoenix, leading 107 laps to seal the title in a historic 1-2 finish for Team Penske.

Currently, the 37-time Cup race winner sits at the 12th seed in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs and is 25 points behind the leader after 26 races. But Logano is known for striking fast when it matters the most. And now, he finds himself in the middle of sending a warning as the playoffs progress, and is determined to dominate this season.

Joey Logano believes that his fourth title hunt would “piss people off”

Joey Logano has his eyes locked on a potential NASCAR Cup Series championship right in the middle of a growing debate over the playoff format. The Team Penske star is no stranger to championship glory, having claimed titles in 2018, 2022, and 2024. Still, he is quick to admit that his career has had its share of heartbreaks. While proud of his accomplishments, he has openly acknowledged that a handful of missed opportunities still sting; that hunger to win is far from satisfied.

“That’d really piss some people off, wouldn’t it?” Logano quipped to ESPN when asked about the possibility of joining the rare field of four-time champions. He added that even reaching three titles already puts him in elite company, and the thought of a fourth is both thrilling and humbling. At the same time, the frustration lingers.

He said, “I’m still also going to be the same person to say, ‘Boy, I missed out on like four or five that I should have won,’ and still frustrated about that. Yeah, I don’t look too far ahead to what (four) would be, but gosh, it would be great. There’s always room for more.” If Logano pulls it off, the win could not only cement his place among the sport’s all-time greats but also reignite debate over NASCAR’s playoff system, a format that has divided fans and drivers alike. For now, every race feels like a step closer to either history or heartbreak, and what is shaping up to be one of NASCAR’s most unpredictable chases.

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