Dale Earnhardt Jr. questions NASCAR playoffs format despite 2024 champion Joey Logano defending it

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has given his insight into the current debate on the NASCAR Cup Series playoff format, especially with regard to the advocacy of the playoff format by defending champion Joey Logano. He said that Logano is a legitimate champion under the current format rules, but there is a need to change the playoff system.

Although Dale Jr. agrees with and respects what Logano has accomplished under the existing playoff system, he also feels like the format could have some modifications. He stressed that every championship in the history of NASCAR happened in different conditions and that Logano earned his titles no worse than any other champions, yet the sport has been changing, and there are ways to improve its playoff formula in the future.

Joey Logano sent a simple and straightforward message to defend the playoff system of NASCAR. Logano pointed out that drivers can secure their place in the final rounds by winning, and not doing so nullifies complaints of legitimacy. He said he enjoyed the buzz and tension that the playoff system brings, and it makes the races more exciting, which is a good thing for both the fans and the participants.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. responded on his podcast Dale Jr. Download by saying:

"You can believe that Joey Logano is a legitimate champion and still believe that the playoffs should be different. I think that Joey is a legitimate champion. I think that Joey's trophies that he has in his possession are as cool and real and as historic as any other champion in our series ever, right? All through the history of NASCAR, every championship has been won under a different set of circumstances, whether it be how the playoff points are tallied, whether it be the competition level."

He further added:

“My point being not just the playoffs and how you score points has changed. The sport has evolved. Every championship is unique. So is Joey’s. But I don’t think the single-race format is the best way to decide the champion."

Dale Earnhardt Jr. thinks NASCAR is all set to adjust the playoff format to use a three or four-race final round, which would enable a larger sample size to decide on the final champion, but the adjustments are probably not coming in 2026.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. backing Hendrick Motorsports to bounce back after Darlington

Hendrick Motorsports experienced a disappointing start to its 2025 playoff campaign at Darlington Raceway, with all four drivers finishing outside the top 15 - Chase Elliott 17th, Kyle Larson 19th, William Byron 21st, and Alex Bowman 31st.

Despite this, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has expressed confidence that the team will bounce back in the next playoff races at Gateway and Bristol. He emphasized Rick Hendrick’s unique leadership ability to rally the team, push everyone to dig deeper, and focus on improvement after tough outings.

"I don't expect to see that to happen next week. You know why? Rick Hendrick has an unique ability to call everybody in on the carpet and ask for things to get better and they always get better... He just has a way of making everybody go grab a little bit more gear, go dig a little bit harder. When you think that there's nothing else to find, there's not another 2% or 5% to learn, they go and get it," Dale Earnhart Jr. described. [48:20]

Dale Earnhardt Jr. said Rick Hendrick’s address comes across as impactful, inspiring the team not to be the weak link and ensuring the organization competes at a high level in subsequent races.