"I want to see drivers scared": Joey Logano sends clear message to NASCAR fans angry over playoff system

Joey Logano, who won the NASCAR Cup Series title last season, has once again defended the current playoff system. This season's playoffs are set to begin at Darlington Raceway this weekend.

Logano's postseason surge last year was why some fans criticized the playoff format and argued that it rewarded late momentum over consistency during the regular season.

However, Logano remains in full favor of the current system. During an interview with The Athletic, the 35-year-old again shared confidence in the system.

"As a fan, I want to see [drivers] scared, and our playoff system now does that. I've always been the person to say, 'If you're complaining about it, then just do better.' If you scored a bunch of points during a regular season and you didn't make it to the Championship 4, then shame on you. You had a head start, and you still couldn't do it," Joey Logano said.

"But don't say it's not legit. You could have gone out there and won to get in. You didn't. Just because it didn't work for you, it doesn't mean change the rules," he added.

Logano, who earned his only win of the 2025 regular season at the Würth 400 in Texas in early May, enters the playoffs as the 12th seed. Last year, he staged a dramatic playoff turnaround to claim his third Cup Series championship from 15th in the regular season.

Logano also entered the 2024 NASCAR Cup season playoffs with one win at Nashville in June. Once in the postseason, he delivered when it mattered most and won the Round-of-16 opener at Atlanta.

The No. 22 Ford driver also benefited from Alex Bowman's disqualification to advance through the Round of 12. Another win in Las Vegas in the Round of 8 with strategic fuel saving locked his spot in the Championship 4. Then he led 107 laps and held off teammate Ryan Blaney to seal the title at Phoenix.

"Very close to where we need to be" - Joey Logano on team performance

Joey Logano has three top fives, seven top tens and three DNFs heading into the playoffs. He has averaged a finish of 17th and led 385 laps in the first 26 races of the season but the Team Penske star is confident in the No. 22 team's performance.

"I think we're very close to where we need to be. I think our speed has gotten better. I think we're in a comparable place to where we were last year," Joey Logano said (via ESPN).

Logano will return to Darlington after a 13th-place finish during the spring race at the 1.366-mile track. Logano's one and only win at Darlington came at the 2022 Goodyear 400, which he won from the pole.