"That'd really piss some people off": Joey Logano chases Jeff Gordon company with fourth NASCAR Cup title

Joey Logano enters the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs chasing history once again. The Team Penske driver has already won three championships in the elimination-era format (2018, 2022, and 2024) and now sets his sights on a fourth.

A win this season would move him alongside Jeff Gordon on the all-time list, leaving only Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, and Jimmie Johnson with more. Speaking with ESPN's Kelly Crandell, Logano admitted the idea of joining that level of company is both surreal and motivating:

"That'd really piss some people off, wouldn't it? Four would be incredible. Three was definitely special, and it does put you in a pretty elite group. I guess sometimes in self-reflecting a little bit, when you look at the end of your career and you say you have three championships, are you going to be happy? That's something to be pretty proud of."

Joey Logano is no stranger to the playoff grind. Since the current system was introduced in 2014, he has reached the Round of 8 a record nine times, advanced to the Championship 4 on six occasions, and leads all active drivers with 15 playoff race wins. Three of the last seven Cup Series titles have gone his way.

Even so, he admits the ones that slipped away still bother him:

"I'm still also going to be the 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 would be, but gosh, it (four) would be great. There's always room for more."

For 2025, he begins the postseason as the No. 12 seed with seven playoff points - just one above the elimination line. It's a precarious position, but not for a driver who has built his reputation on turning up when the lights shine brightest.

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Why Joey Logano thrives when the playoffs arrive

Joey Logano with the 2024 Bill France NASCAR Cup Series Championship. Source: Getty

Joey Logano's confidence comes from both experience and the environment at Team Penske. The organization has won the last three Cup Series championships - Logano in 2022 and 2024, Ryan Blaney in 2023 - making them the sport's most consistent closer in the knockout format.

The current system has worked in Logano's favor since his first title run. All three of his championships came under the elimination-era playoff format, and many of his biggest wins have arrived after the regular season. In fact, five of his last eight victories were earned during postseason rounds.

"Team Penske in general does a good job at rising to the occasion, which is so important. But I think if you look at one particular team, the 22 can do that as well as, if not better than, any other team when it comes to people counting you out, saying your stats aren't good enough to win a championship and then you show up. At this point, I think we kind of like it," Logano said (via ESPN).

That very resilience has fueled criticism. Some rivals and fans argued his 2024 title felt undeserved, as he came off with just one win and an inconsistent regular season, but Logano has never wavered in his support of the playoff format.

"You will not have a Super Bowl moment without a one race, all or nothing. That's what we have right now," he added.

This season looks like another test of that belief. Since Charlotte in May, Joey Logano has just three top-10s in the last 14 races and only three top-fives all year. It's hardly a dominant form. But history says that when elimination racing starts, the No. 22 crew finds ways to punch above its weight.

The 2025 Playoffs open Sunday night with the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, one of NASCAR's toughest stages. For Joey Logano, it's the perfect place to remind the field why discounting him in September has so often been a mistake.