“This week right now is the most important race of the season for us”: Joey Logano stresses the importance of Charlotte eliminator

Joey Logano faces another defining moment in his 2025 NASCAR Cup Series playoff run as the series heads to the Charlotte Roval, the cutoff race that will decide which drivers advance to the Round of 8. For the defending champion, the pressure could not be higher.

The topic took over the NASCAR conversation this week after Joey Logano spoke to Ford Racing. He called the upcoming ROVAL race

"This week right now is the most important race of the season for us."

Currently, Joey Logano holds a slim 13-point cushion over Ross Chastain. He’s also close enough to Chase Briscoe above him to potentially move up on points. The smallest shift in finishing order, or a win from anyone below the cutoff, could change the playoff grid entirely.

That’s why Logano is treating the Charlotte Roval like a championship final. Joey Logano’s mindset is simple; his total focus is on survival.

“We’ve got to get through this week first. This week right now is the most important race of the season for us,” he said (Ford Racing). “Hopefully, we can continue to be in the championship race after this and at that point we’ll look at Vegas, but right now 100 percent of our focus is at the Roval.”

Last year, Logano found himself in a similar position, nearly eliminated before a post-race disqualification of Alex Bowman’s team allowed him to advance by four points. One week later, he capitalized by winning at Las Vegas, which ultimately gave him his third Cup Series championship.

This year, the situation feels familiar. Logano is again hovering around the bubble, trying to avoid elimination in the Round of 12, a stage he has never failed to clear in his playoff career. His track record at the ROVAL consists of six top-10 finishes in seven starts.

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Survival over speed: Joey Logano outlines his playoff strategy

Ahead of the Round of 12 race at Kansas Speedway, Logano spoke about the importance of survival during the 10-race postseason stretch. The three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion shared his thoughts on what defines a true playoff run: not just speed, but the ability to stay in contention when every point matters. Speaking to SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Logano said,

“The goal is to obviously win when it matters the most. And right now is when it matters the most. There’s the most on the line. The championship’s always the number one goal. And, um, no matter where you start the playoffs, as long as you’re still in it, you’ve got a chance. And we’ve proven that in the past many times. So we’ve got to stay alive. Just continue to move on” (SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Joey Logano’s approach has shown results so far in the 2025 postseason. In the first four playoff races, he finished 20th at Darlington, fifth at Gateway, fifth again at Bristol, and fourth at New Hampshire, three top-fives in four races.