NASCAR star Joey Logano defended the race series’ playoff format after a dramatic race in Charlotte.
Sunday’s race saw the field of 12 shrink down to eight. All four drivers at the cutoff line were fighting for their playoff lives, creating a significant amount of drama.
Joey Logano was hovering around the cut line and ended up tied at one point with Ross Chastain on points, though he made a dive on Denny Hamlin, resulting in Logano getting through and advancing.
NASCAR is reportedly considering changes to its playoff system in response to recent criticism from within the series. Under the current system, the regular season’s performance does matter.
Still, the Cup Series title ultimately comes down to a handful of races, with drivers being eliminated in different rounds.
People have suggested that it provides too much variance in results, and the best driver over the course of the season may not be the champion at the end; instead, it will be decided by a small sample of races in which all kinds of things beyond a driver’s control can happen.
Logano, though, believes the system adds a good deal of focus and interest at the stretch run of the season.
“The playoffs create drama,” Logano told the media in a press conference. “It creates storylines. It creates awesome moments like that. I don’t understand what people don’t like about it. I really don’t get it.
“And if you’re one of those people who say the regular season doesn’t matter, playoff points don’t matter — one point would have been the difference there. I preach that all the time. I’m not just saying that because it works for us. I’m saying it because it’s true. Everyone likes to look at it in other ways, but like I said, one point was the difference there.
“If you don’t have cutoff races and things like that, what are you even talking about today? How Shane waxed everyone’s butt? That’s what you want? I’m just saying, this playoff format is wicked.”
NASCAR is considering a return to the season-long format that other motorsports, such as Formula 1, typically follow. Sunday’s drama highlights the strengths of the playoffs, serving as a unique characteristic that makes the series stand out.
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