Call it luck or fate, but Joey Logano was always meant to be in the Round of 8. We saw it last year, where Alex Bowman’s disqualification post-race led to his advancement, and this year, thanks to Ross Chastain and Denny Hamlin at the Charlotte Roval race, the three-time Cup Series champion gets a free ride again. However, this time, the magic of a strategy was in play as well. But the NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. isn’t here for it…

Joey Logano, with his big classic smile, didn’t hold back on commenting on the playoff system that has helped him get 3 Cup titles (2018, 2022, and 2024). Post-race, the defending champion said, “The playoffs create drama; they create storylines. They create awesome moments like that. I don’t understand what people don’t like about it. I really don’t get it.” But Dale Jr., the longtime supporter of the Chase format, has let his frustration be known.

Speaking on the latest Dale Jr. Download, the veteran didn’t hold back on Joey Logano’s long-standing support for the current playoff format: “You know, yeah. I mean, and I’ll tell you this, too. The more Joey Logano gets out of his car and talks about the playoffs, the more I don’t like the playoffs. Oh, my gosh. The more he talks about it, and I know he’s defending it, and I know he believes what he believes, and I’m good with that for him, but the more he tells me why I should like the playoffs, the less I like him.”

Dale Jr. has always been on team “full-season points,” always urging NASCAR to return to it. The full-season points format rewards consistency over one-time wonders. The “win-and-you’re-in” doesn’t really apply to the type of full-on dominance Dale Earnhardt Sr. showed while clinching the 1987 Winston Cup championship with a 515-point lead, becoming the third-ever driver in NASCAR history to clinch the championship with two races to go. But with massive changes over the decades to the playoff systems, it has been deeply scrutinized. And the Charlotte race was no different.

Joey Logano’s crew chief, Paul Wolfe, made a bold call to pit from 13th with just 11 laps to go, sacrificing a slim points lead over Ross Chastain, which paid off big. On fresh tires, Logano charged forward as Chastain lost ground. Tied at the cut line entering the final chicane, Chastain’s desperate move to spin Denny Hamlin for the last playoff spot sealed Logano’s advancement instead.

Adding to Dale Jr.’s frustration, he admitted, “I’m not going to be, oh, darn it, pounding the table if the full season thing comes don’t come back, ’cause I really don’t think that they’re that that’s where NASCAR is going to go. But, so I’m ready for that mentally, but man, I am exhausted. Uh, something about something about this particular year’s playoff is just not—it’s just not doing it for me.”

But Jr. isn’t alone on this. Having led through the shift from the old 36-race-point championship to today’s race format, Brad Keselowski knows the system inside out. Earlier this week, he didn’t mince words, saying, “The whole playoff thing has to go away. The nuance of having 10 races that are more important than 20-some others is very unhealthy for the sport. It’s demeaning to the other tracks and races.” And after that Charlotte race, frustration boiled over even more.

However, Junior will have to hang tight until the season finale next month at Phoenix, as Mike Forde, NASCAR’s director of communications, has made it clear that NASCAR will announce its plan for the playoff system next year. The discussions continue over the 2026 championship performance, with ideas ranging from a four-race finale featuring up to 6 contenders to a call for a return to the traditional season-long points system. NASCAR hasn’t used a full-season format since 2003, and its playoff structure has seen multiple revisions, the latest coming in 2017.

But with changes being made and Joey Logano’s playoff comment generating backlash, the defending Cup Series champion is definitely a threat heading into the Round of 8.

Why Joey Logano’s return to the Round of 8 spells trouble for the rest of the Playoff field

In 2018, 2020, 2022, and 2024, Joey Logano opened the Round of 8 with a win, and each time it carried him straight into the Championship 4. Three of those runs ended with him bagging the title. Historically, the No. 22 driver’s path to the finale has always hinged on victory, making Las Vegas a pivotal test.

Then comes Talladega, a wildcard race that might seem like a blessing for the rest of the playoff field. The unpredictable nature of the track could derail Logano’s momentum, unlike Homestead, which used to occupy that calendar spot and suited him better.

Still, The Athletic’s Jordan Bianchi warns that overlooking Logano is a mistake. In the Teardown podcast, he said, “I just want to say this, too. You let Joey Logano onto the next round. They are going to regret this. You picked them to be in the Championship 4, Jeff, you called it. This guy’s one of those horror movie monsters that you can’t put down, and he just finds a way to get in, and they did it again.”

And he’s not wrong; Logano came within inches of a win earlier this year at Dega, with teammate Austin Cindric snatching victory. Team Penske’s drafting strategy has long made them a powerhouse at superspeedways.

Whether the 35-year-old’s will win a fourth championship remains uncertain; others have shown stronger form this season, but if history is any indication, counting him out is risky. As the Round of 8 begins, all eyes will be on the No. 22 in Las Vegas.