Former NASCAR Driver Drops Damning Verdict on Joey Logano’s Playoff Chances in 7 Words

“The years I felt like we should have won the championship, we didn’t, so I think the key lesson of all that is you’re never out of it.” This was Joey Logano’s honest confession during the NASCAR Playoff media session. The Team Penske star shocked his compatriots and fans last year, executing clutch moves during the playoffs to carve out a way to the championship. Although controversial, his third Cup Series title was jaw-dropping, nonetheless. But at the same time, doubts spring up about his defence this year.

The NASCAR Cup Series postseason will kick off at Darlington Raceway, with the spotlight on a lot of drivers. Among the championship contenders, Joey Logano enters the playoffs as the No. 12 seed with only the seventh-best odds among bookmakers. According to a veteran, there will be no shock this time.

Joey Logano’s chances are watered down in 2025

In 2024, the No. 22 Ford’s predicament also looked bleak. Joey Logano had a disastrous string of finishes at the start of the year and only won in a quintuple overtime finish at Nashville. He almost got ejected from the Round of 8 – hence his title run was more shocking. In 2025, Logano is having a fairly better season – he won in Texas and has an average finish of 17.04, better than his overall 2024 finish of 17.11. What is more, the 2025 playoffs are sprinkled with tracks he is good at. Logano has won in Phoenix multiple times, and the short track’s cousins are lined up – World Wide Technology Raceway near St. Louis and New Hampshire Motor Speedway. But a NASCAR veteran chose to ignore these good signs.

In a recent episode of ‘Money Lap,’ former Xfinity Series driver Landon Cassill focused on the yearly factor. Since Joey Logano started picking up titles in 2018, none of his Bill France Cups have come in an odd year. He won them in 2018, 2022, and 2024. Since 2025 is an odd year, Cassill is of the opinion that Logano’s luck may run out this time. He issued a 7-word verdict: “It’s just a down year for Logano.” Cassill continued, “I have Bowman, Elliott, Logano, and Reddick getting stuck in the Round of 12. Did I really not advance Logano? That’s bold. I didn’t realize that. I was like clicking and thinking bold moves. Logano’s probably not gonna make it past the Round of 12. That’d be the first time in a while, isn’t it? I’m not sure I like that.”

Paul Wolfe, the crew chief of the No. 22, also cautiously approached the topic. “There’s a pretty realistic pathway to make it to Phoenix (for the championship race) if we all just execute and do our part,” Wolfe said. But a chunk of ominous signs came from Joey Logano‘s words. He harped on the uncertainty of it all: “I don’t know how exactly it’s gonna play out. Nobody knows. That’s why the plan is one week at a time because you just don’t know what the next race is gonna bring at you, so you handle what’s ahead of you, and you just take it one week at a time. You handle today. Tomorrow will take care of itself. It’s no different than what our parents taught us. It’s the same stuff.”

While doubts seep into Joey Logano’s defence of the 2024 title, hopes spring up for his rivals. It might just be the prime year for the latter.

Optimism runs high in the garage

Denny Hamlin already has a star-studded career. Across two decades, he has 58 career wins, 245 top fives, and 371 top tens. However, sadly, the Joe Gibbs Racing veteran has no championships to boast about, despite being part of the postseason 18 times. He finished second in the standings in 2010 and was third in three others. But according to Landon Cassill and many others, 2025 might be the year Hamlin finishes first. Cassill boldly declared: “I have Hamlin winning it all in a tiebreaker.” Hamlin enters the playoffs seeded third with a 23-point cushion on the current cutoff. With a season-leading four race trophies under his belt, even his rivals believe he might just make it this time.

Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin‘s close friend but also a heavy rival, feels optimistic about this. He rooted for Hamlin’s success: “Every year could be the year for Denny. He’s such a threat every year and everywhere. He ran good at Phoenix earlier this year — he hasn’t really run that well at Phoenix, I feel like, in quite some time. If I can’t win it or one of my teammates can’t win it, I would love to see him finally get over that hump and get a championship because he deserves it. He’s done a lot for the sport.” Hamlin’s JGR teammate Chase Briscoe also said, “If Denny won it all, I’d be super happy for him. You don’t win as many races as you do without deserving to be a champion. And Denny, arguably, is the best of all time without a championship.”

Clearly, predictions among drivers are tipping their scales towards Denny Hamlin. Meanwhile, let’s see if Joey Logano can put up another shocker – although it is not his year.