For someone looking to defend their title in the 2025 season, this missed opportunity definitely stings for Joey Logano. As the playoff season rolled off, the three-time Cup champion said, “Honestly, 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. Until you are out, you are not out. Even last year when I thought I was out, I was not out.” Unfortunately, that didn’t age well this time around.

The Round of 8 segment really derailed his chances of chasing his fourth title. The Penske driver entered Martinsville needing a big result to advance, and ultimately finished 49 points behind despite ending up eighth. Handling issues and several strategy calls weren’t enough for the No. 22 car to punch its ticket into the Championship 4. And now, as the penultimate race of the 2025 season approaches, Logano is left with a lot of thinking to do.

Joey Logano looks for a turnaround season in 2026

Speaking in a media availability ahead of the championship finale, Logano gave a very honest response. He said, “I mean, our goal is to win the championship every year. You know, obviously, we fell short of that. So, uh, that part’s, you know, our goals are really high, right? So, uh, on the same token, you know, I feel like there’s moments of the year where we looked really strong. There’s moments of the year where we didn’t capitalize on opportunities to win that we could have.

So far, Logano has only racked up one win in the 2025 season. The 35-year-old driver stormed to victory at Texas Motor Speedway in May after overcoming a gritty start from the 27th position. He made the decisive move with less than four laps remaining, slipping past Michael McDowell, and capitalizing on the late crash by McDowell. The connecticut-native held off Ross Chastain and Ryan Blaney to claim his spot in the top 16 for the playoffs.

But since then, the No. 22 team has been in a bit of a slump. So far, Logano has only managed 6 top fives and has endured 3 DNFs in 35 starts. Moreover, his playoff run was marred by disappointing finishes. Across the 10 playoff races, Joey Logano secured five top-five finishes, with his best result being a fourth place at New Hampshire. Had he won in one of the rounds, the next one would have gone smoother for the No. 22 team.

Despite moments of promise, his playoff run was riddled with inconsistency as he scored a 20th-place finish at Darlington, followed by 21st at Kansas and 20th at Charlotte. But the Martinville mishap is what blew it for the defending champion. And these performances only added to his inability to convert his strong runs into podiums, ultimately costing him the Championship 4 berth.

But this is definitely a bittersweet moment for Logano, who failed to defend his title. The Penske driver added, “So you know this weekend stings a little bit; if I’m being honest, it hurts to be here not racing for a championship. But at the same time, it’s probably good it hurts. Shows you still care, right? So it shows you that it makes you a little angry. It’s probably a good thing, and you can use that.”

Maybe this isn’t Logano’s year because of the even-year rule. Every odd-numbered year seems to spell disappointment, keeping him out of the Championship 4, while the even years have brought triumph, including three cup series titles between 2018 and 2024. Statistically, the divide is striking, with just 13 victories in odd-numbered seasons compared to 21 in the evens. From 2015 through 2023, the pattern stayed eerily consistent. And in 2025, history repeats itself.

But with newfound motivation to fuel the No. 22 driver and amid making claims about the Next-Gen cars, Logano laid down his words on the ongoing playoff format debate.

Logano defends his championship legacy amid playoff format shift

As NASCAR is considering overhauling its playoff structure, potentially turning the Championship 4 into a multi-race finale and rotating the title venue each year, Joey Logano finds himself on the brink of a new chapter and his championship legacy. Team Penske’s success under the current winner-take-all system may be nearing its end, yet Logano remains composed amid the uncertainty surrounding the sport’s biggest stage.

In the lead after the Phoenix finale, Logano sought insight from racing royalty, Richard Petty, “The King” himself, to gain perspective on the ever-changing championship landscape.

Logano said, “I was talking to Richard Petty yesterday, and he said he won five championships in five different formats. He’s won seven championships, but five of them were in different formats… so there’s a certain point where no one is even gonna know. It’s gonna go to whatever the next one is, and if you’re a new fan, you’re not even gonna know what this format was. It’s just gonna be a stat… We might know, and everyone is gonna have their opinion on it, and that’s fine. I will always remember it personally because it’s affected my life in so many ways, good and bad, being on the good side and the bad side.” 

This uncertainty about the new playoff format hasn’t wavered Logano’s resolve, despite winning three titles under the current playoff format. Though the specifics of any upcoming changes haven’t been revealed yet, his focus is to adapt and excel no matter the rules. And now in 2026, with new rules in place and Logano’s even-year pattern, anything can happen.