Call it coincidence, but Team Penske driver Joey Logano has advanced to the Championship 4 race five times—all in even-number years, starting with the introduction of the elimination format into the NASCAR Cup Series in 2014.
Kyle Busch and Logano are the only full-time active drivers with more than one Cup title (two each). Logano triumphed in 2018 and 2022.
“It’s ironic that’s how it worked out,” Logano said during Wednesday’s NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Media Day at the Charlotte Convention Center. “But this year I’ll say I’m superstitious. Does that sound good? Next year I won’t.
“I’m pretty basic and maybe more factual about things than that stuff. That stuff can get in your head more than anything. So, I’ll go do my thing, and if it works out like that, we’ll have a cool story to talk about again.”
In 2022, Logano entered the postseason as the second seed, with 25 Playoff points. This year he’s seeded ninth with just seven Playoff points and a much smaller margin for error. Nevertheless, Logano’s says his approach to the Playoffs won’t change, at least initially.
“It doesn’t right now,” Logano said. “It can change (later), because you’re just in a different spot, but the first race of each round I always look at as maybe the most important race of each round, because it sets you up.
“How we get out of Atlanta (the first Playoff race) will adjust how we go to Watkins Glen and the approach of how we get through the race. It’s one race at a time. Is it nice to have more Playoff points? Absolutely. Can we win from where we’re at? Absolutely, we can win from where we’re at.
“We can do that for sure, but it’s just a more challenging position.”
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