An average finish of 17.1 and a fifteenth-place standing in regular-season points are hardly numbers that shout “champion.” Yet Joey Logano defied the odds, winning the final race in Phoenix to secure his third NASCAR title in his 16-year career.
Some might chalk up the #22 driver’s success to a lucky postseason break, as that’s when his momentum surged. But succeeding in the Playoff format is no small feat, and Logano has mastered it three times now. He’s clearly cracked the code. When he discussed his improbable run on the “Rubbin is Racing” podcast, it became evident that the turning point for the #22 team was the Round of 8 opener in Las Vegas.
For nearly half of the 2024 season, Logano didn’t appear to be a title contender. Before Nashville, he only had two top-five finishes. But when the 2024 Ally 400 took place in Music City in late June, the 34-year-old started to show potential as a Playoff threat. By the time the postseason began with the Round of 16 opener in Atlanta, he was the ninth seed in the championship fight. He won that race, clinching an automatic berth in the next elimination round.
Logano nearly missed advancing past the Round of 12, initially sitting below the cutline after the Charlotte ROVAL. But Alex Bowman’s post-race disqualification for failing the weight check gave Logano the transfer spot, though he entered the next round at the bottom of the standings. With odds against him, he needed something remarkable to reach the Championship 4 in Phoenix. That miracle came in Las Vegas.
Logano’s victory in the Round of 8 opener granted him another automatic spot in the Phoenix finale. This win allowed him two extra weeks to prepare for the championship race—an edge none of his competitors shared. The Las Vegas win might have been a crucial turning point in his Playoff run after Bowman’s disqualification, reducing the pressure. As Barstool Sports’ ‘Large’ put it on the November 18 episode of Rubbin is Racing, it “got the monkey off his back in the Round of 8.” Logano reflected on the impact of that win, telling the hosts, “Would we have made the Championship Four if we didn’t win Vegas? It’s hard to say, because the effort that went into Miami and Martinsville was zero. Our focus was on Phoenix, because that was the advantage we earned.”
Logano explained that locking in early meant the #22 team could “take that advantage from Vegas of locking in and focus two weeks sooner, and also have our batteries recharged.” He pointed out that while the other seven drivers fought to secure their spots, his team was solely focused on Phoenix. “We’re just working on one car… going through one setup,” he said, adding that his team spent hours in the simulator perfecting pit road runs to maximize their performance.
Joey Logano has earned his credit. He seized every opportunity and delivered when it mattered most. In NASCAR’s “win-and-you’re-in” Playoff system, that’s become essential—an approach that suited Logano perfectly. But beyond just leveraging the Playoff format, the 2024 champion may have also benefited from the best crew
