Logano won his third title in November, sparking debate about whether NASCAR’s current playoff format is the best way to determine the series’ worthiest champion. Few could make a strong case for that being Logano in 2024. He won four races, had 13 top-10 finishes and rarely had the car to beat over 37 events.

While three-time Cup Series champion Joey Logano became just the 10th driver in NASCAR history to win three or more titles at Phoenix Raceway in November, there are a lot of critics that say he should have never won that third championship.

The green flag drops on another Cup Series season Sunday night with the exhibition Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium.

With no changes in sight for now, Logano can focus on a fourth championship. He's one of six drivers with three Cup Series titles and needs another to join Jeff Gordon (four), Dale Earnhardt (seven), Jimmie Johnson (seven) and Richard Petty (seven) as the only guys with at least four. They're all in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

NASCAR officials said Monday there'd be no changes to the playoff format for 2025 but said they'll be discussing it more over the next year.

Last year was no different. Logano qualified for the playoffs with a win at Nashville Superspeedway in June, outlasting the field on fuel through multiple overtime restarts. But he had only eight top 10s through the 26-race regular season and was 15th in the standings before the playoff reset.

The 34-year-old is coming off his third NASCAR Cup Series title, something just Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart have done since since 2000 and only 10 drivers have accomplished in the