If you shut off the noisy criticism for a bit, you will realize what Joey Logano has achieved in his NASCAR career. He clinched his third Cup Series title – also the third in a row for team owner Roger Penske. Nobody has achieved that under the modern-day playoff format since 2014. What is more, Logano now stands way above all of his active competitors – including 2-time champion Kyle Busch whose 231 wins across three NASCAR series are the highest of all time. Wait, there’s more!

What is more striking is Joey Logano’s snuggling with the very best in the sport. He is one of only five drivers to win three championships before the age of 35. That elite group includes Jimmie Johnson, Richard Petty, David Pearson, and Jeff Gordon. Yet he has more than just stats resonating with one of these stars, according to a Hendrick Motorsports veteran.

Joey Logano may have a legendary sheen

“We just have to put our foot on their throats.” Although Joey Logano’s pre-race comment was not so pleasant, it accurately depicts how he has mastered the playoff format. For a decade, Cup Series drivers have competed ferociously in a 10-race elimination format. Here, whatever you have achieved in the regular season does not matter. Logano’s 13 top-ten and 7 top-five finishes may be middling. His P11 finish in total points and average finish of 17.1 is also an all-time low for a Cup Series champion. However, the 22 team worked their hardest when NASCAR takes notice the most – in the postseason. Three of Logano’s four wins came during these hard-fought 10 races.

Steve Letarte, a veteran HMS crew chief from 1995 to 2014, marvels at that achievement. In a recent episode of ‘Actions Detrimental’, Letarte compared Joey Logano’s success to 7-time champion Jimmie Johnson. “Logano and Paul Wolfe’s numbers are like postseason…Logano has 35 wins, I wanna say 15 are in the playoffs. He won 4 races this year, 3 were in the playoffs. I don’t think they sit down and say, okay, we’re gonna be great here…But there’s something about Paul Wolfe and Joey…however they operate, however, they prepare…they are without a doubt Jimmie Johnson-esque when it comes to playoff numbers.” Indeed, 15 of Logano’s 36 career Cup wins — 41.7% — have come in the playoffs.

And Jimmie Johnson himself has acknowledged Logano’s achievement. During the Phoenix finale, expectations ran low about his victory, especially after a pre-race penalty. But after starting 5th with 54 laps to go, Joey Logano seized the story. He toppled all his rivals – teammates Ryan Blaney, Christopher Bell, and William Byron. And as Logano celebrated on Victory Lane, Johnson watched about half a mile away.

The legend tipped his hat to the consistency showcased by Logano and Team Penske, saying, “We see it year in and year out. His abilities, his drive, his focus. And a lot of it has to do with timing, timing of your manufacturer, timing of your team, a track that is strong for you.”

Denny Hamlin also took note of this Penske consistency – but he would like no part of it.

The path does not align for Hamlin

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We all know that Joey Logano was a hazy metaphor during the early phase of this season. While the No. 22 driver grappled with finishes – he ended four out of five races outside the top 20 – Denny Hamlin was a shooting star. Besides clinching three victories, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver cashed in on consistent finishes. For example, he posted a 6-week streak of top-five finishes between Dover and Gateway.

Yet Roger Penske boasts consistency in another regard – three years of mastering the playoffs. Hamlin reflected on Joey Logano’s 2018 championship, “They said at Homestead…we’re gonna build the fastest car for 10 laps and then let’s just see how it all works out. They had a short run at the end, they won the race.”

Then his 2022 championship also showed a late emergence. “2-3 years ago…the regular season was not good – there were races you didn’t even know he was in…But then they find the path to Phoenix – they get there, show up, and they’re great.” Hamlin even harped on Ryan Blaney following the same approach last year. “We ran off all his finishes that were 12 in a row of 11th or worse. It was a lot of really poor finishes…They were just not good, not fast. And then won the championship.”

Despite Penske’s proven method of winning Cup championships, Hamlin wants none of it. He boldly declared his verdict in spite of his own lack of a championship. “Okay, I understand the formula – but I don’t know how to do that and nor would I want to. I want to get as many bonus points as I can through the regular season.”

Evidently, Joey Logano’s 2024 title has drawn a mixed bag of responses. It is going to remain the talk of the town for a long time – at least until the 2025 season commences.