The championship race is all about the mental game, and intimidation is a tactic that a few drivers like to use ahead of such big events. Joey Logano from Team Penske rolled with a similar approach after the qualifying rounds ahead of the race in Phoenix. Starting on the front row, he felt good about his chances, and seeing his three rivals placed further back in the field, he found the perfect chance to target them publicly.

Fortunately, he backed these words with his actions on the racetrack on Sunday, winning the race and his 3rd NASCAR championship title. His team owner, Roger Penske, was worried about his war cry but was relieved to see him cross the finish line.

Joey Logano is a man of his words

Making his stance clear of wanting the Bill France trophy at all costs, Logano in the press conference stated, “We got them down now. We just have to put our foot on their throats.” Now, confidence certainly helps in events like a championship race, but these comments by Logano were perhaps arrogant. Without knowing the true strengths of his rivals ahead of the game, these comments could’ve come back to haunt him.

The reporters who were at the press meet were indeed surprised to see Logano make these remarks. It was as if the driver was directly taunting his rivals and asserting his position as the clear favorite to win the race. When asked about his comments, he further clarified, “Yeah, that’s what we have to do, right? We have them where we want them right now. We just have to keep them there.”

Good for him that he pulled off a massive win not only for him but for Team Penske. In doing so, he continued the team’s dominance in the Next Gen era, winning three titles in a row. Team owner Roger Penske was aware of the comments made by Joey Logano, but he was glad he was able to back it up. He also pointed out that he would’ve made a different choice of words, but it was all justified by his championship victory.

“That’s the second time I’ve heard it; I’m glad I did. I think I might use different words, but that’s okay when you win you can say whatever you want, I guess.” The veteran team owner said this after celebrating his team’s championship in Phoenix. When you can make a race-winning move in a chaotic restart late in the race and fend off a driver like Ryan Blaney, you certainly can get away with such threats. If anything, the other three drivers should’ve been fueled by the desire to get back to him and make Logano bite his own words. However, nothing of the sort happened as he went on to etch his name in the history book of NASCAR once again.

He even added more salt to the wounds of the fan bases and drivers from rival camps who questioned Logano’s championship title.

Logano is only playing by the book

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NASCAR has been under heavy fire for how the playoffs have foiled their favorite drivers’ hopes for the championship this year. Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, and Christopher Bell—all of them couldn’t make it past the Round of 8. The controversial win and you’re in format saw Tyler Reddick, Joey Logano, and Ryan Blaney punch their ticket through the big race.

For context, Logano had only one win in the regular season, while Kyle Larson had four wins to his name. And the HMS driver would beat him across all statistic battles from laps led to stage wins. But, again, the playoffs are what the teams and drivers have all signed up for, and they understand how the game is played. And, Logano reiterated this sentiment in the post-race press meeting.

“For someone to say this isn’t real, it’s a bunch of bulls–t in my opinion. This is something that everyone knows the rules for when the season starts. We figured out how to do it the best. So I don’t like people talking that way if the rules were the old way, we would play it out differently, wouldn’t we? Times change, and I don’t know if you have a lot of the moments that we have today without the playoff system.” The Penske star argued.

While the playoff format is one topic that is up for debate, it doesn’t change the fact that Joey Logano has become a 3-time NASCAR Cup Series champion. Perhaps the other teams need to do a better job of leveraging the playoff system to their advantage as the Penske’s have done.