(Video) Joey Logano calls BS on “illegitimate championship” claims after Phoenix triumph
With people lamenting the playoff system resulting Joey Logano winning the Cup Series championship, the Penske driver discarded such claims.
Follow Us
Joey Logano, image via IMAGO and screenshot via x/MattWeaverRA
After taking the chequered flag of the 312-lap-long race, Joey Logano became a three-time Cup Series champion. This lit up the Penske garage as for the first time in its history, the team had secured a 1-2 in the driver’s standings. However, experts questioned about the legitimacy of the championship as the best driver on the field had not won the championship according to statistics. This infuriated the 34-year-old, who made a BS remark over such claims, despite having his own struggles in Phoenix.
Joey Logano started second and was a prime candidate to win the Cup Series championship. On the other hand, mid-way through the race, he was fighting for top 10 positions. However, he got his race sorted and started making moves in the final stage to get into the lead. Furthermore, he fended off his teammate Ryan Blaney, who was catching him at a rate of knot but missed snatching the championship away from him by a mere few tenths of a second.
Though Logano demonstrated a championship-winning drive, some experts and fans deemed his championship victory illegitimate. Their criticism stemmed from the aversion towards the playoff system, that favors the drivers peaking at the right-time and not the best racer of the season. They reckoned rival drivers to have been a better championship winner owing to their ability to perform year-round, instead of resurging in the last few rounds and snubbing away the championship.
You look at the way we came into the playoffs versus the 5, the 45. Those guys that scored 15 playoff points for winning the regular season championship, that’s three wins worth of points in three races. That’s hard to make up that amount of points. And they have the same opportunity to go out there and win and move on to the next round. So for someone to say this isn’t real, it’s a bunch of bu***hit, in my opinion. That’s wrong.
Joey Logano said after the race.
I asked Joey Logano how he felt about those who say his championship isn't legitimate
— Matt Weaver (@MattWeaverRA) November 11, 2024
He had a lot to say. pic.twitter.com/c5OC2QKxcF
Subsequently, the 34-year-old did not hold back and lashed out at such claims. He elaborated how everyone knows about the playoff system before hand. Moreover, he compared how the regular season champion is given advantage in a tight playing field, so he dismissed such speculations while asserting them to be nonsense.
Ryan Blaney displayed sportsmanship despite conceding the championship to Joey Logano
On the other side of the garage, reigning champion Blaney was unable to hold up his title defence. Despite making dents into Logano’s advantage, he finished a mere three tenths behind his teammate. However, the 30-year-old took the championship loss like a professional and congratulated his teammate for the championship victory.
The No.12 driver explained that he was content that the championship headed to a Penske driver’s way. Though he regretted to have not been the winner himself, he understood how finishing 1-2 in championship was a great achievement for the team.
Obviously, I want to win, but if we can’t, we want the 22 to win and Roger and Ford to get another championship. A Penske 1-2 in the championship, a lot to be proud of and it’s really all we talked about was how great it would be for us two to battle it up and that’s what it ended up with, I just didn’t have the track position at the end. I’m really happy for them and for Roger.
Ryan Blaney said (via NASCAR)
Thus, another trophy adds into Logano’s cabinet as he became a three-time Cup Series champion. Also, he would be back with great motivation to take on the fight next year and continue on his reign in NASCAR.
Stay Updated!
Geetansh Pasricha
(772 Articles Published)