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Dale Earnhardt Jr. Backs Joey Logano as ‘Legit Champion’ While Calling for NASCAR Playoff Change

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Samriddhi Jaiswal | Last updated Sep 6, 2025 5:12 AM ET

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has weighed in on one of the most divisive debates in NASCAR: the current Cup Series playoff format.

Speaking to Dale Jr. Download, the two-time Daytona 500 winner balanced tradition with respect for three-time champion Joey Logano — and hinted at what changes could be coming.

Earnhardt Jr. made it clear that Logano’s titles are every bit as valid as those won under past systems. “You can believe that Joey Logano is a legitimate champion and still believe that the playoffs should be different,” he said. “Joey’s trophies are as cool and real and historic as any other champion in our series ever.”

Logano himself has embraced the playoff pressure. At Media Day, he argued: “As a fan, I want to see drivers scared, and our playoff system now does that. If you scored a bunch of points in the regular season and didn’t make the Championship 4, shame on you. You had a head start, and you still couldn’t do it.”

But Earnhardt Jr. sees room for improvement. He suggested NASCAR could eventually adopt a three- or four-race championship round, rather than letting one winner-take-all race decide it.

“There never will be a perfect playoff format, never,” Earnhardt admitted. “But we all do seem to think that there needs to be a little bit bigger of a sample size for that final round.”

A huge welcome to 3️⃣ time @NASCAR Cup Series Champion, @JoeyLogano pic.twitter.com/F61JDpjZN2
— SuperMotocross (@supermotocross) September 5, 2025

For now, Earnhardt says, Logano deserves credit as one of the best at mastering the current system. “Joey can go to bed comfortable and confident,” he said. “He did win it. He does have the trophy.”

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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