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.

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.

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.

Joey Logano celebrates after winning a NASCAR Cup Series Championship auto race for the championship at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 10, 2024, in Avondale, Ariz. Associated Press logo

While competitors have since called for NASCAR to tweak its playoff format, with some wanting to move the finale to a different track every year instead of keeping it at Phoenix Raceway, Logano — not surprisingly — believes the setup is just fine.