Dale Earnhardt Jr. on NASCAR playoffs has made it clear he believes the playoff system does not give an edge to Team Penske, despite the organization’s dominant run with three consecutive championships in the Next Gen era. Earnhardt discussed the format and addressed speculation after Joey Logano’s latest title, pointing out that success in the current NASCAR playoffs comes down to performance on a single day rather than any special advantage for Penske or other teams.
Earnhardt Rejects Talk of a Penske Advantage in Playoffs
A sense that the NASCAR playoff structure might favor Team Penske has emerged, given their championship streak. But Dale Earnhardt Jr. disputed this idea, noting how Logano clinched his 2024 title by simply having the strongest car in the final race at Phoenix. Penske’s recent wins, according to Earnhardt, are more about timing and race-day excellence than a format bias.
“This format doesn’t favor or lend itself to anybody,”
—Dale Earnhardt Jr., NASCAR Driver and Analyst
Earnhardt emphasized that the system is less about season-long consistency and more about excelling when it matters. He credited Joey Logano’s crew chief for making critical decisions on fuel strategy and other race factors, but stressed that the outcome at Phoenix was due to Logano’s car being best suited for that particular race. Earnhardt even questioned if Logano was a standout performer during the key playoff race at Vegas, highlighting how strategic calls sometimes outweigh outright race pace.
“He [Logano] happened to have the good car that day at Phoenix. … You gotta credit Joey’s crew chief… they do the fuel mileage and different things. I don’t want to be wrong here, but remember at Vegas [in last year’s playoffs], was he even good that day? He was running just so average that he could do the fuel mileage.”
—Dale Earnhardt Jr., NASCAR Driver and Analyst
Unexpected Turns Shape Playoff Fortunes
Logano’s path through the 2024 playoffs was hardly straightforward. After the Round of 12 at the Charlotte ROVAL, Logano was initially out of the postseason, only to be reinstated after Alex Bowman’s car failed inspection. That disqualification reshuffled the field and put Logano back in contention, which Earnhardt used as a prime example of the unpredictable nature of the playoffs.
“Logano was out at the ROVAL. Was that his plan to f*cking get back into the playoffs through a DQ? Ah, well, man, he’s so good at this. The f*ck are we talking about? He was out before the 48 got disqualified,”
—Dale Earnhardt Jr., NASCAR Driver and Analyst
Earnhardt was blunt in dismissing any claim that Logano or Team Penske possessed a master strategy for manipulating the playoff format, highlighting the role of circumstance in championship outcomes. He pointed to the post-race technical infraction by Bowman’s team—which was not due to some planned move on Penske’s part—as a reminder of how fragile and unpredictable playoff advancement can be.
Playoff Strategy and Performance Under Scrutiny
The discussion about fuel strategy was a focal point, as Earnhardt took aim at the idea that drivers and teams could consistently game the system to win titles. His remarks about Las Vegas underscored that running in a mediocre position and hoping for a break on fuel is not a surefire route to victory or playoff success.
“… Dude, Joey Logano is a f*cking champion, he is a badass race car driver. You can’t tell me there’s a strategy [to this]. Nobody is going to Vegas thinking, ‘We’re going to run 14th all day and then f*ck ’em on fuel mileage.’”
—Dale Earnhardt Jr., NASCAR Driver and Analyst
The intensity of Earnhardt’s comments reflected the emotional and high-pressure environment of NASCAR’s postseason, where one misstep or stroke of luck can determine championship fate. Logano’s status as a three-time Cup Series champion is attributed to both his driving talent and his team’s ability to seize opportunity in unpredictable situations, rather than any systematic advantage.
Competitive Landscape Shifts in 2025
Looking at the current season, two rounds into the 2025 playoffs, Team Penske does not currently sit at the top. Joe Gibbs Racing—featuring Chase Briscoe’s victory at Darlington and Denny Hamlin’s win at Gateway—has emerged as the team to beat. However, as recent seasons have shown, both Logano and Ryan Blaney are likely to remain factors as the championship battle unfolds.
NASCAR’s playoff format continues to spark debate and controversy, with voices like Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s challenging the notion of any team holding a structural advantage. Critical moments such as post-race inspections, critical strategy calls by crew chiefs, and the unpredictable twists of a long season have greater influence over title outcomes than any playoff design.
As the competition carries on, all eyes are on whether powerhouses like Joe Gibbs Racing will maintain their momentum, or if established champions like Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney from Team Penske will once again find success through skill, resilience, and race-day excellence in the unpredictable world of NASCAR playoffs.
