Logano’s Crew Chief Questions Traditional Playoff Wisdom as Next Gen Car Closes the Gap

With just one race remaining in the NASCAR regular season before the Chase begins, drivers still battling for playoff positioning will look to secure their spots in the top 16 at Daytona this weekend.

Those who have already clinched their postseason berths will continue to jockey for favorable positions in the standings. This positioning has become increasingly critical with the elimination of the win-and-in advancement system from the previous playoff format, making the points reset at the start of the postseason essential for any driver harboring championship aspirations.

During the previous Chase era, conventional wisdom held that drivers needed to enter the postseason ranked in the top six or seven to have a legitimate chance at capturing the championship. However, that conventional wisdom may no longer hold true.

Joey Logano’s crew chief Paul Wolfe, speaking as a guest on Inside the Race following the No. 22 team’s victory at Richmond, suggested that this year’s Chase appears more open than previous years, citing the unpredictable nature of the current season.

“From that fifth to 15th range, I don’t know how much consistency there is. You see guys—and we’re an example of it—can go weeks without running well, and then suddenly run well for three or four weeks,” Wolfe explained. “The consistency across the field seems just different than it was when we were in this format however many years ago. We all said, ‘Oh, if you’re not in the top three to five, you don’t have a chance.’ But I just think the racing in general is a little bit different, and the competition among the field, and how hard it is to be dominant.”

Wolfe noted that the introduction of the Next Gen car has reduced the separation between the most dominant teams in the Cup Series.

“I feel like back when I got started in this 15 years ago, you had teams that could get an advantage with just their car in general. So you could see guys go on runs. You just don’t see that as much. Maybe that’s a part of the don’t count yourself out just because you’re 10th in points. I think maybe we’re a little bit of an example of that. I think that gives us a little bit of optimism as we get ready for the Chase to start.”

Wolfe pointed to the No. 22 team’s recent surge up the standings as evidence of this shift. Logano spent much of the season outside the top 16 but has made a significant move with two wins and a third-place finish over his last five races.

“It’s definitely eye-opening to how much we’ve actually gained. At one point it was, let’s hope we can get in this thing. Now we’re sitting ninth and a few points out of eighth. It just goes to show if you get on a run and put together a bunch of really good races, that you can maybe score more points than what you think.”

Logano remains in ninth place in the standings following a 14th-place finish at New Hampshire, sitting 26 points behind Chase Elliott in seventh and just six points ahead of Chris Buescher in 10th.

He has plenty to race for on Sunday, but as Wolfe explained, the hot streaks seen throughout the season suggest the Chase is truly anyone’s to claim.

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