Joey Logano wants 'big rules change' but doesn't want NASCAR to 'look like F1'

You can put Joey Logano in the group of drivers and fans who want to see NASCAR make big changes. He thinks it will improve racing. The Next Gen car has produced some impressive finishes, most notably on intermediate tracks. However, there is no doubt an issue with this car on short tracks and road courses.

So, what does NASCAR do? This car is made to be mostly identical across teams and manufacturers. But do similar cars make for better racing? Some would argue, yes. It lends itself to driver skill versus just having a rocket ship of a car.

Then again, dirty air and aero issues make it so that drivers can’t showcase their skills because the car gets bogged down. It slows too much in traffic, preventing passing at times and hindering results. Logano has some thoughts that he shared on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Wednesday.

“So, alright it’s a spec car, so everyone’s got the same stuff, so they’re going to be close,” Logano said. “What do you do to change it up some? Change the rules. Change the rules, change the downforce levels. Take a bunch of downforce off of it.

“You get rid of the diffuser, oh boy, we’re starting all over. Everybody’s starting all over. That would be huge, that would be a massive change as far as car setups, and the field would be more spread out as far as speed. That creates better racing.”

Joey Logano would like to see changes made almost on a yearly basis. Just to keep everyone guessing, and add to the competitiveness.

Joey Logano wants to find the ‘happy medium’

On the SiriusXM show, Logano continued his point about creating better racing. Similar cars don’t equal great races, all of the time.

“Everyone thinks the closer the cars are the better racing there is, I don’t know,” Joey Logano continued. “There’s a happy medium in there somewhere. You don’t want the fastest – you don’t want it to look like F1, where there’s one car that’s significantly faster than the rest of them, right? And then you have the same winner every week. But if they all run the same speed, we’re kinda the opposite end of that [F1].

“We all run the same speed so it’s really hard to see a lot of racing that way. So, I think, you know, if you can change the rules up every couple years, something big, big rules change. I think that creates some separation in the field which ultimately creates better passes and racing, I think.”

😳 “Change the rules.” #NASCAR@joeylogano would be in favor of switching things up, potentially annually, to improve racing in the Cup Series.

What do you think of his take? ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/G1Q3RbZZNc

— SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90) (@SiriusXMNASCAR) September 27, 2023

While I get what Joey Logano is saying, I’m not sure NASCAR is going to go for it. There are rule changes made, sometimes during the season. Perhaps those aren’t big enough to make all that big of a difference.

So far this season, new tires and aero packages have been tested. We haven’t seen much of an improvement, if any, on short tracks and road courses.

So, why not just listen to Joey Logano, take the diffusers off and let teams tinker a little bit more?