Kevin Harvick defends Joey Logano after winning NASCAR Cup Series championship

Following immediate backlash against the NASCAR Playoffs after Joey Logano’s third championship, Kevin Harvick is defending the champ. Logano might be the most controversial champion in recent memory.

Joey Logano raced to his second championship in three years, third in his career at Phoenix. Fans and media immediately came out with takes on the playoffs, Penske, Logano, and the “legitimacy” of the sport itself.

On his Happy Hour podcast, Kevin Harvick defended Logano and his championship.

“Yeah, it was very interesting to hear him talk about putting more pressure on himself. And we always talk from the management side of things, how do we make our drivers’ comfortable being uncomfortable,” Harvick explained. “And that was never more true than what Joey Logano said. He like, ‘I said some things in the media center.’ He’s like, ‘I just love it, I love the pressure. And as a competitor, there is nothing better than having your back against the wall and having all that pressure and all the eyes on you and succeeding in those moments.

“There is nothing more rewarding than being able to succeed in those moments, and Joey Just thrives on it. And he figures out a way to take it to a different level even to his own admission than he does in the regular season in the last ten weeks when the playoffs start.”

Logano himself made a strong point in his post-race press conference as well. The Penske driver explained that this is the system, and they are the best at it right now. If it was a different points system, they would race differently, prepare differently.

Kevin Harvick: Logano has ‘special talent’ for playoffs

Kevin Harvick won the first Championship 4 finale in 2014. He had success in this system and was also robbed by it. His 9-win season in 2020 ended without a Championship 4 appearance.

“So, he’s got a special talent, special gift to be able to balance all that,” Harvick continued. “I think when you look at the balance that he has on his life with his family, he’s very grounded with his team and who he is as a person, very confident. He’s dangerous and they let this guy back in the championship chase and they capitalized on every single moment that they kept handing him.”

Team Penske has three straight championships. It is clear that Ford is strong on these one-mile flat ovals. It is no mistake that Penske had Ryan Blaney and Austin Cindric running 1-2 at Gateway before Blaney ran out of fuel.

Kevin Harvick is right. Joey Logano knows the system. He understands that those last 10 races are what matters. What happens in those first 26 weeks is the icing on top. If he gets passed the Round of 12, he’s a dangerous driver.