Ryan Blaney is completely stunned that critics doubt NASCAR champion Joey Logano despite his impressive run in the playoffs

LOUDON, N.H. — As the roar of engines faded into the crisp New England air at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Ryan Blaney stood in Victory Lane, a lobster trophy clutched in one hand and a wide grin splitting his face. It was his third win of the 2025 season, a hard-fought triumph in the opening race of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs’ Round of 12 that punched his ticket straight to the Round of 8. But amid the celebrations, Blaney’s thoughts weren’t solely on his own success. They drifted to his Team Penske teammate, Joey Logano, the three-time reigning champion whose No. 22 Ford had led a race-high 147 laps before settling for fourth place. More than that, Blaney was baffled—downright stunned—by the chorus of doubters questioning Logano’s championship pedigree just as the pressure cooker of the postseason truly ignited.

“It’s crazy to me,” Blaney said post-race, wiping sweat from his brow as crew members doused him with water. “Joey’s been lights-out in these playoffs before. People forget how he thrives when it counts. We’ve seen it three years running. And now, after what he did here—pole position, leading laps like it was nothing—folks are still sleeping on him? Nah, that’s wild.” Blaney’s words carried the weight of a driver who knows the grind all too well. As the 2023 champion himself, he’s watched Logano orchestrate playoff masterclasses, turning inconsistent regular seasons into title-clinching runs. Yet, entering this year’s postseason, Logano faced a familiar narrative: the “playoff luck” label, whispers that his victories come from chaos rather than dominance, and skepticism about whether the 35-year-old from Middletown, Connecticut, can summon that magic for a fourth crown.

The skepticism isn’t baseless, at least on paper. Logano’s 2025 regular season was a mixed bag—flashes of brilliance, like his Texas win in the spring, punctuated by frustrating finishes that left Team Penske scrambling for consistency. He entered the playoffs as the defending champ but without the same aura of invincibility that propelled him through Phoenix Raceway’s championship finales in 2022 and 2024. Critics, including some in the NASCAR media, pointed to his middling qualifying speeds and occasional pit road miscues as signs of decline. “Logano’s not the same driver he was,” one prominent analyst remarked ahead of the playoffs. “Blaney’s the one with the speed; Joey’s just hanging on.” Social media amplified the noise, with fans debating whether Logano’s success is more “survival instinct” than raw talent, especially as younger stars like William Byron and Kyle Larson rack up regular-season dominance.

Blaney, ever the straight shooter, isn’t buying it. His own path mirrors Logano’s in uncanny ways—both Penske products who’ve turned the playoff format into a personal playground. Blaney’s 2023 title came after a winless regular season, a testament to the very resilience critics now question in Logano. “Look at what Joey did at Atlanta to kick this off,” Blaney continued, referencing the Round of 16 opener where Logano not only survived a multi-car wreck but pushed through to a stage win and a top-10 finish, all while Blaney battled back from damage to snag third. “He was in the mix from the drop, blocking, strategizing, doing the dirty work that wins these things. And here? He sets the pole, leads half the race, and still battles Byron and Berry for position. That’s not luck; that’s Joey being Joey.”

Team Penske’s stranglehold on Sunday’s Mobil 1 301 underscored Blaney’s point. The Fords swept the front row in qualifying—Logano on pole, Blaney alongside—and traded the lead like siblings squabbling over the last slice of pizza. Blaney ultimately edged out Josh Berry by 0.937 seconds in a green-flag dash to the checkers, but Logano’s pace was a harbinger. “The 22 was wicked fast,” Blaney admitted, crediting crew chief Paul Wolfe’s setup tweaks from an offseason test session. “We all benefited, but Joey’s the one who laid the groundwork. Critics act like he’s coasting, but he’s the reason Penske’s got this edge right now.” Indeed, with Austin Cindric also advancing earlier in the year via a Talladega upset, all three Penske cars are playoff-bound, a luxury few organizations can claim.

The broader playoff picture only heightens the irony of the Logano doubters. As of September 25, 2025, with Kansas Speedway looming next weekend and the Charlotte Roval capping the Round of 12, Logano sits sixth in the standings, a comfortable 24 points above the elimination line. Blaney leads the pack after his win, followed closely by Hendrick’s William Byron (+47 points) and Larson’s +41 buffer. But it’s the underdogs like Ross Chastain (-12) and Tyler Reddick (-23) scraping for survival who make Logano’s position look regal by comparison. NASCAR insiders, like Jordan Bianchi and Jeff Gluck, have weighed in on the Blaney-Logano showdown. “The 12 team’s been the fastest car all year,” Bianchi noted, praising Blaney’s long-run speed at flat tracks like New Hampshire and the upcoming Martinsville. Yet Gluck countered: “If Joey’s alive at Phoenix? That’s scary for everyone. He’s 3-for-3 there in finals.”

Blaney echoes that sentiment, his voice rising with genuine exasperation during a media scrum. “I’ve raced Joey harder than anyone, and I know what he’s capable of. People say the playoffs reward the ‘right place, right time’ guy, but that’s underselling it. Joey’s a closer. He doesn’t just show up; he dissects the field.” Blaney paused, glancing toward the hauler where Logano was debriefing with his team. The two shared a nod across the garage—a silent acknowledgment of battles past and those yet to come. “Doubting him now? After Loudon? It’s like forgetting how he dragged us all to the championship in ’24 when everything was on fire. Nah, he’s got this.”

As the sun dipped below the White Mountains, casting long shadows over the speedway, Blaney’s win felt like more than a personal milestone. It was a Penske statement, a reminder that the playoffs aren’t won in June but forged in September’s fire. Logano, meanwhile, brushed off the chatter with his trademark smirk. “Talk’s cheap,” he said simply. “Results aren’t.” With two rounds left before the Championship 4 at Phoenix—where Penske has claimed the last three titles—the stage is set for Logano to silence the skeptics once more. Blaney’s stunned reaction to the criticism? It’s the fuel Logano needs. And in NASCAR, where alliances bend and break under pressure, that teammate belief might just be the edge that tips the scales. As Blaney climbed into his hauler, he left with one final thought: “Watch out for 22. He’s just warming up.”