NASCAR insider reveals what Chase Elliott ‘hates’ about Joey Logano’s championship

NASCAR insider Toby Christie has unveiled what Chase Elliott 'hates' about Joey Logano's third Cup Series championship. The Hendrick Motorsports driver expressed blatant disregard for those who questioned the Team Penske driver's title.

The 2024 Cup Series season didn't seem to be Logano's year. A solitary win at the Nashville Superspeedway and overall subpar stats put him in 15th place when he entered the ultimate 10-race slate. But as the playoffs began, the #22 Ford driver capitalized on the knockout playoff format, clinching his third title.

But because the Connecticut native's overall performance wasn't up to the mark and he still won the title, many criticized the format. The road to the championship is divided into four rounds of three battles each, except the title race. A driver who triumphed in any race is automatically promoted to the next round, something Joey Logano masterfully executed by triumphing in the playoff-opener Atlanta race, the Round of 8 opener at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and the Phoenix race.

Thus, Christie conveyed Chase Elliott's message for critics; the 2020 Cup Series champion said he hates people who question Logano's title's legitimacy, as the Ford driver played by the rules with no foul play.

"Chase Elliott says he hates that people have questioned the legitimacy of Joey Logano's championship. He says the format was created, and Logano executed and won the championship fairly by the rules of the Playoff format. #NASCAR," Christie Tweeted.

The third title wasn't a cakewalk for Logano. He fought a challenging battle against his teammate Ryan Blaney, who aspired to claim his second consecutive Cup Series title, in the final 54 laps to claim the highly coveted win.

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Joey Logano wouldn't have won the title had it not been for Alex Bowman and HMS' flaw

After making the playoff solely based on his Nashville triumph, Joey Logano aced the Atlanta race to secure his Round of 12 spot. However, he couldn't rake in a win during the three races -Kansas, Talladega, and Charlotte ROVAL, and was eliminated from the playoffs after finishing eighth in Charlotte

Nonetheless, the setback was short-lived. Alex Bowman, who finished 18th and advanced by nine points was later disqualified from the title fight. The disappointment stemmed from a failed post-race inspection during which Bowman's #48 Chevrolet was underweight.

And despite several opportunities, the HMS failed to reach the minimum required weight, thus, leaving officials with no choice but to reinstate Logano in the playoffs.

"We gave them the opportunity to fuel the car, as well as purge the wire system, and add water. We gave them every opportunity to make minimum weight. We run them back through, unfortunately, they were light again," Cup Series director Brad Moran commented on Bowman's disqualification via Bob Pockrass on X (0:54 onwards).

The Team Penske driver won the following weekend at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway to punch his Championship Race ticket.