NASCAR’s postseason structure is devised that if a driver wins a race during the regular season, they effectively qualify for the Monster Energy Cup Series playoffs.
Why did Joey Logano miss the playoffs despite having a win?
Joey Logano may have won a regular season race, but a penalty meant he couldn’t use the win to earn eligibility for the Cup Series playoffs.
But when the 2017 postseason begins Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway, there is one noticeable absence among the 16-driver playoff field where a driver who won during the regular season is not eligible to race for the Cup championship. That driver is Joey Logano, who won the spring race at Richmond Raceway and theoretically should’ve locked him into the playoff.
Except winning a regular season race and earning a spot in the playoffs comes with an important caveat: the winning car must pass technical inspection. If it fails, NASCAR will classify the win as encumbered, meaning the driver still gets official credit for the victory but does not receive any additional benefits -- i.e. they cannot use the win to qualify for the postseason, which happened to Logano when his car inspection with officials determining the No. 22 Team Penske Ford had nonconforming rear suspension parts.
Logano could’ve still made the playoffs had he won another race during the regular season or accumulated enough points to earn a wild card slot. Because neither occurred, however, the driver who advanced to the championship round two of the past three years will not have a chance win a career-first title.
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