NASCAR champion Joey Logano reveals controversial take on playoffs as The Chase returns

Three-time Cup Series champion Joey Logano has offered an unpopular playoff opinion in the aftermath of NASCAR announcing its new 'The Chase' format.

After much anticipation, NASCAR formally announced its new championship format in North Carolina on Monday, with the playoffs having been scrapped altogether.

It isn't quite the full 36-race points format some were hoping for, though. There will still be a regular season and postseason, with the championship set to be decided by The Chase, which takes place at the conclusion of the 26-race regular season and over the last 10 races of the season, featuring the top 16 drivers based on regular season points.

Unlike the playoffs, there are no rounds or eliminations in The Chase. After the points reset, it is a straight 10-race fight for the Cup Series championship.

NASCAR TODAY: Tony Stewart return confirmed as legend feared he'd 'damaged' reputation

Joey Logano doesn't care about format change

Many see the above format switch a move in the right direction, with fans and drivers alike having been united in their hatred for the playoffs and a one race champione-raceecider.

Not Logano, however. The Team Penske star admits that he quite liked the playoffs and isn't massively excited about the changes being made. In fact, he says he doesn't care.

"Honestly, I’m OK with whatever they tell us because the rules are the same for everybody, just like they were before," Logano told the media at North Wilkesboro Speedway.

"Everyone started with the same set of rules. We all knew what we had to do to try to win a championship. Now, we have a different set of rules with all of us starting at zero again, and we have to change the way that we go win the championship.

"The strategy of how you race and prepare and all those things is different. There’s no doubt it’s very different. You just have to kind of go back to the drawing board and do something else. That’s fine. I don’t really care."

Logano liked the playoffs

The Team Penske star continued: "Personally, I was one of the rare people that liked the old one just from a fan perspective.

"I enjoyed it, but if the majority doesn’t like that, then, sure, we’ll change it and we’ll go race another way, and that’s OK with me, too.

"That’s kind of where I’m at with it."

Logano's opinion is perhaps not too surprising. He had won three championships in the playoffs format, and to some, he had become the poster boy and an argument for scrapping them, given he was often able to get by being just 'okay' in the regular season, and then turning things up and putting a run together when the playoffs began.

Interestingly, however, under The Chase format, Logano would actually be a four-time champion had it been in place for the last 20 years, according to NASCAR data visualist Daniel Céspedes, albeit in different seasons from his actual championship successes.