Logano won his third title in November, sparking debate about whether NASCAR’s current playoff format is the best way to determine the series’ worthiest champion. Few could make a strong case for that being Logano in 2024. He won four races, had 13 top-10 finishes and rarely had the car to beat over 37 events.

The green flag drops on another Cup Series season Sunday night with the exhibition Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium.

Anyone who thinks his third Cup Series championship last year was a fluke? "I can't hear it because my trophies, they kind of, like, echo around me," the 34-year-old Logano quipped during a Zoom call with media Wednesday.