Once again, and to no one’s surprise, Joey Logano and Team Penske have heated up at the perfect time. The NASCAR Cup Series postseason, known as The Chase, is two races in and the No. 22 team is firing on all cylinders.
With championship leader Denny Hamlin losing ground in the first two races of The Chase, Logano, though mired in the middle of the standings, has an opportunity to pounce. It’s been a tale of two seasons for Logano, who was outside of the Chase cutoff through Atlanta, the 20th race of the regular season.
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But a win at North Wilkesboro, in which he led 323 laps, has changed the course of the team’s season. Suddenly, Team Penske has all three cars in the postseason, with Logano and teammates Ryan Blaney and Austin Cindric each championship eligible.
After the second race of The Chase at Gateway, things have changed quite a bit. Logano, who scored the pole award, led a race-high 96 laps in St. Louis. He ultimately finished third behind Kyle Larson and Alex Bowman.
But Logano accumulated 54 points, whereas Hamlin scored 33 points. The difference between the two is now a mere 51 points with seven races remaining in the season.
Outside of The NASCAR Foundation 20th Anniversary Honors Gala, Logano said he needs to score a minimum of 40 points a race in The Chase to have a shot at winning the title.
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“We have to do a little better than 40 points and you have to win a couple to get there,” Logano said. “You have to win one, maybe two.”
Why Is Joey Logano Heating Up Again?
Year after year, it appears as if Logano and crew chief Paul Wolfe just click at the perfect time. They certainly figured out the last elimination-style playoff format. Now, they have to figure out The Chase format and how to optimize it.
“It’s typical of the [No.] 22 that things just start heating up,” Logano joked. “It seems to happen year over year. Some setup things have been making sense and the team has done a good job finding speed. The pressure is on.
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“It’s not like there’s a secret sauce to it. It sounds like there is, but you have to keep grinding. It’s a never quit attitude. It sounds so cliche and so simple to say, but when our season is so long, it’s easy to get worn down and defeated. We’re just trying to keep everyone together and push hard, realizing that we’re not out of it until it’s completely over. We’ve made comebacks before. We’re on pace to do it again.”
What Would Another Championship Mean For Logano’s Legacy?
Logano is already a first ballot Hall of Famer with three NASCAR Cup Series championships in just 18 years of full-time competition. At 36 years old, Logano can race for several more years at a high level (look at Hamlin).
If Logano can continue at the pace he’s at now, with 39 career Cup Series victories, he could easily surpass 50, if not more. And a fourth championship will put him in rare territory, as well.
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