Joey Logano has managed to claw his method into the Spherical of 8, however he enters this third stage of the playoffs together with his again in opposition to the wall. He’s 24 factors under the reduce line, the most important deficit ever recorded at this stage, which suggests if he doesn’t win, he’s out. Todd Gordon, Jimmie Johnson’s former crew chief, spoke about this just lately.
Traditionally, the most important hole to the reduce line getting into the Spherical of 8 that didn’t lead to elimination was 45 factors, set by Kevin Harvick in 2020. For Logano, it’s his previous efficiency at Las Vegas that retains his flame of hope alive as he approaches the South Level 400.
Analyzing Logano’s scenario alongside Steve Letarte, Gordon laid it out bluntly. “I really feel #22 has to win since you take a look at their execution of the 12 months. They don’t exit and rating stage wins. They don’t exit and stack factors. They exit and manufacture finishes. That’s one thing that Joey Logano and Paul Wolfe do an important job of, is determining tips on how to manufacture finishes.”
“Should you assume again the final 12 months, Nashville. He wasn’t the quickest automobile there. They stretched the gas to get there. Final 12 months, this race at Vegas. I felt like that performed proper out for him. It was proper of their wheelhouse. Gas mileage race, put themselves in victory lane. They fabricate finishes. I don’t know that they fabricate essentially the most factors. So taking a look at that, I really feel like they’ve bought to win,” Gordon added.
Kevin Harvick appears to be studying from the identical playbook. Whereas dismissing outright pace as Logano’s strongest swimsuit, Harvick pointed to a unique edge that units the No. 22 aside. Logano, already a three-time Cup Sequence champion together with his newest title coming in 2024, might nonetheless have one other ace up his sleeve on this playoff run.
On his Joyful Hour podcast, Harvick tipped his hat to Logano’s workforce for his or her sharp execution and technique. He credited crew chief Paul Wolfe for his composure, mind, and uncanny means to make gutsy calls that flip the script mid-race.
Drawing parallels with Denny Hamlin’s strategy, Harvick underlined how strategic brilliance usually trumps uncooked pace. He defined that what separates the No. 22 from sooner automobiles is the workforce’s knack for seizing the proper second and capitalizing on others’ errors.
Echoing Gordon’s stance, Harvick mentioned he doesn’t consider Logano’s automobile has the tempo of contenders just like the No. 12, although tracks like Vegas, Martinsville, and Talladega play proper into their arms. What the No. 22 lacks in outright pace, it makes up for in racecraft, particularly on restarts, the place they usually flip the tables on sooner rivals.
That’s the place Logano and Wolfe earn their stripes: by executing underneath strain and turning technique right into a weapon. Regardless of rating seventh in Passing Score and tenth in Velocity Score, the #22 Staff Penske driver sits atop NASCAR Insights’ record because the Cup Sequence’ greatest defender. All he wants is monitor place, earned by way of pace or shrewd pit calls, and he’ll dig in his heels to maintain challengers at bay.
