Following a notable improvement in his #22 Ford’s performance, Joey Logano feels optimistic about securing a spot in the Championship 4 race. The Team Penske driver acknowledged that their regular season has “not been promising,” and he stressed the importance of aiming for victories in the final four races before the playoffs commence.
The start of Logano’s current season was unimpressive. Before his victory at the million-dollar All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway, the Connecticut native managed just one top-5 finish and three top-10 placements. However, after that win at NWS, he subsequently claimed victory at Nashville Superspeedway along with three additional top-5s and four more top-10s.
Moreover, all drivers on Team Penske’s roster have secured at least one regular-season win this year. Ryan Blaney has triumphed twice at Iowa Speedway and Pocono Raceway, while Austin Cindric achieved victory once at World Wide Technology Raceway.
“We haven’t scored many playoff points up to this point. We have one stage win and one race win but we need to figure out how to accumulate more playoff points. Winning this weekend would be ideal, [and] also gaining stage points. Our position within the top 10 in overall standings during regular season isn’t looking great,” Joey Logano stated via Sirius XM NASCAR Radio on X (0:31).
“We need to go all out now; we must focus on winning over these next four weeks before shifting back to a points strategy for the playoffs… It’s essential to navigate through rounds effectively and position ourselves for a shot at Championship 4. I feel confident that we can achieve it,” he added.
The playoffs are set to kick off on September 8 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, with Phoenix Raceway hosting the final showdown—the Championship 4 race—on November 10. Currently, Joey Logano is sitting in 15th place in regular-season standings.
“The goal is not just to make the playoffs” – Joey Logano after securing his first win of the season at Nashville Superspeedway
Joey Logano ended his streak of 49 races without a victory by triumphing at Nashville Superspeedway on June 30 this year; his last win prior was recorded earlier that same year during an event held at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Despite achieving pole position three times since his latest triumph in 2023, he has struggled to translate those opportunities into wins.
After converting his starting position from 26th into an eventual race victory, Logano shared with Fox Sports‘ Bob Pockrass that clinching championships remains more important than merely finishing among the top sixteen competitors.
“I don’t believe it significantly alters our seasonal outlook—qualifying is nice as we’ve secured our spot now which is excellent—but our aim goes beyond making it into playoffs; it’s consistently about winning championships,” he expressed.
Logano aims for his third Cup Series championship but faces competition from teammate Ryan Blaney—the defending champion—currently ranked fifth as per recent standings.
