Joey Logano had a lackluster season for the most part, not winning any of the competitive Cup Series races. However, at the Nashville Superspeedway on Sunday, the Team Penske man emerged victorious to the surprise of some. The surprise was how he managed to finish the race on fuel despite pitting over 100 laps ahead of the checkered flag. Thankfully, Denny Hamlin has an explanation for the #22 car’s unlikely success.
Advertisement
A NASCAR Next-Gen fuel cell can hold up to 21 gallons of fuel and under green, the usual fuel mileage is 5 miles per gallon. But, during the caution periods, that number is almost doubled since the cars aren’t going as fast. Considering Logano pitted 110 laps before the checkered flag, he would have had to start managing fuel long before the multiple cautions.
Thankfully, running in traffic meant that he could not get on the gas as freely as the leaders with open space ahead of them. This ensured that the #22 driver did not burn as much fuel compared to the rest of the competition.
“Track position matters. When you’re running kind of as poorly as they were, he was not in the gas as much as the leaders,” Hamlin explained. “You can’t get back in the gas as quick because you’re in traffic. So more than likely, he was getting better fuel mileage than what all the leaders were that were in open track.”
DH explains how Joey Logano was able to save that much fuel. ⛽ pic.twitter.com/A6ABASz6uW
— Dirty Mo Media (@DirtyMoMedia) July 1, 2024
The two-time Cup Series champion did a masterful job of managing his fuel but even he was not confident going into the final moments of the race. His car had minimal fuel and there were drivers on fresher tires right behind him.
Logano’s final laps at Nashville were nervous ones
The #22 spluttered and stumbled a few times before reaching the checkered flag. Even after taking the lead, Logano knew that he could not outright step on the gas. Tyler Reddick and Zane Smith were closing in on him as well. In the end, it all came down to the experience and race craft of the two-time Cup Series champion to take home the win.
“It kind of gave me a little squirt and then started stumbling again across the line and just couldn’t get to the line quick enough. If that start-finish line was into 1, we don’t win the race; we finish third or fourth. Definitely as close as you can cut it for sure,” Logano reportedly said after the race.
The two-time Cup Series champion is considered by many as one of the greatest NASCAR drivers. With the win in the bag, he can be assured of his playoff entry moving forward.
