Ross Chastain spoiled the day for playoff drivers by winning the 2024 Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway this Sunday. Several Round of 12 contenders had below-average days in the Sunflower State with six drivers finishing outside the top 10 along with four outside the top 20. Joey Logano, who finished 14th, had only his car and crew to blame after yet another disappointing race.
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The day was building up to be a strong one for the #22 crew at Team Penske with Logano ending stage one in second place. His teammates Ryan Blaney and Austin Cindric finished third and seventh respectively.
However, trouble came on the pit road for Roger Penske’s racing outfit. All three cars faced issues with loose wheels and had to come back at different stages of the race to get them tightened.
14th place finish at Kansas Speedway | Next up in the Round of 12…Dega. Let’s Go!#NASCARPlayoffs #22Crew pic.twitter.com/FacOn5C8SY
— Joey Logano (@joeylogano) September 30, 2024
On Lap 161, Logano pitted twice due to a loose left rear wheel. All the chaos left him reeling and the best he could do was secure a 14th place finish. He told NBC Sports, “We went from a winning car to being wrecked loose like someone hit a light switch. I don’t know why or what, but we had something that we could win with early and then we were out of control, loose, and trying not to wreck.”
He now hangs a mere four points above the Round of 8 elimination line with two more races left to go at Talladega and Charlotte. He added, “We battled back from that loose wheel and got back to 14th. We just have to go to Talladega and be solid again. It isn’t going to be a comfortable next two weeks, that’s for sure.”
Despite winning in Atlanta, this Sunday’s event highlights the postseason’s unpredictable nature well, with Logano on the receiving end of it.
Logano’s poor playoff streak dims his chances of progress
Since winning the first race of the postseason in Atlanta this year, the #22 driver hasn’t finished inside the top 10 since. He placed 15th at Watkins Glen and 28th in Bristol. Now with the Kansas race’s disappointment, Logano is left with two wildcard races as his last options to try and secure a Round of 8 seat.
Talladega doesn’t spell confidence in his garage. He has not finished inside the top 15 in his last five appearances at the superspeedway and the last time he won there was back in 2018. However, the Connecticut native has five top-10 finishes in six races at the Charlotte Roval. So, just maybe, he stands a chance in the final race of the current round.
Regardless of his chances, Team Penske will need to work on their pit stops going forward. The Next Gen Cup car revolutionized the same by introducing a single-lug nut design for the wheels. Hence, average pit stop times dropped greatly ever since but what’s the point if the margin of error cannot be brought down? Logano and his teammates have got work to do.
