Team Penske superstar Joey Logano was able to fix himself a spot in the 2024 Cup Series playoffs after winning at Nashville late last month. The driver has struggled throughout the year not able to find the right speed and execute behind his #22 Ford Mustang. With his numbers waning deep in comparison to his counterparts, can he be a legitimate contender for the title in the postseason?
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Logano believes he can. Asked about his chances of winning the championship by the press in Chicago this weekend, Logano brought forward his title-winning experiences from 2018 to make a point. He narrated how he did not hope to get past the first round of the playoffs that year with the speed he had and how things had just turned better than with every race.
He trusts that to be the case this year as well. “Are we seeded the best going into the playoffs right now? No,” he said. “We don’t have enough playoff points. The cards are stacked a little bit against us from that perspective. But I’ve also seen plenty of times where if you can just be solid, get through the rounds, win the races that matter. If you’re around long enough for the speed knob to get turned up.”
Helping him add weight to his contention was his teammate Ryan Blaney’s championship run last year. He managed to get through each playoff round by sporadic upruns and the speed finally came right when it mattered the most – in Talladega, Martinsville, and Phoenix. With the close examples to derive hope from, Logano hopes to become a three-time Cup Series champion.
Logano’s trend of performing well in even years could lend him a hand
The driver has a weird knack for securing higher points in even years than he does in odd ones. Both his championships came in even years, in 2018 and 2022. And he has finished no lower than fourth place in any year beginning 2014. Should this rather superstitious trend hold any solidness to it, Logano is set up for a really interesting playoff run in 2024 as well.
On more practical grounds, the Ford Mustang Dark Horse has finally begun living up to its potential in weeks past after a slow start to the season. It has put all three drivers from Team Penske into the playoffs and looks set up for a strong end to the year. Hopes are that drivers will be able to capitalize on it.
