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“It’s a Bit of a Challenge”: Joey Logano on NASCAR Next Gen Car at Gateway Despite Lack of Horsepower Consensus

Rahul Ahluwalia
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2022 NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano recently spoke about the Next Gen Cup Series car and its peculiarities at the upcoming race at the World Wide Technology Raceway. The seventh-generation car which has been vastly criticized for its lack of power amongst other issues is working well at the track formerly known as Gateway Motorsports Park.

Touching on how the lower horsepower levels of the Next Gen car are not as obvious at WWT Raceway ahead of this Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300, Logano spoke about how drivers have to manage throttle inputs coming into turn 1 at the track. He told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, “One thing that’s really unique about Gateway is that you downshift twice in turn one and so when you leave the corner off of turn two you have a lot of horsepower.”

The #22 Ford Mustang driver further elaborated on his thoughts, completely contrary to what the Next Gen Cup car is usually known for these days, and said, “It’s hard to put the throttle down and that’s something that’s a little more unique than most racetracks we go to these days where it feels like we’re underpowered. It’s a bit of a challenge to get the throttle down and use it all which is good. It’s one of the reasons why there is good racing here.”

Several drivers up and down the field have advocated for more power from NASCAR with little success to be found. The governing body has cited issues surrounding the costs of higher horsepower engines as the reason for the reluctance. However, official team engine builders have claimed little to no jump in costs from the sport’s existing engine package.

Joey Logano previews upcoming Enjoy Illinois 300, looks back at previous finishes at WWT Raceway

Team Penske driver Joey Logano also recently spoke about World Wide Techology Raceway as being one of the #22 crew’s strong suites during the NASCAR Cup Series calendar.  The 2022 season saw Logano clinch victory at the track in a year which also saw him clinch a championship trophy, whereas he managed to finish in the top-3 last year.

Touching on his performance at the upcoming venue, Logano elaborated to SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and said, “Gateway honestly has been one of our best tracks. We got a first and a third there. Running position is up there the whole time as well.”

It remains to be seen how well the 34-year-old driver performs during this NASCAR’s return to the Madison, Illinois track this Sunday.

About the author

Rahul Ahluwalia

Rahul Ahluwalia

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Rahul Ahluwalia is a NASCAR Content Strategist and Journalist at The SportsRush. Hailing from a Journalism and Mass Communication background, Rahul's love for automobiles transformed into his passion for all things racing. With over 1200+ articles under his belt covering a mixture of NASCAR and F1, he has realized his calling in the world of motorsports with actual first hand experience behind the wheel to back it up. He has competed in several autocross events as well as rallycross-style competitions to hone his skills behind the wheel and better understand the mindset of a racecar driver, allowing him to further improve his writing as well. He also has an editorial background with respect to racing and has eye for stories which otherwise go unnoticed. Rahul is also an avid sim racer indulging in various disciplines such as rallying and oval racing during his free time. Having begun his motorsports journey at the start of 2020, he turned his passion into his work allowing him to delve deeper into the ever evolving and world of cars and motorsports. Apart from racing, Rahul also has sound technical knowledge of the automotive industry and automobiles in general. Having grown up playing video games such as Need for Speed, Forza Motorsport and Gran Turismo, it is easy to see where the love for racing and machines inculcated in the first place.

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