Team Penske superstar Joey Logano wasn’t in a healthy spot around this time last year. He was knocked out of the playoffs after crashing in Bristol and hit a career low. Not surprisingly, he was hurt plenty by the disappointment. Fast forward to the first race of the 2024 Cup Series playoffs and he has already secured his seat in the Round of 12 through a resounding victory in Atlanta.
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The 2X Cup Series champion has time and time again proven that he is up for the game in the biggest stages there are. He has advanced to the championship race five times in the last ten years and qualified for the Round of 8 in every other year until the last. What makes him a driver of such focus and caliber when it comes to performing under pressure that many break under?
His crew chief Paul Wolfe told the press in Atlanta, “It’s the mental game, for sure. There’s guys that can handle the pressure situation and not make mistakes, right? That’s really what it comes down to. He’s capable from the driving standpoint but it’s the mental game.” At this stage of the season, minimizing mistakes is the only way to gain an edge over competitors. And Logano is a master at that.
Wolfe continued, “There’s guys that obviously do it better than the others. He has proven time and time again that he is one of the elite guys when it comes down to the mental aspect of this and being able to execute on the big stage.” Logano can now spend the next couple of weeks focusing on earning more playoff points without having to worry about elimination.
Logano expresses happiness at qualifying for the Round of 12
The No. 22 driver did not see the lead until Lap 257 of the race. A strong last-lap push from his teammate Ryan Blaney edged him past the finish line over Daniel Suarez who had to settle for being the runner-up. The finish has got Logano feeling more like himself and he didn’t fail to mention that in his interviews.
He quipped about being able to step up when it mattered, “It just seems like we do it. We just do. More times than not, excluding last year really, we’ve been able to level up when we need to level up. To be able to fire off your first race of the playoffs with a statement win, is key, right?”
Blaney was able to finish in third place and sits safe at the top of the playoff grid 45 points above the elimination line. The third Team Penske driver Austin Cindric managed a top-10 result and finished in tenth place. The Roger Penske-owned outfit came out as a winner in Atlanta.
