Joey Logano started the playoffs well with a win in Atlanta, but things turned disastrous soon. He was able to finish just one of the next five races inside the top 10 and found himself eliminated from the playoffs after the race in the Charlotte Roval. Fortunately, Alex Bowman’s disqualification kept him in the mix.
Advertisement
He took complete advantage of the luck that came his way and won Sunday’s race in Las Vegas to secure a Championship 4 spot. Talking to the press in the aftermath he thanked his crew for keeping a level head during the race weekends that did not go the No. 22 team’s way.
He said, “This group of guys, they’re truly incredible. They’re good people, which is one of the things I’m most proud of, but they’re really smart. In the playoffs, they’re able to really be able to keep a level head and maximize the races no matter what’s dealt with them.”
It is not easy for a crew to be motivated when good results don’t come on the track. Logano won very few races this season and consistency was far from being his strongest point. This is why it is impressive that the No. 22 Team Penske group came to Vegas and played the fuel-mileage strategy as perfectly as they did.
The personnel behind Logano’s unexpected Las Vegas glory
Motorsports is a team game and Logano understands that very well. The driver is, of course, one of the most important members of the team, but so are his crew chief and the spotter. Both played a crucial role on Sunday in helping the two-time Cup Series champion reach victory lane.
“When you put that together with Paul Wolfe, an incredible crew chief, we call him Big Ball Paul now (smiling), he really makes that happen there,” he added. “Engineers calculating everything. Then communication, right? To Coleman, my spotter, back down to me as a driver, how much can I save, what’s going on around me.”
If Logano becomes champion, it would make it three straight Cup Series titles for Team Penske. It’s funny how no one considers their drivers to be strong competitors for the championship midway through the season, and yet, they’re always in the mix towards the end. It is a testament to how well Roger Penske has run and groomed his organization to be one of the greatest in NASCAR history.
