Despite riding a wave of fortune to secure his playoff spot at Charlotte, Joey Logano remains bullish about his team’s capabilities. In a recent conversation with Claire B. Lang, Logano shed light on his positive stance for the upcoming races, underscoring his belief in the #22 team’s potential to contend for the championship.
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“We’ve been steadily getting better in improving throughout the season to where we are now. I feel confident in the speed we have in our car,” Logano stated. “Kansas, we had a lot of speed and most one of the first stages there, we had to clean up a couple of issues on the execution side.”
“Talladega is Talladega. We got caught up in the Big Rash there. But this week we also had this weekend at the Rival pretty solid to me to where we’re a championship 4 caliber race team,” he added.
He acknowledged that owing to lackluster performances, the #22 team might seem like underdogs from an outside perspective. Yet, internally, he harbors a strong belief in his team’s ability to surge into the championship four.
Besides that, when it comes to Phoenix, he feels anything can happen there and anyone among the top 4 drivers can win, underscoring the unpredictability of the final race.
But as for the immediate future, Logano’s strategy is straightforward: focus on the upcoming three races and optimize every opportunity. With only an 11-point gap, he’s confident in his team’s ability to secure their place through consistent performance. “One race at a time,” he declared, is the approach he intends to take to the playoff push.
"We’re still alive….This year (in playoffs), we’re gonna KEEP THE PRESSURE ON ALL THE WAY THROUGH.”
Beat reporter Zoom with @joeylogano this week!Joey Logano back in aft #48 DQ'd post inspection adds twist to playoffs.
Does he advance to final four?
🤔I say yes. You? pic.twitter.com/bMEZ9oBirP— Claire B Lang (@ClaireBLang) October 17, 2024
Logano shares his take on unexpected playoff lifeline
An unexpected failure in Alex Bowman’s technical post-race inspection of the car breathed new life into Logano’s championship aspirations. However, Logano, who reacted to the news for the first time since last week on Tuesday, maintained that his team’s approach remains unchanged despite the renewed shot at the title.
During a press briefing, the #22 Team Penske driver, revealed, “I was obviously surprised. I heard rumors before that of a delay in tech and some of those things going on. Usually, nothing happens. It was kind of a surprise to hear that. […]”
Logano emphasized, “Like I said, we’re right back in it and the goal was the same, whether we were in the driver’s championship still or not. The owner’s side of it still mattered to us, so the mindset doesn’t change. The energy doesn’t change. We’re still going out there to maximize the day and win it if we can.”
Heading into the Las Vegas race as the underdog among the final eight, Logano’s track record at the venue speaks to potential hidden cards up his sleeve. With three victories and an average finish of 9.9 across 22 starts at the track, Las Vegas might just be the stage for a turnaround in his season.
