Joey Logano has managed to claw his way into the Round of 8, but he enters this third stage of the playoffs with his back against the wall. He’s 24 points below the cut line, the largest deficit ever recorded at this stage, which means if he doesn’t win, he’s out. Todd Gordon, Jimmie Johnson’s former crew chief, spoke about this recently.
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Historically, the biggest gap to the cut line entering the Round of 8 that didn’t result in elimination was 45 points, set by Kevin Harvick in 2020. For Logano, it’s his past performance at Las Vegas that keeps his flame of hope alive as he approaches the South Point 400.
Analyzing Logano’s situation alongside Steve Letarte, Gordon laid it out bluntly. “I feel #22 has to win because you look at their execution of the year. They don’t go out and score stage wins. They don’t go out and stack points. They go out and manufacture finishes. That’s something that Joey Logano and Paul Wolfe do a great job of, is figuring out how to manufacture finishes.”
“If you think back the last year, Nashville. He wasn’t the fastest car there. They stretched the fuel to get there. Last year, this race at Vegas. I felt like that played right out for him. It was right in their wheelhouse. Fuel mileage race, put themselves in victory lane. They fabricate finishes. I don’t know that they fabricate the most points. So looking at that, I feel like they’ve got to win,” Gordon added.
Kevin Harvick seems to be reading from the same playbook. While dismissing outright speed as Logano’s strongest suit, Harvick pointed to a different edge that sets the No. 22 apart. Logano, already a three-time Cup Series champion with his latest title coming in 2024, could still have another ace up his sleeve in this playoff run.
On his Happy Hour podcast, Harvick tipped his hat to Logano’s team for their sharp execution and strategy. He credited crew chief Paul Wolfe for his composure, intellect, and uncanny ability to make gutsy calls that flip the script mid-race.
Drawing parallels with Denny Hamlin’s approach, Harvick underlined how strategic brilliance often trumps raw speed. He explained that what separates the No. 22 from faster cars is the team’s knack for seizing the right moment and capitalizing on others’ mistakes.
Echoing Gordon’s stance, Harvick said he doesn’t believe Logano’s car has the pace of contenders like the No. 12, though tracks like Vegas, Martinsville, and Talladega play right into their hands. What the No. 22 lacks in outright speed, it makes up for in racecraft, especially on restarts, where they often turn the tables on faster rivals.
That’s where Logano and Wolfe earn their stripes: by executing under pressure and turning strategy into a weapon. Despite ranking seventh in Passing Rating and 10th in Speed Rating, the #22 Team Penske driver sits atop NASCAR Insights’ list as the Cup Series’ best defender. All he needs is track position, earned through speed or shrewd pit calls, and he’ll dig in his heels to keep challengers at bay.
