Team Penske driver Joey Logano finally got reason to smile this season after winning the 2024 All-Star race in North Wilkesboro. He led 199 of the 200 lap-race and held off the likes of Denny Hamlin and Chris Buescher to take home $1 million. It was his second time winning the celebrated exhibition event after finding the victory lane back in 2016, meaning he is now on yet another list of NASCAR elite.
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Since the All-Star race’s introduction in 1985 very few have managed to win it more than once. The first driver to do so was Dale Earnhardt Sr. The icon won the event in 1987 and did so again in 1990, and again in 1993. Davey Allison got his first victory in 1991 and repeated the feat in 1992 becoming the first driver to have consecutive All-Star wins.
Amongst others with multiple wins, Jimmie Johnson (4) Jeff Gordon (3), and Kyle Larson (3) lead the pack with their successes spread out over the years. Mark Martin, Kevin Harvick, Terry Labonte have all won the race twice each. Logano is only the ninth driver to be a part of this list. Notably, his race was the most dominant victory in All-Star history.
Joey Logano finally gets out of the corner that he put himself in
Talking about how his season was faring, a few weeks back Logano told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, “When you get in a situation like this, you start to hit the panic button a little bit. You’re trying a lot of new things. You’re just swinging the bat at anything you can think of. You’re just trying to find a direction cuz you get a little bit lost. We have got to do something different.”
Through trial and error, his team did do a lot of things different and has ended up being victorious. “My car was so fast,” he said after winning. “We came here and tested and ran over 800 laps at the tire test. Paul (Wolfe, crew chief) really figured out what it would take to win this race. We executed fantastic (pit) stops. A lot of fun when you’ve got a car this fast. It’s just so great to get in Victory Lane.”
“You start to hit the panic button a little bit […] it’s not a great place to be, if I’m being real.”@joeylogano weighs in on the struggles the No. 22 team, @Team_Penske and @FordPerformance are dealing with 12 races into the season.
More → https://t.co/keYsFmuVzu pic.twitter.com/G0cw43hK0C
— SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90) (@SiriusXMNASCAR) May 9, 2024
Despite the positive turn that the #12 Team Penske team has taken, it is yet to win a points-paying race this year. Hopes are that this momentum will carry on to Charlotte this weekend as the field prepares for the Coca-Cola 600.
