This season did not go as the defending champion, Joey Logano would have hoped for it it to go. After making it into the playoffs a few weeks ago, there were hopes for him to at least make the round of 8, knowing the situation with the Fords (barring RFKs) throughout this season.
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However, disaster struck early after he became an unfortunate part of a wreck at Bristol when a wrecking Corey LaJoie spun back onto the track and took him out. That was it for the Team Penske driver. He was out from the very first round of the playoffs as a defending champion.
But during a recent interview with Sirius XM NASCAR Radio, Logano expressed his optimism for a turnaround at Team Penske in the remaining weekends leading up to the finale at Phoenix. Although he would no longer be able to compete for the title, he stated that the team would be able to learn and adapt for the next season.
Joey Logano hopes for a turnaround at Team Penske, after playoff ejection
During the interview, Logano mentioned, “If you can have speed, right? And you have it for a little bit, it doesn’t disappear. It’s just everybody catches up right and everyone catches up and then they pass you. And then you got to just back up and pass them again. And so just it goes in cycles. Our cycles are pretty short.”
Logano elaborated that the team needs to improve in terms of consistency, as they have only been the fastest car for a few races each year. However, they have been able to cycle to being really good at this time of year, which is their goal for this season.
🔁 @joeylogano is accustomed to speed coming and going in cycles at @Team_Penske, but it’s been different in 2023.
🗣️ “There’s still 7 weeks to turn this bus around […] I have no doubt in my mind we will.” #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/2idICKWRNh
— SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90) (@SiriusXMNASCAR) September 20, 2023
Despite being out of the title race, he explained that the team is focused on turning things around in the remaining seven weeks of the season and that everyone is working together towards this common goal.
“We’ve had a really intense meeting yesterday. All of us have just what are we going to do we need to put a game plan together. We need to figure out how we’re going to fix this together as a team. You know, not just the #22 but the #12 to even the #21. What is our game plan going to be to turn this bus around.”
Logano has no doubt that Team Penske will turn this ship around soon enough
Speaking further into the interview, the two-time Cup Series champion mentioned, “I have no doubt in my mind we will… These people are super smart. It’s the same team that won the championship last year. These people are really really smart.”
Furthermore, Logano emphasized the importance of sticking together and continuing to fight through the challenges. He believes that the team will be better next year as a result of the lessons learned from this season.
Intriguingly, he also compared the team’s current situation to having to eat a slice of humble pie, which is a difficult but necessary experience to get back on track. Despite not wanting to be in this position, the team is determined to learn from their mistakes and come back stronger in the future.
