Joey Logano was able to breathe a bit easier Sunday, one week after last Sunday’s nail-biting finish at the Charlotte Roval that saw him advance past Ross Chastain by one mere point for the eighth and final spot in the Round of Eight semifinals.
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Instead of 20th, like he finished at Charlotte, Logano finished a much more respectable sixth in Sunday’s race at Las Vegas.
“There were moments I thought we were pretty decent, just needed to get track position early in the race,” said Logano, who started from the fourth position. “We were good on the long haul, couldn’t quite get to cleaner air towards the front because our restarts weren’t good up in.
“The start of the third stage we lost balance on the car, got way loose, lost all our track position. Paul (crew chief Paul Wolfe) made a great call again to put two (tires) on it, put us on the front row. That’s all you can try to do at that point.”
However, the defending and three-time Cup champion is not out of the woods by any means. Even with his top 10 finish in Sin City, the Team Penske driver still has his work cut out for him to rally to make the Championship 4 season-ending battle in Phoenix three weeks from now.
Logano leaves Las Vegas ranked seventh in the Cup standings, 24 points below the provisional cutoff line below fourth-ranked Chase Briscoe.
“Today everyone ran so well, right?” Logano said. “All the Playoff cars, besides the ones that wrecked, were top-five stage points all day. It’s hard to close up on them.”
Even worse, Logano’s teammate, Ryan Blaney, who wrecked Sunday and finished last, is eighth and last among playoff drivers that remain eligible, 31 points behind Briscoe.
If either of the Penske Racing drivers – or both of them, for that matter – is to advance to the Championship Four round three weeks from now, they are pretty much in must-win situations in the two remaining Round of Eight semifinal races this coming Sunday at Talladega and two weeks from now at Martinsville.
“I feel like we have to win,” Logano said. “(It’s) kind of an all-or-nothing call. Netted out ahead of where we would have finished for sure. … Overall, a good battle, but not good enough.”
Logano has won three times in his Cup career at Talladega and once at Martinsville. Even though there are still two races left in this round, he knows it’s going to be pretty difficult to point his way into the Championship 4 round. That’s why he acknowledges a win is mandatory.
If he can win at ‘Dega this coming Sunday, all the better, as he’d have a spot assured in the Championship 4 finale.
“I think it’s pretty clear what we’ve got to do, looking at the points,” Logano said. “I mean, one spot’s already taken up (with Denny Hamlin’s win Sunday). We’re 24 out; yeah, it’s possible. You have to be pretty special the next two weeks.”
