Joey Logano wants team to 'go back to the drawing board' after Las Vegas disappointment
Joey Logano had a forgettable weekend in the third race of the season. The #22 driver had the best odds of winning the Pennzoil 400, starting on pole at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. However, on Sunday, the Team Penske driver failed to reach the checkered flag.
Heading into the race, Logano was amongst the favorites to win the race, given his recent run of form. The #22 driver started the season with a second-place finish in the Daytona 500 followed by a top-ten finish at the Auto Club Speedway. The Ford Mustang driver showed solid pace in both races.
The reigning Cup Series champion qualified on pole but seemed out of order on race day. Logano wasn't able to maintain pace with the lead group and dropped down the grid. The Penske driver was unclear about the reason behind the car's lack of pace in the race.
Starting from the pole was hoping we would be driving through the infield #Pennzoil400 grass for a different reason. We battled our 22 @pennzoil @FordPerformance Mustang all race and just never got where we needed to be. https://t.co/jvpZOafNXP
Logano spoke to NASCAR in a post-race interview and said:
"Considering how we’ve been here in the past, you kind of expect it a little bit more performance today than what we had. Just off on overall speed. We had the balance somewhat close – just not fast. We have to go back to the drawing board for when we come back here."
The 32-year-old didn't have a clean race either, as an accident with Brad Keselowski caused damage to the car. On lap 182, Logano, Keselowski, and Kyle Busch were running three-wide when the #22 car on the outside ran out of room. Logano's car clipped the wall and slid across the track and onto the grass in the front stretch. The incident raised the first natural caution in the race.
A three-wide battle doesn't end well for @joeylogano! https://t.co/48QdHUix8P
The #22 crew wasn't able to repair the car in time, leading to Joey Logano's first retirement of the 2023 season.
Speaking about the crash, the defending champion said:
"Yeah, he did. I’m sure he didn’t mean to do it. It is what it is. What are you going to do, right? We got fenced."
The Penske driver will be hoping for a quick turnaround at the race in Phoenix.
Where did Joey Logano's teammates finish in the Pennzoil 400?
While Joey Logano ended Sunday's race in the garage, his teammates Austin Cindric and Ryan Blaney managed to bring home big points. Cindric #2, took advantage of the late-race caution, finishing in sixth position. Blaney #12 managed a 13th-place finish.
Final from @LVMotorSpeedway. 🏁 https://t.co/LGZyWiXTFC
Both Penske drivers were content with the results while Blaney admitted his struggles at the restarts.
The #12 driver said in a post-race interview:
"I think we were about eighth before the last caution, started back racing and just went backwards. It’s unfortunate. We worked hard all day to get faster. The last restart pit-stops didn’t go our way."
After the third race of the season, Joey Logano dropped down to ninth in the driver's standings. Austin Cindric occupies the 15th position, two places ahead of Ryan Blaney.