'Underdog' Joey Logano primed for a comeback after NASCAR's unexpected lifeline amid Alex Bowman's punishment
Having reentered the playoff grid after Alex Bowman's disqualification, Joey Logano is brimming with enthusiasm for the upcoming Round of 8. He believes the team has a good chance to win at least one of the three races in the next round.
Logano, 34, pilots the No. 22 Ford Mustang for Team Penske. The driver was initially eliminated from playoff contention after the Charlotte race. However, he was reinstated after Alex Bowman was disqualified, having failed to meet weight requirements.
Speaking with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Logano talked about entering the Round of 8 with the least amount of playoff points.
“Obviously we're going to have to be really solid. You know, we're coming in as the least amount of playoff points. So, you know, mulligans are gone. Not that we had any in the last round, either. So we'll do the best we can," he said.
The Connecticut native shared that he is feeling good about the upcoming race in Las Vegas despite rejoining the postseason as the underdog. The driver compared Las Vegas to an earlier stop in Kansas where he finished 14th after starting from 5th.
“I feel good about Vegas. You know, Kansas was one of the tracks that we've been struggling at for a long time. And Kansas and Vegas have a lot of similarities. And Kansas was really good for us. We almost won the first stage. We qualified up front, had speed in our cars. So when you look at Vegas, I feel pretty optimistic about what we can do there," he added.
Logano is eyeing to win at least one of the three races in the Round of 8 to qualify in the Championship 4. The round will host races in Las Vegas, Miami, and Martinsville, respectively.
“And then, you know, Miami, yep, I feel okay about that too. And Martinsville has been good too. So, you know, I think we have as good a chance as anybody to win one of those three races, or even score a ton of points and put ourselves in position. Like, I think, like, it'd be a heck of a story. Like, we may be the underdogs by the stats, but I still feel pretty good about it right now.”
The next race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway is scheduled for October 20.
Logano will compete alongside Team Penske teammate and defending champion Ryan Blaney. Teammate Austin Cindric was one of the four drivers to be eliminated at Charlotte along with Daniel Suarez, Alex Bowman, and Daniel Suarez.
Joey Logano shared wanting to win the owner’s championship prior to Alex Bowman’s DQ
Prior to Alex Bowman's No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro failing post-race inspection at Charlotte, Joey Logano, who was then eliminated from the playoffs, expressed his intention to bag the prize money associated with winning the NASCAR owner's championship.
In a post-race interview, Logano said:
“We’re in the owner’s championships so we can confuse all the fans from here out about driver’s and owner’s championship. The money’s in the owner’s so we’ll keep fighting for the money,” Logano stated. [0:30]
With his return to the playoffs, Logano has another opportunity to add a third NASCAR Cup Series championship to his impressive resume. He previously clinched the title in 2018 and 2022.