The first half of the season was everything fans could ask for.

Exciting? Check.

Unexpected winners? Check.

But with the beginning of the playoffs season for the round of 16, fans expected a top name to take the lead in the victory lane. Perhaps Kyle Larson. Except for his disadvantage on speedways, a different name came up, Joey Logano. “They just give me really fast cars on superspeedways, and we always find ourselves towards the front of them, (but) we just end up wrecking more times than not,” said Logano after the race, who only led twice for nine laps, which is a far cry from his teammate Austin Cindric’s 92 laps.

With skill, the right car, and just a bit of luck, the Team Penske driver has this round of playoffs set up nicely, but his crew chief, Paul Wolfe, had a completely different perspective. Despite a strong win at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, crew chief Wolfe appeared extremely relieved as the No. 22 car took the win.

Securing a spot in the round of 12 just as you start the round of 16 is no mere feat, and Paul Wolfe knows so. The No. 22 crew chief openly admitted how relieving it was to get a guaranteed spot, now that the win is secured.

As Paul Wolfe sat down with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, he revealed, “There’s a lot of unknowns, and to be able to get a win this early is big. Not only that, but to be able to capitalize on a race that we know we have the speed to win. There are things out of your control, but it is nice to have a car like we did today with speed. ”

What makes this even more special for Wolfe is the teamwork Team Penske showed. Joey Logano’s last-moment lead for the playoff opener was under a massive threat from #99 Daniel Suarez.

In a two-lap shootout that extended the 2024 playoff opener by six laps, Joey Logano led when a mid-pack wreck brought out the final caution. Daniel Suárez edged out Ryan Blaney for second, but Blaney’s third-place finish and survival of a Lap 205 wreck earned him the series lead, five points ahead of Christopher Bell in fourth.

The win marked Logano’s second at Atlanta this season and the 34th of his career. With the victory, the No. 22 Ford driver jumped to fifth in the playoff standings, securing his spot in the next round.

Joey Logano aims high after the Quaker State 400 win

Joey Logano and Team Penske’s car have been a force on the speedway circuit, and this race was no exception. Both Penske cars showed incredible speed throughout, much like the other Fords, putting them in a strong position for the next leg of the round of 16. With three of the next four tracks being speedways, Penske’s odds of advancing both drivers to the next round look promising.

Meanwhile, Daniel Suárez gave Logano a serious challenge on the first lap of overtime. However, Suárez lost momentum when his Trackhouse Racing teammate, Ross Chastain, drifted up the track in Turn 3, causing Suárez to fall back and miss his shot at the win.

“No, definitely not satisfied,” Daniel Suárez said about his P2 finish. “I am happy with it, but not satisfied. I lost my pusher, my teammate. He was doing a great job, and I felt like we were going to have a great shot at it.”

Additionally, an emotional Logano, voicing his Atlanta victory, said, “We didn’t [qualify for RO12] last year and it hurt a lot, but they just give me really fast cars on superspeedways and we always find ourselves towards the front of them, we just end up wrecking more times than not. So, to be able to finally capitalize on a fast race car and win here in Atlanta again.”

Watkins Glen will be the next testing ground for Team Penske, as it looks like nothing but blue skies for Joey Logano and the gang. The last time Logano was at the Glen, he finished P10. In his 14 starts since 2009 in the No. 22 as well as the No. 20 car for JGR, Logano only once finished P1 and has 4 Top 5s. It’ll be interesting to see how he does this year. Stay tuned for the Watkins Glen updates.