After much anticipation and intensifying pressure, the first elimination round of the playoffs was a spectacle to watch. Drivers put their best foot forward in order to maintain their chances of entering the second stage of the playoffs. However, given the infamous status of Bristol Motor Speedway, it was not long before the track was mired in multiple car pile-ups.

Furthermore, with just 12 seats up for grabs, drivers were not ready to compromise their on-track position, as they were entrapped in a fierce battle amongst each other. It seems that it was Team Penske‘s defending champion Joey Logano who had to encounter the worst brunt, which crumbled down his championship run.

Team Penske’s star driver faces the worst fate at Bristol Motor Speedway

It was just a year back, that Team Penske was over the moon, as they seized the championship trophy and it was Joey Logano, whose happiness broke all barriers. The Team Penske driver became the second driver after Kyle Busch to be the second active driver with more than one championship to his name. In order to maintain his championship streak, Logano had started the season on a high note, with a victory coming early in the season.

The driver maintained his championship momentum throughout the regular season, entered the playoff, and floated above the cut-line of the elimination. However, the race at Bristol Motor Speedway became the decisive factor for Logano as it axed his hopes of clinching another victory.

With the rain delaying the setting sail of the race, the elimination race at Bristol was a battle that was fought tooth and nail among the drivers. However, a mid-race incident sent Joey Logano and his hopes for a toss. The incident occurred at Lap 262 when Spire Motorsports’ Corey LaJoie spun out on the track and veered and made contact with the No.22 Ford Mustang of Logano. As a result, Logano sustained heavy damage on the right rear of the car.

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The Team Penske driver limped back to the pit road in order to control the damages that were incurred, however, the mangled car was beyond repair, and as a result, Joey Logano had to exit the race, earlier than expected. In his post-race interview, the driver expressed his disappointment in being eliminated early from the race. He stated, “We weren’t just fast enough. You go down a lap and you are at the back at Bristol on a  restart, you get caught up in stuff.”

“It’s our fault that we were unable to go faster today with our Mustang. There were signs of hope early in the race, just couldn’t get it handle on it. It’ll take a miracle at this point[…]” Logano added.

Joey Logano bids farewell to championship contention

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Speaking on his contact with LaJoie that jeopardized his playoff run, the Team Penske driver stated, “I saw the smoke. I saw 7 (LaJoie) spinning. And you know, Coleman (Pressley, spotter) was saying he’s coming up, he’s coming up. As I was on the brakes to try to pull onto the bottom, I think it was Newman behind me, but I think someone hit him behind him and just kind of chain reaction to it.”

“And so once he got hit, I said oh shoot, I gotta go up now. I couldn’t make the bottom, so I committed to that. And the hole closed up.”

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With that being said, with the culmination of the first round, Joey Logano became the first reigning champion to be eliminated from the Round of 16 as he finished 34th in the race.