NASCAR Insider’s Baffled by Joey Logano’s 2024 No-Show as They Put Ford’s Dark Horse on the Spot

Since the inauguration of their newest model Mustang Dark Horse, the expectations were high from Ford this season. Six NASCAR Cup Series races have gone by, yet there hasn’t been a single winner from Ford. In the points table, there’s only Ryan Blaney from Team Penske in the Top 10 saving their reputation. Blaney, with 211 points, sits in the third position behind JGR’s Toyota drivers Martin Truex Jr. and Ty Gibbs. Adding to their disappointment, there are only 6 Ford drivers in the Top 20.

Much to his fans’ shock, the two-time Cup Series champion, Joey Logano, sits at number 22 in the standings. It is understandable that the season has just started, and it’s a long way to the playoffs. But Logano falling behind has raised concerns for not just fans, but racing experts as well.

What’s wrong with Joey Logano?

During a segment from the O’Reilly Auto Parts Pit Reporters, Brett McMillan engaged in a conversation with Lee Spencer from Catchfence.com and NASCAR Wire Service reporter Reid Spencer. And the inconsistency of the Ford drivers, even after having an upgraded world-class racing model, has surprised them all. They spoke about how Toyota managed to over-perform the Mustang Dark Horse. However, they did not forget to praise defending champion Ryan Blaney, the lone warrior from the Ford’s end. However, what stood out was Lee’s concerns regarding Joey Logano.

Lee said, “When you look at it from that standpoint, Blaney’s the class of the field. Blaney’s the defending champion, and Blaney’s run decent. I mean COTA you know, was okay, but I’ve never thought that road courses were his forte. So when you look at it from that standpoint, he’s been competitive everywhere else. But Joey Logano, after having an off year, generally the 22 comes back fighting. We haven’t seen that out of Joey Logano yet.”

“But to me that’s mind-blowing, you know, Logano not winning for as long as he has. It’s just kind of crazy to me and Ford’s got to get it together. This is a new car, and they’re going to get so far behind, it’s going to feel impossible to catch up with Toyota and Chevrolet,” continued Lee.

Lee further praised Brad Keselowski‘s RFK Racing for consistently standing out as a strong performer in the Ford Field. She applauded Buescher’s recent performance at COTA. He was the only Ford driver to finish in the top 10 despite starting from the back of the field. She also predicted that Keselowski would shine this weekend at Richmond by ending his 105-race losing streak.

Read More: Joey Logano gets Candid on his Worst Early Season Slump in 16-Years Career

A possible turnaround at Richmond?

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Can the upcoming race at Richmond Raceway work as a turnaround for the Ford drivers, especially for Joey Logano? Despite a 37-winless streak, the Team Penske driver remains optimistic, knowing that there’s ample time left to shift things in his favor.

Logano said, “We’re going to Richmond this weekend that is one of my favourite racetracks, one of our best racetracks, maybe our best racetrack as the 22 team. So I look forward to having a solid run there, scoring some stage points, putting ourselves in position to win. That’ll be key. I feel more confident at Richmond than I have at really any other track this year. So hopefully we can have a solid run”.

The best performance of the 33-year-old Middletown resident came at Las Vegas and at COTA’s last race. He finished at P9 and P11 respectively. Apart from him, Buescher almost made it at Phoenix, falling behind Christopher Bell at P2. Keselowski too would be determined to prove himself. It’s been really long since he won a race. The closest he came to doing that was in Bristol, where he ended at P3 after a tough fight.

Would be interesting to see if Team Ford indeed makes a slow climb up to the top. What are your predictions regarding this?

Read More: Despite 37-Race Winless Streak, Joey Logano Dismisses ‘Panic Mode’ Talks With Confidence