A roller coaster of emotions. That’s what Joey Logano went through after an action-packed elimination race at the 2024 Bank of America ROVAL 400. The Team Penske driver fell short of a playoff spot after Tyler Reddick charged through with fresher tires during the closing laps, finishing 4 points ahead when the checkered flag was waved. Just when the No. 22 driver thought all hope was lost, Alex Bowman’s disqualification, instantly revived Logano’s championship ambitions, giving him a shot at his third Cup Series title.

Despite a topsy-turvy postseason campaign, Team Penske finds itself in familiar territory at the Round of 8. Logano may be rock bottom in the playoff standings, but a prominent individual within the team believes that he has what it takes to turn his fortunes around in the remaining 4 races of the season.

Joey Logano’s crew chief is optimistic about his chances

Joey Logano has been there and done that. The 34-year-old’s first Championship 4 appearance came in 2018 after a dramatic victory at Martinsville propelled him into the title race, where he outperformed Martin Truex Jr to lift the title at Homestead-Miami. Four years later in 2022, he was back in contention for the silverware, with a victory at Las Vegas’ Round of 8 playoff race helping him advance to Phoenix, where he beat Ross Chastain for the crown. Even though his 2024 campaign has been somewhat of an ‘off’ year by his standards, the Team Penske driver will have plenty of confidence going into the business end of the season.

Expressing his optimism about Joey Logano’s chances in the upcoming races, the No. 22 driver’s crew chief Paul Wolfe told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, “I feel like our cars at this point of the season, we kind have got some speed back, relative to our competition. That sets us up well going into Martinsville. The short-track stuff has probably been our strength all year. We look to continue that at Martinsville. We could just get through Vegas, then Homestead, with some really good races.”

Highlighting Team Penske’s records in the Round of 8 during the Next-Gen era, Paul Wolfe went on to say, “We’re optimistic. I feel like we’re as strong at this point in the season as we’ve been in the previous two where Penske’s have been able to win the Championship, so I think our chances are as good as anybody.”

Even though Joey Logano has secured two victories at Nashville and Atlanta, the 34-year-old will know that the ongoing season has been his weakest Cup Series campaign in recent years. As things stand, the Connecticut native has the lowest average finish among all the Round of Eight drivers and is at the bottom of the standings amongst playoff-eligible drivers.

However, his No. 22 Ford Mustang has shown significant improvement during qualifying in the playoffs, making it to the pole round in five out of the last six races. Being able to replicate that pace in the upcoming races will be important for Logano to secure stage points, which could make all the difference in making it to Phoenix Raceway later this year.

With Team Penske having won back-to-back championships since the Next-Gen cars were introduced, Joey Logano will be in a bullish mood heading to the 2024 South Point 400. As things stand, he is 40 points behind leader Kyle Larson in the driver standings, but just 11 points below the elimination cutline. A single victory at Las Vegas, Homestead-Miami, or Martinsville could be all it takes for the 34-year-old to have another shot at the championship. Will the racing driver make the most of getting a second-shot title? Time will tell.

Joey Logano is taking it one race at a time

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While luck has played a big role in Joey Logano making it to the Round of Eight, the Team Penske driver positioned himself well to take advantage of the opportunity when it came by. Alex Bowman’s misfortune was Logano’s gain at the Charlotte Roval, as the No. 22 Ford Mustang driver made it to the third playoff round after securing 18 stage points at the 2024 Bank of America ROVAL 400.

The 34-year-old getting a second life isn’t just an opportunity for redemption, but it will also send a warning sign to the rest of the contenders that the stakes have got even higher in the upcoming races.

Despite his struggles, Joey Logano was always confident about making a deep playoff run. Sharing his expectations for the upcoming races, the Connecticut native said, “The stats may not look like it. It may look like we’re underdogs from the outset looking in, but internally we feel very confident in our race team that we can make a run at this thing and get ourselves into the Championship 4. We’ve seen it in the past where you get in there and anything can happen at Phoenix.”

Logano went on to say, “It can happen very quickly, so one race at a time. Right now, the focus is Vegas and we’ll try to maximize the day there.”

Ever since the elimination-style postseason format was introduced in 2014, Joey Logano has made it to the Championship 4 in all the years ending with an even number. He has occupied all 4 spots in the final race of the season in his last five appearances, winning the title in 2018 and 2022. While it seemed like the streak finally ended when the checkered flag was waved at the Charlotte Roval, fate had different plans. If there was ever a driver that cannot be ruled out of a title challenge, it’s Logano.

All he needs to do now is prove his doubters wrong.