Joey Logano said nothing changes in his approach to the upcoming Chase races for the NASCAR Cup Series. The series heads to three straight 1.5-mile tracks (Kansas, Las Vegas, Charlotte), where the championship picture will surely be more narrow coming out of the stretch.
Logano picked up his third win of the 2026 Cup Series season last Saturday at Bristol Motor Speedway. The driver of the No. 22 took a massive chunk out of his points deficit as he now trails leader Kyle Larson by 16 points in the third position.
While the three-time Cup Series champion has struggled on 1.5-mile tracks in 2026, he said the upcoming Chase stretch will be similar to what has already unfolded.
Logano’s outlook on next three Chase races: ‘More the same’
During Saturday night’s post-race press conference, the now 40-time Cup Series winner was asked about his outlook on the upcoming 1.5-mile slate in the Chase.
Logano said the approach stays the same — unload fast racecars and garner as many points as possible.
“It’s more the same. We just got to keep grinding it out, getting as many points as humanly possible. Try to bring the best racecars to the racetrack, try to qualify good, get stage points and finish good,” Logano said.
Logano noted the current points format is an “average,” unlike the previous win-and-you’re-in playoff format, which emphasized winning on a 3-week basis in the 10-race postseason.
There are no days off in the reintroduced points format.
“This points format is an average. Every race is as equally as important as the next. It’s just about averaging the most points you possibly can get, so nothing changes here,” Logano said.
The goal for Logano has always been to win the championship. In what has been a massive turnaround in the last 10 races, where “Sliced Bread” has gone to victory lane three times, Logano said they are as close as they have been to the championship lead.
“It hasn’t been to finish fifth. It’s been to go all the way. We’re closer than we’ve been, so we’ve just got to ride the momentum now and that confidence that the team has — just got to keep rolling with it,” Logano said.
Can Logano keep the momentum up through the 1.5-mile stretch?
After three Chase races, Logano is one of the hottest drivers in the Cup Series field. The 36-year-old scored a ninth-place finish at Darlington, a third-place result at Gateway and a victory last Saturday at Bristol.
Now 16 points out of the championship lead, Logano is right in the mix. Yet, can Logano stay in contention through the next Chase stretch?
The 1.5-mile tracks have not been the kindest to Logano this season. Earlier this year, Logano finished 15th 30th at Kansas and 15th at Las Vegas. Logano did, however, post an eighth-place result at Charlotte.
The 1.5-mile tracks have largely been in the hands of the Toyota drivers in 2026. Tyler Reddick picked up a win at Kansas, while Denny Hamlin was the victor at Las Vegas. Fellow Toyota driver Chase Briscoe earned a victory at Chicagoland.
With only one top-10 finish on a 1.5-mile track this season, it will be interesting to see if Logano has gained ground on the Toyotas in the upcoming three Chase races.
Joey Logano Speaks on Championship Hopes: ‘Nothing Changes’