Getty Joey Logano has set his strategy for the championship race.
Team Penske’s Joey Logano is back in the championship four after a win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Now he has provided his strategy for approaching the all-important NASCAR Cup Series championship race.
Logano made comments about his approach ahead of qualifying at Martinsville Speedway on October 29. He explained that the strategy varies with each team. Some prefer to have a laid-back approach to remove some of the tension. Others, like Logano, prefer to keep the pressure on because of what is at stake.
“It’s a great accomplishment to make it to the championship four,” Logano said. “It’s one heck of a bummer not to win if you went this far and not win, so it is what it is. Like I told the guys, this is just one step closer to the ultimate goal. That’s all Vegas was. It was great. It gets us there and gives us a chance, but that’s all it was.
“It is not the goal yet. And so I just said that to keep the pressure on my team, keep them looking for more over the next couple weeks and keep that intensity up because it is gonna be on when we get there, so there’s no need to get relaxed now.”
Logano Has Extensive Championship 4 Experience
GettyJoey Logano has a considerable amount of championship experience.
One reason why Logano knows what is at stake is his extensive experience pursuing championships. He has been a perennial contender since joining Team Penske, and he has made four previous appearances in the championship four while winning one title (2018).
Logano nearly won his second title in 2020. He started second overall and led 125 laps at Phoenix Raceway. However, he lost the lead to Chase Elliott during the final stage as the driver of the No. 9 ultimately went on to win the race and the championship.
“In 2020, I don’t see anything our team did wrong,” Logano added. “In a way, that’s kind of extra motivation to seek revenge after that last run at Phoenix when the tires started shaking and we lost the lead with whatever it was — 40-50 to go — and fall back after cycling on the green flag pit stop to the lead.
“Everything is going the way it’s supposed to, ran the [No.] 9 down, passed him, the whole nine and then giving it away like that. That’s hurt for the last couple years for me and I can’t say I’m over it, so this is the moment of revenge on that.”
Logano Has Spent Weeks Preparing for Phoenix
GettyJoey Logano has prepared for the championship race.
The driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford sits in a favorable position overall. He won the race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which kicked off the Round of Eight, and then he looked forward to his ultimate goal.
This win punched Logano’s ticket to the championship four and removed a considerable amount of stress. He didn’t have to worry about fighting for points or the win at Homestead-Miami Speedway and Martinsville Speedway. Instead, he and the No. 22 team could focus on preparing for the most important race on the schedule. Not that they have let up at all.
“I’m glad we are locked in,” Logano said. “It’s been a nice couple weeks to be able to focus on Phoenix, not that we’ve been relaxed, but there’s been added focus towards Phoenix already, where no one else has had the privilege to really do that.
“So we’re using that to our advantage, as we should. We earned that right, so we’ve really focused on those ones and making sure that we’re ready when we get there while everyone else has got the pressure on them this weekend.”