Joey Logano delivered when it mattered most… again. When the Chase system was reintroduced ahead of the 2026 season, his doubters felt he would finally be exposed, given his reputation for sneaking his way through the now-defunct elimination format. But three races into the 2026 Chase, he finds himself firmly in contention for a fourth championship. And after his win at Bristol on Saturday night, Logano is feeling particularly good about how his car performed.

“I had a versatile car. That’s why we were up front, why we were able to drive back through the field after the first stage. We won the first stage, and we carried ourselves in 16th after taking those points. Then drove back to third, ’cause my car was very versatile,” Logano said in an interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio after the Bass Pro Shops Night Race.

“I could run up the track, down the track, different places, and it felt like the Bristol of the old days for me. Your car is doing exactly what it felt like back in the day. I was like, ‘Oh! That’s what I remember. It’s been 10 years since I had that feeling, so I felt really good.’”

Logano’s No. 22 Ford worked with him better than it arguably had all season. The setup allowed him to experience genuine handling variation and carve his way through traffic based on the car’s versatility, rather than simply getting stuck behind a procession.

Passing has typically been difficult with the Next Gen car, but Bristol gave Logano a taste of the racing he remembered from a decade ago. The ability to run different lines and move around the track made the car feel far more versatile, something he clearly found refreshing.

Starting from the front row alongside Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson, Logano’s task was made much easier. He went on to win the opening stage, securing a valuable 10 points. Stage 2 continued the Ford party, with Ryan Blaney taking the win and Logano finishing third. Reflecting on his race, Logano also said he had the freedom to explore every inch of the track in search of grip. Needless to say, it reminded him of the 2014 and 2015 seasons, when he won the Bass Pro Shops Night Race in both years.

That versatility ultimately proved crucial when it mattered most. Logano may not have been the fastest car on the track in the closing laps, but he was in position to capitalize when the battle for the lead between Spire Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Ty Gibbs opened the door. What followed was a perfectly timed move that handed the Team Penske driver his third win of 2026.

Joey Logano managed to sneak past in the race-winning overtake

Larson admitted after the Bristol night race that Hocevar and Gibbs were the stronger drivers. The fact that both drivers stayed in the Top 10 for all three stages lends credence to that. But with six laps to go after the final restart, a battle between the two drivers opened the door for Logano to capitalize.

Logano alluded to the battle for the race lead, where he got a front-row seat. He said, “Yeah, I had an okay restart. I saw them there just racing each other, and I thought, ‘Well, I guess I’m going to just go to the opposite of what they do in front of me.’ I saw the leaders go to the bottom. I was like, ‘Well… maybe I’ll get a gift.’

Then they raced each other up the race track. I was like, ‘Well… here’s my gift. I’ll just wrap the bottom here and get down on the grip on the bottom and just roll it and sail.’ So it worked out really well. I was in the right place at the right time.”

Sure enough, when the No. 77 and No. 54 cars went wheel-to-wheel and washed up the track, Logano pounced. He spotted a mile of free real estate at the bottom of the race track and dove in. It also helped that the battle boxed in Larson, allowing Logano to gain three positions in one move.

Heading into the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas, Logano will be eager to keep the momentum going. This is a race he has won three times in the past, including back-to-back victories in 2014 and 2015. However, the Team Penske star will be wary of many of his rivals, especially Denny Hamlin and the Toyota contingent, who have performed well on intermediate tracks.