Joey Logano gets lots of flak. After winning the Cup Series title in 2024, the Team Penske driver was criticized by fans for taking advantage of the ‘win and in’ playoff format by getting strategic wins at various points of the season. While he’s not your typical ‘dominant’ driver like Kyle Larson, the 34-year-old can pull off clutch performances when it matters the most, which may go on to explain his two championships in the last three years.

After being disqualified at Talladega last week, the reigning champ had a point to prove at Texas Motor Speedway. That’s exactly what he did, and Denny Hamlin couldn’t help but praise the No. 22 driver’s winning performance in difficult circumstances.

Denny Hamlin gives credit where it’s due

The weekend didn’t begin on a good note for Joey Logano. Starting the race in 27th place, the Connecticut native knew he had his work cut out for him at ‘The Great American Speedway’. The 1.5-mile track has a notorious reputation for being difficult to make passes on, and its treacherous bump between Turns 3 and 4 has claimed plenty of victims over the years. As one would expect, the race was chaotic to say the least, with 12 cautions and plenty of DNFs. However, the Team Penske driver remained unfazed, keeping his eyes on the prize.

Denny Hamlin couldn’t help but praise Logano for his performance at the Lone Star State. Sharing his thoughts on the Actions Detrimental podcast, the veteran said, “He started from the back and methodically made his way to the front. And I got to watch it firsthand. While people want to poo poo on social media of, ‘Oh, Joey backed into this one..’ I would say, ‘Heads up’”. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver also went on to say, “But Joey, he passed a couple of cars each run. He had good restarts. And he got to the top five on speed. Like, there was no accident whatsoever.”

It was a real comeback story. 27th is the worst position Joey Logano has ever started in a Cup race that he has gone on to win. That’s a testament to his immense experience and racing prowess. As the laps ticked on, the 34-year-old patiently gained track positions, even finishing ninth by the end of Stage 2. Denny Hamlin acknowledged it as well, saying, “I think he capitalized, he made the move to win the race. There were three laps to go, he is the one that set up Michael McDowell. Chose to run the line that he did. Made a great move on Turn 2 and cleared him into 3. It was just some good ol’ driving.

It was a big win, especially because Logano hadn’t even secured a top-five result before the Texas race. He managed to lead only seven laps, which may have irked some fans, but holding off Ross Chastain and Ryan Blaney is no easy feat. Ultimately, just 0.346 seconds separated him from the No. 1 Chevy, but the reigning champ got the job done. Perhaps that’s why Hamlin said, “He’s optimizing his days as good or better than anyone. Yesterday, I thought that it was as legit as any of the wins he’s had in his career.”

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Joey Logano’s crew chief is relieved after Texas triumph

The pressure was high on the No. 22 team. Being disqualified at Talladega Superspeedway was embarrassing for Joey Logano’s crew, especially because it all came down to a missing bolt in the rear spoiler. Hungry for a victory after Austin Cindric’s win, Paul Wolfe knew that making up for the lost points would be crucial at Texas Motor Speedway. In a true redemption arc, Logano went on to secure the 37th win of his career at the Würth 400.

Despite the triumph, crew chief Wolfe is remaining grounded in reality. He said, “Well, obviously wins heal a lot of things and fix a lot of problems. Last week was unfortunate. You know, we’re not proud of what happened there. It was nothing intentional. It was really a learning moment, like I’ve told all the guys in our meetings this week. We know what happened, or we have a pretty good idea what happened, and we need to make sure that doesn’t happen again and move forward.”

Climbing 27 places on a track like Texas was no easy feat, but Joey Logano did it out of sheer relentlessness and hard work. Reflecting on the result afterwards, he said, “Just grinded it. Just keep grinding a couple here and a couple there, and eventually get a win here. It’s nice to get one.” Could he end up going on a run like Christopher Bell in the upcoming races? Time will tell. But at least he’ll be right there to defend his championship trophy when the playoffs are underway.