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Surrounded by Controversy and Crashes, Joey Logano Could End His 37-Race Winless Streak in Phoenix

Published 03/05/2024, 2:20 PM EST

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USA Today via Reuters

Joey Logano grabbed the pole position in two of the three races that already flagged off this season. But he is yet to snatch a victory this year. Entering his 15th year in NASCAR’s premier division, Logano heads the Ford Performance Power Rankings. The two-time Cup champion may dazzle his fans at the playoff race in Phoenix. Logano has won at least one race in 12 consecutive seasons and stands 28th in all-time Cup wins. However, he has been dry in close to 40 races. Will his fortunes turn around in 2024? Coming out of a whirling storm of wrecks and penalties, Joey Logano may prove his prowess as a veteran driver.

Could Joey Logano return to winning ways at Phoenix?

Although his last victory at the Phoenix Raceway was in 2022, Logano’s talent behind the wheel might influence his fortunes this year. Bob Pockrass recently shared his opinion about why this may be the case. Firstly, he gave an insight into Logano’s standing. 

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“Three races into the NASCAR Cup Series season and there are two champions who are not in the top 16, who right now if the playoffs were to start, would not make the playoffs. Is it time to panic? No. But still a little surprising to see Joey Logano 24th in the standings 20 points back.”

Then Pockrass described what Logano would have to do to seize the reins of the game. “I would say that Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski are both going to need the most out of their equipment. Logano did make up nine points in the current cut-off today….if they kept doing that over the next 23 races, they’d be in the top 16.”

 

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Besides winning 32 Cup Series races, Joey Logano has reached the Championship 4 five times. He is a diligent racer when it comes to apt preparation for the action on the field. Prior to his victory at Phoenix Raceway in 2022, Logano strategized with his team for the past two and a half weeks. They deliberated on how to make their car and the team perform better. Sure enough, they got results.

But Logano is still notorious for triggering wrecks on the track, at least according to other drivers.

Hamlin and Busch pinned the blame on Logano for chaos

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It seems that every gifted racer has some sort of catch to add color to their resume. Joey Logano has earned a seat in the bad books of two racers: Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch. Last year in the Auto Club Speedway in California, Busch squarely blamed Logano for causing the lap 88 wreck. Apparently, he waited too long, causing cars to tumble into a crash behind him.

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Similarly, Hamlin was none the merrier at the Martinsville cutoff race in 2023. Logano hit Ty Gibbs in the rear and spun him, thus collecting several drivers in the crash. 

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“I don’t love the way the 22 (Logano) was racing guys that had earned their position to race for a championship,” Hamlin said. “He’s kind of knocking guys out of the way.”

Joey Logano has gotten a lot of attention for his twisted tactics on the track. Ranging from a modified glove to causing wrecks, he may come off as a villain. Yet his prowess is unchallenged, as he heads into the upcoming Cup races this year.

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Written by:

Sumedha Mukherjee

365Articles

One take at a time

Sumedha Mukherjee is a NASCAR Writer at EssentiallySports who is known for her in-depth track analysis as well as her lifestyle coverage of Cup drivers like Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick. Inspired by the Kiwi's journey so far, Sumedha has also written pieces on Shane Van Gisbergen, predicting how the Supercars Champion would do in the new and unfamiliar American setting. Pairing her research skills with her vast experience as a writer, Sumedha creates stories her readers can easily get lost in.
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Edited by:

Rohan Karnad