Joey Logano won two stages at Phoenix, led 84 laps and still left with something to regret. The race had given him exactly what he needed to close the gap to Kyle Larson, but not the one thing that could have changed his championship campaign overnight: a win. He gained 48 points on Larson, yet remained 44 points behind with three races to go.

He had taken a big bite out of Larson’s lead and still had three drivers ahead of him to worry about. And Logano knows he cannot keep leaving points on the table.

“Well, I would say that’s not screwed up if we were 40 points ahead. Instead, we’re 44 points behind and you gotta attack at that point, right? We gotta get points at every stage and we gotta go out there and be in contention to win this thing.” Logano told NASCAR reporters.

The Larson connection goes something like this. His tire failure at Phoenix opened the door for Logano to make a major gain. Larson entered the race leading the championship, but a right-front tire failure sent his No. 5 Chevrolet into the wall. He finished 34th and scored just three points. Joey Logano, meanwhile, collected 51 points.

He gained 48 points on Larson in one afternoon, yet still left the track sixth in the standings, 44 points off the lead. His team showed it could lead laps and win stages, but a sixth-place finish was not enough to make the most of Larson’s disaster.

Tyler Reddick won the race, Ryan Blaney finished second, and Christopher Bell came home fourth. Each gave himself a better opportunity to challenge for the title. Logano had made up ground, but he had watched others do the same.

The No. 22 Ford led 84 laps, and Joey Logano believed it had the speed to win. The result still fell short. He had led 84 laps, but could not turn that pace into a win. Sixth kept him in the fight, sure, but a win could have put him within striking distance. It is a valuable chunk of points that Logano cannot easily replace.

“It’s close and it’s very achievable. We definitely can do it, but you can’t. You can’t afford to be much further back than where we are right now and realistically think we’re gonna pull this off.”

The opening two stages at Phoenix showed what Logano needs from his team. Winning both stages gave Logano 20 points before the final result was counted. He needed to make those points count with a strong finish, too.

The standings leave Joey Logano with more than just Larson to catch

The 2026 Chase has no elimination rounds or points resets. Sixteen drivers entered the 10-race championship contest, and the title goes to whoever finishes with the most points after the final race. That means Joey Logano cannot simply focus on beating Larson. He must also pass the drivers who currently stand between them.

After Phoenix, Bell was only five points behind Larson. Chase Briscoe trailed by 24, Denny Hamlin by 31, and Blaney by 40. Logano was 44 points back. Seven drivers were separated by just 56 points, with Reddick in seventh after his victory. One bad afternoon for the leader had changed the entire championship picture.

Logano put the challenge plainly.

“The facts is where we are, three races left and 44 back and you’re sixth, right? It’s one thing if we were second, 44 back, which we have a lot of cars in front of us, we gotta pass to do that too.”

Blaney is a more immediate problem for Joey Logano since he is ahead of Logano in fifth, only four points clear of his teammate. Both drivers are after the same championship, but they cannot assume that one driver’s progress will automatically help the other. If Blaney scores heavily while Logano finishes in the middle of the pack, the No. 22 team could lose ground even when the overall gap to Larson shrinks.

The next stop is Talladega Superspeedway on October 25, followed by Martinsville Speedway on November 1 and Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 8. Logano has won at all three tracks, so the schedule offers genuine opportunities to make a move. However, Talladega will test Logano in a different way. Cars run in tight drafting packs, and one mistake can trigger a crash involving several contenders.

NASCAR is also returning to Talladega with a 3.5-inch rear spoiler, half the size used during the spring race. The reduced rear downforce should give drivers more freedom to maneuver through the pack. That could help Joey Logano move forward, but it also leaves the race vulnerable to sudden changes. Stage points will matter, and so will staying out of trouble long enough to compete for the win.

Logano needs a strong result regardless of what Larson or Bell does. Another race with plenty of stage points but no win may not be enough. He can control how aggressively his team races and whether it converts speed into points. Phoenix proved the No. 22 Ford can run at the front. It also showed how quickly a promising day can fall short of its potential.

The next three races will decide whether Joey Logano can turn that speed into a championship run. He has already closed a 92-point gap to 44. Now, he needs more than another recovery drive. He needs to finish the job.