Joey Logano on 2nd-place finish: ‘We haven’t had a run like that in a while’
RICHMOND, Va. — No matter what happened Sunday night in Richmond, nothing could shake Joey Logano out of the top 10.
Save for a few laps, Logano stayed in the top 10 through green-flag pit stops that shuffled strategies and jumbled up the running order multiple times. He started 10th, placed fifth and third in the first two stages and finished second.
It was a breakout night for Logano. In the first six NASCAR Cup Series races of 2024, he had only two finishes better than 22nd – and a best finish of ninth.
“This is definitely the hardest start to a season we’ve had. But last week we started scratching and clawing and got a little bit of momentum through the last three races. That ultimately got us here to where we were in the hunt again. It feels good,” Logano said.
While Logano was happy to run well, he was a little disappointed. In overtime, he lined up behind leader Denny Hamlin who, in NASCAR’s eyes, timed the restart right and ultimately grabbed a win from teammate Martin Truex Jr.
“I didn’t get a good enough restart. I really wanted to pressure them down into one and force them to work up [Martin] Truex Jr., but I spun my tires there just trying to stay with them and that ultimately cost me to be close enough to do something,” Logano said.
“We haven’t had a run like that in a while, but it also stings to be that close and not capitalize on the win,” he added.
The second-place finish is Logano’s best since finishing runner-up at Loudon last July – 23 races ago. He also spent the most time in the top 15 (99.5% of the race) since he clinched the 2022 Cup Series title with a win in the finale at Phoenix Raceway.
The stage points meant he earned the third-most points Sunday night (49), lifting him from -33 points to the playoff cutline to -14 after Richmond.
“It’s Richmond. It’s our best racetrack as a team, so we expect to run good here. I don’t know if this completely takes us out of the deep end. Ultimately, I think it’s a good momentum-builder for sure,” Logano said.
Martinsville Speedway is next – and it is perfect for Joey Logano and his newfound momentum.
Last fall, Logano finished fifth after placing ninth and fourth in the stages, bagging him the fourth-most points of anyone in the field that day.
The Cook Out 400 goes green this Sunday, April 7, at 3 p.m. ET, at Martinsville on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Logano finished second to Kyle Larson in this race last year.
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com