Joey Logano makes his feelings clear for intense playoff round after a strong Las Vegas run

Joey Logano demonstrated a commendable outing at the South Point 400, executing a proper Day 1 effort in the opening race of the Round of 8 playoffs. He reflected on his 6th-place finish and said that the “intensity” only gets higher as the season approaches its climax.

While he was not in a position to contend for the win, Logano was in reasonable contention throughout the race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. With just a few laps left in the race and another late restart on the horizon, Logano found himself in a strong position. At the time of the restart, several drivers, including race winner Denny Hamlin in sixth, made decisions with respect to a new tire strategy. Hamlin made his way through the pack on fresher tires, easily passing Logano as he navigated to the front before passing Kyle Larson and Chase Briscoe for the victory.

Joey Logano tweeted:

"We fought hard yesterday in Vegas, by scoring points in Stage 1 & 2, and ultimately crossing the finish line in 6th-place. We had strong moments at times throughout the day, and Paul’s great call on the last stop was key to help improve our track position in the final laps. The intensity only amplifies from here. Bring on Talladega… #NASCARPlayoffs"

Joey Logano commenced his 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season as the reigning champion, marking his third title defense following the championship he won in 2024. The Team Penske pilot endured a difficult start to the season as he finished 35th in the Daytona 500 after a late crash and was disqualified at Talladega when intentional alterations to his car, including a missing spoiler bolt, were discovered in post-race inspection following a fifth-place finish.

Logano nevertheless found success during the season, winning the next race in Texas and finishing in the top three in the following three outings before eventually making it to the playoffs. However, the path to the Championship 4 gets increasingly daunting at this stage as he must win one of the two remaining races in the Round of 8 (Talladega or Martinsville), which would automatically qualify him.

Another option would be to recover at least 24 points on Chase Briscoe over the next two races to advance on points. Joey Logano must also outscore William Byron and Chase Elliott, who are currently closer to the cutline than he is.

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Joey Logano faces a must-win reality after a daring two-tire gamble leaves him 24 points below cutoff

Joey Logano finished sixth in the South Point 400 at Las Vegas, leaving him 24 points below the playoff cutline with two races remaining in the Round of 8.

Starting from the 17th position, the three-time Cup Series champion's crew chief, Paul Wolfe, made a bold strategic call to take only two tires during the final pit stop, which allowed him to gain 11 spots and start on the front row of the final restart. However, the gamble ultimately fell short as he couldn't maintain track position, citing a lack of a push from the No. 48 car that would have given him clean air to run away from the field. Joey Logano said while speaking to Bob Pockrass:

“Well it’s a roll of the dice thing. But I mean, I had a chance, right? Gosh, like the first restart. I mean, at the point of caution, my nose is ahead of the 19... and then the last restart, I just needed a push on the back stretch from the 48 or him to go three wide on the 19. Do something besides pushing and he pushed him... I mean, the only hope is to get clean air and run and hide. But, once we didn't get the clean air then it's just try not to bleed spots.”

The timing of the caution on Lap 232 due to William Byron's crash forced the critical call, and the multi-car incident on the restart bunched the field again, saving tires for the 14-lap sprint.

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Edited by Riddhiman Sarkar