Joey Logano’s Head Start for the Round of 12 Could Be Pointless With the 2x Champ’s Struggles Out in the Open

Nobody will be betting against Joey Logano. The two-time Cup Series winner had a clutch performance at Atlanta Motor Speedway to win the opening playoff race of the season. His performances leading up to the 2024 Quaker State 400 were nothing out of the ordinary, as he was ranked ninth amongst 16 drivers with just one win at Nashville Superspeedway. Moreover, the Connecticut native performed when it mattered the most, which has been the secret to his success at NASCAR's highest level. With a four-point cushion going into the Round of 12, could Logano maintain his advantage in the upcoming races?

Going by his season so far and the upcoming playoff races, the probability of Logano building on his lead is slim. Joey Logano's 2024 Cup Series season has been topsy-turvy, to say the least. The Team Penske driver struggled in the opening races of the season, largely because of the new body on his Ford Mustang Dark Horse. While he did enter Victory Lane at the 2024 Ally 400, it was one of the few positives he can take from his otherwise lackluster campaign. His record, going into the postseason, was nothing to boast about – with just four top-five and eight top-ten finishes. Yet, he pulled a rabbit out of the hat at Atlanta to secure an automatic berth in the Round of 12.

While Joey Logano holds a significant advantage ahead of the 2024 Hollywood Casino 400, NASCAR YouTuber Eric Estepp isn't hopeful about his chances of making a deep playoff run. Eric said, "There's just been something a little off about Logano all year. Of the remaining playoff drivers, Logano has the fourth fewest top fives, and the third-fewest top tens, and I'm not exaggerating when I say that nearly half of his laps led this year have come at Superspeedway style tracks. Again, if Talladega is by far your best track in this round, I'm not confident."

Estepp may have a point. Joey Logano's reliance on Superspeedway tracks could hamper his playoff hopes. The Team Penske driver hasn't finished in the top 10 on any road courses this year, and with the final Round of 12 race taking place at Charlotte Roval, the 34-year-old will have his work cut out for him at the 2024 Bank of America Roval 400. With five early retirements already, Logano cannot afford any more DNFs in the remaining seven races if he hopes to remain in contention at Phoenix Raceway.

However, Joey Logano also has the experience to dig himself out of a challenging situation. The racing veteran has been there and done that in his 15-year-long Cup Series career and can adapt to the circumstances to secure a result. Logano is currently eighth in the playoff standings, just outside the bubble, four points ahead of Austin Cindric. Given his record at Superspeedways, it won't be surprising if he progresses into the Round of 8 with a win at Talladega.

Joey Logano outlines expectations from upcoming playoff races With the Round of 12 kicking off at Kansas Speedway , the stakes are higher than ever for Joey Logano going into the 2024 Hollywood Casino 400. The 1.5-mile tri-oval has been a happy hunting ground for Logano in the past, as he has won three races on the track but none since 2020. The Team Penske driver has struggled to perform well on the intermediate speedway since the Next-Gen car was introduced and while results haven't been poor, they haven't been great either.

Sharing his expectations from the Round of 12 playoffs, Joey Logano said, "It's just the same stuff. You've got to get some points to survive. Kansas will be important. You've still got Talladega in there, which is quite the wild card, and then the Roval. It's a fairly similar round to what we just went through, so you've got to be able to score some points. We just have to go back to Kansas this weekend and run good. We need to go up there and run in the top five and score stage points and position ourselves solid into the next two races after that."