Saturday night was perhaps the most stress-free Bristol night race of Joey Logano’s career, and he had a friend on pit road afterward. With his Round of 12 ticket in hand and Hardy accompanying him on pit road, the NASCAR star had a good time in Tennessee.
Despite finishing 28th, Joey Logano was smiling after last night’s race. He benefited from the win in Atlanta. He wouldn’t have been in such a good position if this Round of 16 had been based solely on Watkins Glen and Bristol.
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When you have a star like Hardy waiting for you in the pit lane, the bad result is not so bad. It looks like everyone had fun.
Joey Logano has won at Bristol in the past. It’s a track where he can usually count on a solid result. At least in the pre-Next Gen era. Since the introduction of the new car, Logano has posted finishes of P27, P34, P22 and P28.
Well, it’s not so bad when you know you can’t retire. Still, it’s interesting to see Logano struggling with the new car at Bristol. Overtaking is almost impossible unless the tire breaks after 50 laps, so that could play a big role.
In the end, all three drivers from Team Penske made it to the next round. Harrison Burton from Wood Brothers Racing, who has an alliance with Penske, did not make it any further.
Joey Logano and teammates from Team Penske advance
Aside from Joey Logano’s win in Atlanta, Team Penske kept a low profile. Ryan Blaney didn’t have a great start to the playoffs due to his retirement at The Glen. But his performances in Atlanta and Bristol more than made up for that.
Austin Cindric was perhaps the most impressive of all. At least based on the expectations of each individual driver. Cindric had two consecutive top-10 finishes to start the playoffs. He was P13 in Bristol. He easily made it to the round of 12.
Logano was the only one of the three drivers who didn’t get two top-10 finishes in the first round. That win was important too. It meant the rest of the round didn’t really matter. I wouldn’t be surprised if Logano comes to Kansas very well prepared. One more win and he’s in the round of eight. At that point, you can taste the championship 4.
Team Penske has won two championships in a row with Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney. Will they win another title for the third year in a row?
