Autosport Top 50 of 2024: #15 Joey Logano

Joey Logano is now a three-time Cup champion, changing into simply the tenth driver to ever win that many titles. His season was an odd one in fact, however one thing we’ve come to count on from the Penske Ford man.

He was very quiet within the common season, winning just once to make the playoffs. However when the time got here, he did precisely what he wanted to do in an effort to advance via every spherical.

At Phoenix, he held off team-mate Ryan Blaney for the crucial win, as soon as once more snatching the crown out from below a number of drivers who had statistically higher seasons.

Nailing the formulation for playoff success

Joey Logano has an uncanny potential to show common seasons into championship runs, particularly with NASCAR’s present playoff format. In 2024, he earned one top-five end within the first 14 races. In 2022, he was a 3rd of the best way via the season earlier than he even received a race. In 2018, it was the identical story once more, with a single superspeedway victory throughout the entirety of the common season.

However as soon as the playoffs arrived, Logano was all the time able to pounce on the chance in entrance of him, even when he didn’t have the perfect automotive. In every of these three years, he received the title.

Logano has by no means been the preferred champion among the many followers, however his newest title run has some folks notably miffed. His common end of 17.1 is the bottom ever for a Cup champion.

To make it even stranger, he was briefly eradicated within the Spherical of 12 till a post-race technical infraction for Alex Bowman at the Charlotte Roval vaulted Logano again into the fray. And there’s the truth that the win that ensured him a spot within the Championship 4 was collected via a fuel mileage gamble. Logano solely led six laps in Las Vegas.

However the 34-year-old wasn’t going to let criticism around his championship keep him down both, proudly declaring after Phoenix: “I’ve received a fairly candy trophy proper now. I’ll be laughing all the best way to the financial institution.”

He, and by extension Staff Penske, have found out this notoriously unpredictable format, and they need to be revered for that. Penske has now received three consecutive titles and Logano has made the ultimate 4 extra occasions than every other driver.

And whereas it may be argued that Kyle Larson had an objectively better season, that merely doesn’t all the time matter in trendy NASCAR. It’s all about successful in the correct second and Logano is likely one of the finest at rising to the event when the large prize is in sight.

Logano has perfected the artwork of successful on the proper occasions

Picture by: Matthew T. Thacker / NKP / Motorsport Pictures