MARTINSVILLE, Va. — If Joey Logano needed to defend his 2024 NASCAR Cup Sequence championship, he first wanted to win Sunday at Martinsville Speedway to advance from the Spherical of 8.
His No. 22 Crew Penske Ford was sturdy however not sufficient to contend for the victory, main Logano to an eighth-place end within the Xfinity 500, eliminating him from the NASCAR Playoffs and ending his title reign.
MORE: Race outcomes | Championship 4 set
Crew Penske had received every of the final three Cup Sequence championships — two with Logano (2022, 2024) and one with Ryan Blaney (2023). Each fell quick at Martinsville regardless of a formidable drive from Blaney, leaving Crew Penske out of the Championship 4 for the primary time since 2021.
“What we did was nice,” Logano mentioned. “Sadly, none of us are going to win it this yr. That sucks. I don‘t know tips on how to put it another manner. It hurts. It’s what it’s. It hurts as a result of we care.”
Logano was one of many day‘s finest drivers, averaging a fourth-best working place of 6.07 in Sunday‘s 500-lapper. However an earlier restart during which Hendrick Motorsports teammates William Byron and Chase Elliott cooperated to permit one to fit in entrance of the opposite getting into Flip 1 left Logano trapped.
“I really feel like I misplaced management when the Hendrick vehicles pulled the okie-dokie in entrance of me and I selected the within lane, which put me third and that‘s what let the 12 (Blaney) rise up there,” Logano mentioned. “And you then simply form of get caught in soiled air. I‘m kicking myself on that call, however exterior of that, we simply weren‘t quick sufficient. That‘s the underside line. We weren‘t ok to drive again via both manner, however I believed I might have had an opportunity if possibly I might have made that higher earlier within the race.”
These moments spotlight the depth of what Sunday‘s race introduced. All 4 of Logano, Blaney, Elliott and Byron wanted to win for an opportunity to advance to the Championship 4, and all 4 have been working first via fourth on the race monitor. That was no shock to Logano.
“I imply you form of anticipated it,” Logano mentioned. “You get to this a part of the yr within the Spherical of 8, you‘ve obtained eight of one of the best vehicles and that‘s what you see.”
A warning at Lap 398 introduced Logano to pit highway with fellow playoff contender Christopher Bell, with solely 4 others deciding to pit. Neither have been in a position to carve via the sphere on their more energizing tires, although, stagnating within the again half of the highest 10.
“It appeared like proper on the finish of that run, the highest 5 vehicles began tanking,” Logano mentioned, “but it surely looks as if the tires would fall off after which they‘d form of keep for some time, after which they‘d run out of rubber and they might fall off large. They‘d tank and by the point we handed a few vehicles — you employ up numerous tire to go vehicles, then everybody is identical pace after which they began tanking proper on the finish, after which the warning got here out. You‘ve obtained to do one thing completely different. You possibly can‘t do the identical.”
This yr marks the top of an period with no Fords and no Crew Penske entries within the Championship 4, with the assure that both a Hendrick or Joe Gibbs Racing automotive will take residence the 2025 crown.
“Bummed. I don‘t know if there‘s one other phrase for it,” Logano mentioned. “I‘m simply bummed that one in every of us didn‘t make it. Everybody works arduous sufficient to need to be there. We simply couldn‘t get the job completed immediately, or actually the final three races. That‘s what it comes all the way down to.
“The 4 there need to be there. That‘s how I all the time have a look at it and this yr we didn‘t need to be there.”
