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NASCAR Monday Mash-Up: Joey Logano gets the last laugh

JHby: Jonathan Howard05/05/25Jondean25
Joey Logano Texas NASCAR win
Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

A Wild West weekend at Texas Motor Speedway for the three NASCAR national series ended with three overtime finishes. From the grass in the infield to the bumps on the track, there were plenty of wrecks, spins, and other moments.

After 12 weeks of racing, the NASCAR Xfinity Series is finally taking a break. They will return in two weeks, but went into the break on a high note, in my opinion.

Before we go to Kansas later this week, let’s recap the NASCAR weekend from Texas. Another week that left fans wondering what it will take to fix the Next Gen car.

Mowing the grass at Texas

Starting the race weekend with Friday night truckin’ is my favorite. A nice night race in the Craftsman Truck Series is a great way to spend a couple of hours with a few cold beers and friends.

However, I didn’t know we were going to see lawn mowers on the track! At least, drivers like Gio Ruggiero tried to use their race trucks to mow the grass. It didn’t work out.

Frankie Muniz is tired of the early exits

If you pick one radio to listen to during NASCAR Truck Series races, pick Frankie Muniz. He is a happy-go-lucky guy for the most part. His radio chatter is usually light-hearted and fun.

Then, there is the other side. Muniz lost his cool after another disappointing DNF. When it comes to mechanical issues and on-track mistakes, Frankie just can’t get out of the middle of it all.

Heim Time once again in NASCAR Truck race at Texas

By the end of a very interesting Truck Series race, it was Heim Time once again. He had to earn this one, despite having the dominant truck in the race.

Heim was challenged by Daniel Hemric and Ben Rhodes in overtime. They were all three-wide at one point. The Tricon Garage driver wouldn’t be denied, not this time. Leading more than half of the race, Heim ended the night in Victory Lane.

Mowing the grass at Texas 2.0

Well, it wasn’t just the Truck Series that found the grass in the Texas quad-oval. The Xfinity Series did the same thing!

In the Xfinity race, Josh Williams cut into the grass behind a couple of other cars that went through it just ahead of him. Williams didn’t make it out. He spun out, and 11 total cars were involved in this wreck.

Kyle Larson takes down Xfinity drivers

In another overtime race, Kyle Larson won over the Xfinity Series field. Larson went around Sam Mayer to take the lead in the second overtime after Mayer had issues going into Turn 1 on the restart.

Larson had a great car, but Justin Allgaier was the driver to beat. That is, until he found himself wrecking into Kris Wright, who was about 5 MPH off the pace. Allgaier had held Larson off until the green flag stops in the final stage.

Carson Hocevar earns first career pole

In a big-time performance in qualifying, Carson Hocevar won his first career pole award in the NASCAR Cup Series. The fact that he did it at Texas makes it more impressive. It takes a bit of skill to get the pole at the sketchy track.

Hocevar is showing that his raw speed is fantastic. He has to put it all together in a race, though. He ended up in a late-race wreck with Ryan Preece, which earned him plenty of ire from the RFK Racing driver.

When will Kasey Kahne be back?

During the pre-race show, Kasey Kahne was talking to the FOX guys. He served as the Honorary Pace Car driver for the Cup Series race. Kahne was also asked about his NASCAR future at Texas.

Kahne says that he hopes to race in the Xfinity Series again. He had a great time at Rockingham. Whether that happens this year or next year remains to be seen.

Where did that kangaroo come from?

Seemingly out of nowhere, Jamie McMurray was able to get his hands on a baby kangaroo? More importantly, he was giving it a bottle of watered-down cranberry juice while it was wearing a checkered flag diaper.

When you’re in Texas, you never know what you will see. They raise everything down there in the Lone Star State. But it was a bit shocking to see a kangaroo on the screen on Sunday.

Denny Hamlin and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Well…Denny Hamlin was at Texas this weekend. That’s about all you can say about his time at the track. Hamlin signed a fan’s forehead, threw horns down during intros, had an insane pit road penalty and miscommunication over code words, and then his car caught on fire.

Hamlin’s day was done before the end of Stage 1. The fire was a bit scary as his car was engulfed in black smoke, likely from the oil pan. A very forgettable weekend for the 11 team.

Joey Logano punches playoff ticket after horrid start to 2025

From P27 to P1! Joey Logano secured his 37th career win in the Cup Series and a ticket to the 2025 playoffs. Despite a horrid start to the season, Logano is back in Victory Lane and ready to compete for a championship.

Many NASCAR fans are groaning and thinking, ‘This is it, this is how he does it again.’ Let’s pump the brakes on that, for now. The playoffs have different races this year, and a slightly different order in the first couple of rounds. Logano is going to have to really earn it this year.