Second race of NASCAR Playoffs could be 'Gateway' to Joey Logano's fourth title

Despite a lackluster race at Darlington, this weekend might be the place where Joey Logano makes his first move towards Phoenix. The Cup Series has only raced at World Wide Technology Raceway a few times, but it might be Logano’s “Gateway” to the Championship 4.

The game plan for Team Penske the last three years with the NASCAR Playoffs is simple: win early and focus on tracks that play to strengths. Joey Logano is perhaps better at executing that strategy than anyone.

When a driver wins early in a round, they advance. If you win the first or second race of the round, you have at least one extra week of preparation for the next round of races. This weekend at Gateway presents a great opportunity for Logano.

Compared to his peers, Logano is fantastic at the unique one-mile track. One win and a top-five in each of the three Cup Series races there over the last few seasons. His average finish of 3.0 is best in the series.

Joey Logano is second in both average running position and laps in the top-15. He is third-best in driver rating at the track as well. When you look at Ryan Blaney and Austin Cindric’s stats at the track, they are also highly rated in all those categories. Blaney has the best average running position in the series at Gateway.

Can Joey Logano do it again?

If I were drawing up Joey Logano’s perfect trip through the NASCAR Playoffs, it would probably look something like this: win at Gateway, focus on New Hampshire with the extra week of prep. Win at New Hampshire. From there, it’s a familiar path. Win Las Vegas and win Phoenix.

Of course, it’s easier said than done. In 2023, things didn’t play out that way for Logano. In 2024, he went from winning Atlanta in the first race of the first round he barely made his way to the Round of 8 on points. He won at Vegas, and then, he put it away at Phoenix.

All it takes is one win. One opportunity is all that Joey Logano needs to go from playoff driver to championship contender. He’s not in a great points position right now, but isn’t that right where he likes to be?

If Team Penske has taught NASCAR fans anything, it’s that they can build momentum quickly. When it comes to the Playoffs, Logano, Blaney, and even Cindric, can make deep runs and upset other drivers on the way. Is Gateway the race we look back on and see as the first step in Logano’s fourth or Blaney’s second championship?