RICHMOND, Va. – Make no mistakes about it, Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Joey Logano knows what is at stakes in Saturday night’s Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond Raceway.
Logano is on the outside of the playoff cutline and his survival to contend for a Cup championship relies on his ability to take his No. 22 American Red Cross Ford back to Victory Lane.
“We know what we have to do,” said Logano. “We know that the only option is to win. Have our cars been off a little compared to where they have been in past years? Yes. I would be lying if I said they weren’t. Richmond is one of those places where we can carry some speed.”
Of course, if not for an encumbered finish for a rear suspension issue after winning April’s Toyota Owners 400, Logano wouldn’t be feeling the pressure to win, but now Logano says anything but a win in the final race of the regular season is a failure.”
“We are in a do-or-die situation,” added Logano. “Anytime you can win a race in that situation, there is no better feeling than that. Also returning here after our win in the spring and obviously the drama that followed, it would be very nice to be able to get back in victory lane and prove a point. I don’t see any reason why we can’t.
“Second place is a failure when you look at the goal this week. It is win or nothing. We have to race that way. Hopefully, it all works out. We will just have to wait and see.”
Many anticipated that Logano would have already scored a non-encumbered win this season before Saturday night’s 26th race of the season, but Logano’s No. 22 Team Penske Ford has struggled to muster performances during the summer months that would not only put them in contention for another win but top-10 finishes.
Still, Logano is confident that he can perform in a must-win situation and excel.
“I was watching the spring race on the way up here,” added Logano. “We had a good car. Brad (Keselowski) had a really fast car and we battled up front for the win and finished 1-2. That wasn’t that long ago. This is a short track which seems to kind of mask some of the challenges we have had with our cars.
“When I look at those things I feel confident that this is a race track that if we do everything right, it won’t be easy by any means, but if we do everything right we can squeak one out.”
There’s that one question the remains post-Richmond. Should Logano win his way into the 10-race postseason playoffs, will he have the speed to win?
Of course, Logano has documented himself that his Team Penske has been missing the beat when it comes to speed. However, the 18-time Cup winners says his team can get back on track when it counts most.
“Yeah. I have thought about this some,” noted Logano. “The first round in the playoffs may be — I don’t want to say easier but maybe a little easier than getting in at this point. This is a challenging thing to try to get into the playoffs. There are a lot of fast cars trying to get in. You don’t typically see this many good cars that have this type of speed being knocked out at this point.
“Getting in is maybe the most challenging part. After that it is the playoffs we typically see. If you can tie together three strong races anyone can get there. The opportunity is the same for everybody once you get into it.”
Even if Logano finds himself one of the four championship contenders come Homestead-Miami in November, the 27-year-old says his team can get to championship caliber status.
“I feel like we can get there,” said Logano. “Do I think we are there right now? Obviously not. We aren’t even in the playoffs. I wouldn’t say we are at that spot. I have seen this sport go through big swings within the period of four or five races where all of a sudden other cars get super fast and the fast cars kind of fall off. It is all about the timing. I never think that we are not. Not for very long at least.
“Anything can happen.”
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
