WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (AP) – Joey Logano isn’t quite ready to push the panic button as NASCAR’s playoff season looms.
At least he knows what will ease his mind – winning one of the next five races.
“I’m not sure it’s even a must-win yet, but it’s getting closer to that point,” Logano said Saturday before Cup practice on the road course at Watkins Glen. “This is one of our best shots, but we also have some great racetracks coming up. We’ve won at four of the next five. We know we can do it.”
Logano has a victory already, but NASCAR ruled that his win at Richmond in April was “encumbered,” so it won’t count toward a playoff berth.
Logano has become a fixture in the playoffs and has made the final round two times in the three years the current format has been in place. The only time he failed was when he was intentionally wrecked by Matt Kenseth at Martinsville in 2015. That year, he led the series with six wins and appeared to be the driver to beat.