Joey Logano knows exactly where he lost the points he needed to advance in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs – not that it makes him feel any better.
Logano was eliminated from championship contention Sunday at the Charlotte Roval, coming up short by four points. The final spot went to Tyler Reddick, who used fresh tires in the final run of the race to gain the necessary positions to overtake Logano. As the field ran before the final caution flew with 29 laps to go, Logano was mathematically ahead of Reddick.
The two-time Cup Series champion from Team Penske would have had the tiebreaker had it come down to it. Reddick went from 26th to 11th place at the finish. Logano, who restarted sixth, fell to an eighth-place finish.
“[I feel] angry at the moment, and I guess it’s bittersweet because we still have something to race for through the end of the year with the owner’s championship,” Logano told RACER. “We can still spoil the party a little bit [and] we will fight for that, and I like that part of it.
“But it’s hard not to think about where four points lay, and really it lays on the entry of Turn 3 at Richmond. [That’s] really where it is, so it’s hard not to feel angry right now.”
Richmond Raceway was Aug. 11. Logano led on the last lap going into Turn 3 when he was spun by Austin Dillon, who came from multiple car lengths back to make contact. Dillon needed a win to make the postseason, and he did win the race, but having also made contact with Denny Hamlin in Turn 4, NASCAR stripped his postseason eligibility.
Logano went from first place to 19th from the spin, leaving him with 32 points. A victory that night would have netted Logano five playoff points that he would have carried through the playoffs.
Coincidentally, the final caution Sunday afternoon that allowed Reddick to come to pit road for fresh tires was because of Dillon. The left front wheel left loose during Dillon’s pit stop car came off.
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The race restarted with 26 laps to go. Reddick began picking off one competitor a lap. The gap was four points between Logano and Reddick with 18 laps to go as Logano ran sixth and Reddick was 17th. The gap was gone, and they were tied, with 11 laps to go as Logano fell to seventh place and Reddick was up to 14th.
It was with 12 laps to go when the points swung in Reddick’s direction. The 23XI Racing driver moved up to 12th place while Logano was still seventh. Over the final laps, Reddick kept moving forward. Logano stalled out.
“Once he started forward, I thought we were going to be in trouble there because we weren’t going forward anymore and the rear tires were shot on the car,” Logano said. “I knew they were going to be coming at me.”
Logano’s No. 22 is still eligible for the owner’s championship while Reddick, although he beat Logano in the driver’s championship hunt, is eliminated in the owner’s hunt. Reddick’s No. 45 car did not have as many playoff points in the owner’s championship because it didn’t win the regular season championships (Kyle Larson’s No. 5 car did).
That’s the small solace Logano has leaving Charlotte.
“We’ve still got a lot to fight for,” he said. “We have a chance at winning the silent championship that still pays really well, so we’ll go for that.”