RICHMOND, Va. — Joey Logano’s summer surge continued Saturday night at Richmond Raceway, and with it came another reminder that the No. 22 Team Penske Ford remains one of NASCAR’s most dangerous championship contenders.
Logano held off a charging Chase Briscoe over the closing laps to win the Cook Out 400, scoring his second NASCAR Cup Series victory of the 2026 season and the 39th of his career. The triumph ended a string of near-misses at Richmond, a track where Logano and crew chief Paul Wolfe have consistently shown race-winning speed but often left without the trophy.
“This is sweet redemption today,” Logano said after climbing from his Shell Pennzoil Ford in Victory Lane.
The victory was especially satisfying considering how dominant Team Penske’s No. 22 team has been at Richmond in recent years. Logano noted his team had brought winning-caliber cars to Richmond several times, only to watch opportunities slip away.
“We’ve had a great car here the last five races. We haven’t been able to capitalize on the win. Been so close,” Logano said. “Awesome to see the speed in the 22 again.”
The race unfolded as a classic Richmond strategy battle, with tire management, pit strategy and long-run speed ultimately deciding the outcome. Briscoe appeared to have the fastest car during portions of the final stage and repeatedly closed the gap on Logano in the closing laps.
“The 19 was better than us that last run,” Logano admitted. “I was trying to just manage the tires, able to get that gap. Kind of a fun back-and-forth battle.”
Logano led 95 laps and spent much of the evening among the frontrunners, trading the lead with several contenders throughout the 400-lap event. There were 29 lead changes among 10 different drivers, underscoring how competitive the race became as varying pit strategies came into play.
The final run provided plenty of drama.
Briscoe, driving the No. 19 Toyota, steadily reeled in Logano after a late-round cycle of pit stops. For a moment, it appeared the Joe Gibbs Racing driver might complete the comeback. Instead, Logano dug deep, managed his tire wear and held the lead when it mattered most.
“He was faster,” Logano said. “I kind of took off there. Okay, I’m going to be okay, I just have to pass the 20. I just fell off harder the last run there. It was a cat-and-mouse game there, back and forth.”
Briscoe crossed the finish line just 0.392 seconds behind Logano after leading 171 laps, the most of any driver. While disappointed, Briscoe could take solace in both a career-best Richmond performance and the fact that he officially clinched a spot in the NASCAR Playoffs.
“I thought that last run I was a little bit better than him,” Briscoe said. “One bad run … was ultimately the difference.”
Austin Cindric completed a strong night for Team Penske by finishing third, giving the organization two cars on the podium. Denny Hamlin came home fourth despite entering the weekend as the championship leader, while Chase Elliott rounded out the top five.
Christopher Bell salvaged seventh after battling handling issues throughout the evening. Bell felt strategy might place him in contention late, but ultimately lacked the speed to challenge the leaders.
“We probably took a 12th-place car and finished seventh with it,” Bell said. “Whenever Joey and Chase caught me with 20 or 30 to go, I was bummed.”
For Logano, the significance of the win extended beyond the trophy. Entering Richmond outside the top 10 in the regular-season standings, every point carried added importance. By night’s end, the victory boosted him to ninth in the standings as the playoff push intensifies.
Asked whether the No. 22 team should once again be viewed as a legitimate championship threat, Logano offered a confident answer.
“I think so. We got a strong team, no doubt,” he said. “We’re pretty strong right now. Don’t let the boys get hot.”
With nine top-10 finishes and two victories this season, Logano’s momentum is building at exactly the right time. The Richmond victory also marked his third career Cup Series win at the historic short track and his 21st top-10 finish there.