![\"Joey](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/GettyImages-2069505944-e1710622519757.jpg\")
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Former NASCAR Cup champion Joey Logano finds himself falling back.<\/p>\n
Joey Logano left no doubts about his plans during the weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. As the NASCAR<\/a> Cup Series Round of 8 had started, the defending champion<\/a> did not simply turn up; he demonstrated that he remains one of the most dangerous riders in the game.<\/p>\n After advancing with a clutch win at Charlotte\u2019s Roval<\/a>, Logano carried that momentum into Vegas<\/a>, calling this year\u2019s playoff field the most competitive in years. In his words, \u201cevery one of them\u201d has what it takes to win the championship. It\u2019s a statement that now feels even truer after a weekend packed with hard racing and playoff tension.<\/p>\n \u201cI wouldn\u2019t say there\u2019s any surprises in the Round of 8 here,\u201d Logano said<\/a> during a pre-race media session. \u201cI think they\u2019re all capable of winning the championship this year, every one of them. There\u2019s none that are like, \u2018Wow, I can\u2019t believe this guy made it this far.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Team Penske driver, who won a stunning close call overtime race at Charlotte in the Roval, is now in third place in the points heading to Vegas. His victory ensured that he proceeded to the playoffs and provided Ford and Team Penske with another opportunity to retain their newfound streak of championships.<\/p>\n Joey Logano Confident in a Battle of Equals<\/p>\n Joey Logano isn\u2019t buying the idea that there\u2019s a clear frontrunner. \u201cYou\u2019ve got the best eight teams going for it. It\u2019s gonna be a battle right to the end,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t see a clear favorite or clear like this person is gonna kill them all. It seems like it\u2019s gonna be close all the way to the end.\u201d<\/p>\n The Round of 8 features a hellacious stint, Las Vegas, Homestead-Miami, and Martinsville, then the Championship 4 at Phoenix Raceway<\/a> on November 2. There is talent in the mix of playoffs with Kyle Larson<\/a>, William Byron, Denny Hamlin<\/a>, Ryan Blaney<\/a>, Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick<\/a>, Chase Elliott, and Alex Bowman. They both have a title, big major wins, or a history of good postseason performance.<\/p>\n Eyes on the Big Trophy<\/p>\n Joey Logano\u2019s no stranger to playoff pressure. With three titles already under his belt (2018, 2022, and 2024), he\u2019s gunning for a fourth, and he\u2019s not shy about his mindset. \u201cHonestly, I don\u2019t care how we get in. I don\u2019t really care how we win the championship,\u201d he said<\/a>. \u201cI just want to win. It\u2019s about the big trophy at the end of the day. That\u2019s all that matters.\u201d<\/p>\n That attitude mirrors the gritty drive that\u2019s defined Logano\u2019s 17 playoff appearances. His resilience, according to team owner Roger Penske, is what keeps Team Penske in the title picture year after year. \u201cHe performs under pressure,\u201d Penske recently said, praising Logano\u2019s leadership during Ford\u2019s push for another championship run.<\/p>\n Logano Chases Fourth NASCAR Cup Series Championship<\/p>\n At 35, Joey Logano\u2019s already among NASCAR\u2019s elite, one of only 11 drivers to earn three or more Cup titles, alongside icons like Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. But he\u2019s not looking backward. This Round of 8, he knows, will come down to execution, pit calls, tire strategy, and track position.<\/p>\n With no clear favorite, fans can expect fireworks. As engines roar in Vegas, Logano\u2019s confidence sets the tone: \u201cThey\u2019re all capable of winning the championship this year, every one of them.\u201d<\/p>\n So, will he be the one hoisting a fourth trophy, or will a new champion rise? The chase is on, and the stakes have never been higher.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tDogli Wilberforce<\/a> is a sports writer who covers NASCAR, Formula 1 and IndyCar Series for Heavy Sports. With bylines at Total Apex Sports and Last Word on Sports, Wilberforce has built a reputation for delivering timely, engaging coverage that blends sharp analysis with accessible storytelling. Wilberforce has covered everything from major football transfers to fight-night drama, bringing readers the insight and context behind the headlines. More about Dogli Wilberforce<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on NASCAR\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Images Former NASCAR Cup champion Joey Logano finds himself falling back. Joey Logano left no doubts about…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":212303,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[446],"tags":[49,48,634,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-212302","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nascar","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-nascar","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212302","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=212302"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212302\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/212303"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=212302"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=212302"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=212302"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}