Joey Logano heads to the Charlotte Motor Speedway for a pivotal playoff race on the Roval. He is above the cutline entering the Round of 12 elimination race, but he faces a dilemma.

Does he try to go for the win by flipping the stages, or does he stay out on the track and try to build up as much of a cushion as possible? He only has a 13-point cushion to the cutline and Ross Chastain, the first driver out of the Round of 8 on points.

This is by no means an insurmountable hurdle for Chastain. Logano could easily fall below the cutline early in Sunday’s playoff race if he has a mechanical issue, lacks speed, or gets collected in a multi-car incident.

“Yeah, depending on how the cautions fall more than likely you’re probably gonna have to pick one or the other, so it’s what are you trying to accomplish,” Logano asked ahead of the playoff weekend.

The three-time Cup Series champion is no stranger to this situation. He faced a very similar dilemma last season as he prepared for the Roval elimination race. However, the big difference is that he entered the playoff race 13 points below the cutline and Chase Elliott.

Photo credit: Nigel Kinrade Photography

Logano went out in pursuit of points early at the Charlotte Roval. He stayed out on track and finished second in stage 1 behind Tyler Reddick, one of the drivers he needed to chase down in order to advance in the playoffs. He then finished third in stage 2 behind Alex Bowman and AJ Allmendinger.

Logano ended the race in eighth place and actually failed to advance to the Round of 8 despite scoring 46 points on the day. He could not overtake Reddick in the playoff standings.

The situation drastically changed hours after Kyle Larson celebrated a dominant win. NASCAR officials disqualified Bowman after the No. 48 failed post-race inspection. This eliminated Bowman from the playoffs, added one more point to Logano’s total, and put the Team Penske driver back into championship contention.

As history shows, Logano went on to win the Round of 8 opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He then won the championship race at Phoenix Raceway to secure his third title.

Logano can’t bank on another driver disqualification this season at the Charlotte Roval, and it is possible that he could contend for the win at a track where he has six top-10 finishes in seven starts, as well as a runner-up finish.

However, Shane van Gisbergen will enter the race as the heavy favorite after he previously celebrated wins this season in Mexico City, on the streets of Chicago, at Sonoma Raceway, and at Watkins Glen International. So chasing points could be the safer option on Sunday afternoon.

This dilemma is common for drivers near the cutline entering the Roval weekend. Logano is far from the only driver to face it in recent seasons. However, how he handles it could directly affect whether he can contend for his fourth Cup Series championship.

 

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