The playoff weekend at Kansas Speedway started well for Joey Logano, a two-time NASCAR champion. However, the playoff race went awry and created an uncomfortable future for the Team Penske driver.
Logano kicked off the weekend by qualifying fifth at Kansas, a track where he has three Cup wins. He then scored nine points in the opening stage.
It appeared that Logano would be back in contention the win once again, but multiple setbacks led to him crossing the line 14th. He struggled with handling as the race continued. He also had to make an unscheduled stop on pit road to fix a loose wheel.
Now, he is only four points above the cutline with two races remaining in the Round of 12.
"At least we scored good stage points in the first stage but we got nothing in the second stage, unfortunately," Logano said after the race.
"We battled back from that loose wheel and got back to 14th. We just have to go to Talladega and be solid again. It isn't going to be a comfortable next two weeks, that's for sure."
This start of the Round of 12 couldn't have been more different for the veteran driver than the start of the Round of 16.
Logano kicked off the playoffs by winning the race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He was the first driver to punch his ticket to the second round, and he did so while locking up five additional playoff points.
This win at Atlanta meant that he could just breeze through the pressure-filled races at Watkins Glen International and Bristol Motor Speedway.
This time, however, Logano has to worry about a wild card race at Talladega Superspeedway and a road course race at the reconfigured Charlotte Roval.
The uncomfortable feeling could also involve the drivers above and below Logano in the Cup Series standings. He currently holds the final spot in the Round of 8. Chase Elliott is also four points above the cutline, but he has the tiebreaker due to finishing five spots ahead.
Tyler Reddick is the first driver out of a playoff spot. He is four points behind Logano and Elliott after finishing 26th and missing out on stage points.
All three of these drivers will be ones to watch at Talladega, a true wild card. They all have success at the track, but they also have frustrating losses.
Logano has three wins at the Alabama track, but he has not finished better than 19th in the five Next Gen races there.
Elliott has two wins at Talladega, including the 2022 playoff race, but he finished 15th in this season's spring race.
Reddick has one win at the track, which he secured this spring while taking advantage of a crash on the final lap. However, this was his first top-10 finish at Talladega since the 2021 spring race.