Joey Logano’s wrecked No. 22 Hunt Brothers Ford gets towed back to the garage. (Photo: Landen Ciardullo | The Podium Finish)
AVONDALE, Ariz. — Joey Logano has had a start to forget in 2024. Sunday’s Shriners Children’s 500 at Phoenix Raceway only continued the slump.
After a lackluster opening 204 laps, the Middletown, Connecticut, driver’s day came to an end after getting spun by John Hunter Nemechek.
His 34th place finish dropped him from 24th to 30th in NASCAR Cup Series points standings.
“I think I just got hit from behind,” Logano said. “We weren’t running well anyway, but this doesn’t make it any better.”
Sunday was the first race with the new short-track package, and many wondered if this would be where they new Mustang Dark Horsess showed what they could do.
Instead, it was Toyota dominating the weekend as Ford continued their struggles.
The issues for Logano started Saturday, as he qualified 23rd, his first start of the year off of the front row.
Representing Hunt Brother’s Pizza for the first time, the No. 22 team served up an undercooked performance. Logano quickly found himself a lap down, never running higher than 18th and failing to record a single top-15 fastest lap.
Logano has three wins in the desert, including the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Championship. Since that race, he hasn’t recorded a top-10 at the track, while teammate Ryan Blaney has three top-fives.
Paul Wolfe and the No. 22 crew push the Hunt Brother’s Pizza Ford out to the grid. (Photo: Landen Ciardullo | The Podium Finish)
The race finally came to end when Logano was taken out by Nemechek in Turn 1 while battling for the free pass. The incident also ended the days of Derek Kraus and Corey LaJoie.
Nemechek admitted fault for the accident, which doesn’t help much to repair the wrecked race car or points deficit Logano now finds himself in.
“You have to lift the corners,” Logano said. “You can’t hold it wide open around Phoenix. Maybe he should take a look and realize he can’t do that. He drove straight into the back of me. He needs to be man enough to own up to that.”
With 15% of the regular season in the rear view mirror, Logano doesn’t have much time to right the ship. However, the next race might not be the best opportunity.
This Sunday, the NASCAR Cup Series welcomes the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway, this time, from the dirt to the concrete surface. Logano has two Bristol wins on concrete, but his last top-five at the track came in April 2019, where he ran third behind the Busch brothers.
Regardless, the race offers Logano an opportunity at redemption, both after this week and his wreck in the fall that ended his playoff push. Given his current skid, Logano may need some luck of the Irish for the St. Patrick’s Day race.
