Joey Logano on the bottom lane during the DAYTONA 500 on Sunday, February 16, 2025. (Photo: Donald Jenney | The Podium Finish)
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – From the drop of the green flag, defending NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano was a clear favorite to win Sunday’s DAYTONA 500, but misfortune quickly caught up with him as the night progressed.
Within the first few laps of the race, Logano was one of the first drivers to jump to the third outside lane. His momentum built as he pushed fellow Team Penske teammate Austin Cindric towards the front of the field.
Following a lengthy, but somewhat expected rain delay at Lap 10, the No. 22 and the rest of the 41-car field took to the track as the sun went down. Some drivers elected to pit during the caution laps to top off with fuel. The No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford team decided not to stop, allowing Logano to lead the pack to the restart.
On Lap 31, the middle lane started to come alive and the No. 8 Chevrolet of Kyle Busch was marching towards the lead. Logano moved to block the middle lane, but did not have enough speed to make it back to the top. He was eventually able to find a gap in the top lane and make his way back up to the front.
Logano flawlessly blocked both lanes of traffic on the journey towards his first ever Daytona 500 stage win. He led 38 out of the 62 laps thus far. After a smooth four-tire and fuel pit stop during the stage break, he lined up at the head of the outside lane for the restart.
Unfortunately, it seemed as though the No. 22 could not get out of its own way at the drop of the green flag. It was thought that Logano had missed a shift, but he quickly came on the radio saying that the car “petered out”. The sudden loss of momentum stacked up the top lane, resulting in a crash towards the back of the field, collecting the likes of Ross Chastain, Helio Castroneves and polesitter Chase Briscoe, to name a few.
Joey Logano and the No. 22 Team Penske Shell Pennzoil Ford in the pack during the DAYTONA 500 on Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025. (Photo: Donald Jenney | The Podium Finish)
Logano brought the faltering No. 22 to pit road under caution. Crew chief Paul Wolfe called for an ECU change when data showed that the car was idling at an astonishing 6,000 RPM. After the quick computer swap and the race restart, Logano came on the radio reporting that the car was still not right. Instead of idling too high, the car was now running 1,000 RPM lower than it should have been, slowing the car to 20 MPH off the pace.
Wolfe’s next call was to replace the throttle body and this turned out to be the antidote for the No. 22’s mechanical malfunction.
By the end of Stage 2, Logano fought his way from the back of the field to ninth place. During the stage break, the crew took the time to replace the airbox. However, pit road was not open at the time that he came to his stall, so the No. 22 was forced to restart at the back of the field for Stage 3.
With under 20 laps to go in the race, Logano was at the head of the top lane, careening towards the top 10. Tempers started to flare as the end of the race quickly drew near. As Logano moved to the charging middle lane, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. blocked him from moving forward. The No. 22 moved a little farther down the track towards the bottom in an attempt to find an opening, but Stenhouse shut the door on Logano’s effort to pass.
The result was the end of eight contenders’ hopes for the DAYTONA 500 victory. Both Logano and Stenhouse spun out, along with then-second-place-runner Ryan Blaney, the competitive No. 8 of Busch, Brad Keselowski, Noah Gragson, Todd Gilliland and Chase Elliott.
“It just seemed like the No. 47 had a bit of an indecisive moment,” Logano said in an interview after he was released from the care center. “That’s what gets you in trouble at times is when you’ve got to pick one (lane).
“We had a late block. I lifted. Looked like he was gonna go back up. I went to go back in there, and then he came back down and started lifting again. And then at that point, the checkup was so big, and all the cars behind you and shoving you into it, and at that point, you’re along for the ride.”
To Team Penske’s dismay, the damage on the No. 22 was too much to overcome. Logano ended his night in 35th place, with the only consolation being his fellow teammates Blaney and Cindric finishing seventh and eighth, respectively.
“I don’t know what to do differently,” Logano said. “At the moment, it’s easy to say, just don’t make the move, but not making the move doesn’t win the race either.”
The NASCAR Cup Series looks ahead to Atlanta Motor Speedway next weekend, where Logano found Victory Lane in the most recent event last September.
