CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Joey Logano left Charlotte Motor Speedway in a dejected mood after he missed the next round of the NASCAR playoffs by just four points.
"We fought hard... just didn't get quite enough," Logano said after he finished 8th in the Bank of America Roval 400 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.
But by around the time he got home, Logano was informed that he did in fact make it to the next round after Alex Bowman's No. 48 Chevrolet was disqualified for failing to meet minimum weight.
Logano said he was glad to hear the news but admits his focus will stay the same whether or not he's in the playoffs.
"The goal was the same whether we were in the driver's championship or not," Logano said in a media appearance on Tuesday. "The mindset doesn't change... we're still going out there to maximize the day and win if we can."
Logano initially missed the Round of 8 by four points to Tyler Reddick. He believes his team thrives when the playoffs roll around despite how they performed in the regular season.
"Team Penske does a good job rising to the occasion when it matters during the playoffs," Logano said. "From the outside looking in you look at it and say 'Well, I don't have as many top fives...' But who cares? We've lived this story many times before... If you win this weekend you're sitting as the favorite going into Phoenix."
Logano has been in this situation before. In 2022, Logano was outside the top five in points for most of the season before pulling off a string of solid runs during the playoffs that pushed him to win the title, the second of his career.
The Team Penske driver was a distant 14th in the points at the midpoint of this season. His lone regular season win came at Nashville with an intense fuel strategy call that paid off. The win gave Logano a playoff spot.
Logano won the first playoff race at Atlanta, locking himself to the next round. He missed the top 10 in the next four races before Charlotte. But the points reset gives Logano another chance to compete for a title at Phoenix.
"I feel confident in our team," Logano said. "We're still alive and that's the name of the game in these playoffs. You just have to stay alive long enough."
Logano begins the Round of 8 on the bottom of the playoff standings, 11 points behind William Byron for the fourth and final championship race spot.
The Round of 8 begins at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Oct. 20. Logano is a three-time winner at the track and has qualified in the top 10 in the last six trips. His last Las Vegas win came in October 2022. He has remarkably finished on the lead lap in 21 of his 22 Las Vegas starts.
Team Penske is seeking its third consecutive NASCAR Cup Series Championship. Ryan Blaney won the 2023 title.
