Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, signs autographs for fans prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway on October 16, 2016 in Kansas City, Kansas. Photo – Chris Trotman/Getty Images

Joey Logano got the absolute most from his No. 22 Team Penske Ford on Sunday, and, as was the case with Austin Dillon, a strong run at Kansas put Logano in position to advance in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup with a solid performance next Sunday at Talladega.

Logano didn’t have a car to compete for the win on Sunday, but he ran third behind Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards to ameliorate the effects of a 36th-place finish at Charlotte a week earlier. Logano goes to Talladega tied for the last transfer spot with the Chase field to be cut there from 12 drivers to eight.

“Yeah, we came out swinging,” Logano said after the race. “It’s what we had to do. We did everything we were supposed to do today. Our team executed perfectly. So I’m proud of our pit stops, our adjustments, our restarts. Just needed a little bit more speed.

“That was probably the biggest thing. We were a little bit off on the short run. You know, after 15 laps or so, we were as good as anybody, but we weren’t better than them, so we couldn’t make up what we were losing on the restarts.

“We made up a lot of points, just not enough. It’s not comfortable. Austin and I are tied for next week, so that will be fun. So overall, I’m proud of the effort and the job we did today. We wanted to win, but we did everything we were supposed to do.”