Tag Archives: Joey Logano

In Championship 4, Joe Gibbs Racing Must Deal with Unprecedented Success

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Photo - Robert Laberge/Getty Images

Photo – Robert Laberge/Getty Images

The crowning achievement of Joe Gibbs Racing’s 2016 season may also be its biggest problem.

But it’s a problem the organization is happy to have.

When defending NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Kyle Busch earned a return trip to the Championship 4 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway with a second-place finish at Phoenix, JGR became the first organization in the three-year history of the Chase’s elimination format to put more than one driver in the final race with a chance to win the title. Continue reading →

The Bottom Line in the Championship 4? There’s No Clear Favorite

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Photos - Getty Images

Photos – Getty Images

A week before they were to race for the NASCAR Sprint Series championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch sat side-by-side at the daïs in the Phoenix International Raceway media center and began the bickering that invariably accompanies the battle for the series title.

“I think my stats at Homestead show that I’m the favorite, right?” Johnson said facetiously.

“I think my results from last year show that I’m the favorite, right?” Busch retorted.

Busch goes to Homestead as the defending champion, having overcome a broken leg and foot that caused him to miss the first 11 races of the 2015 season. With the elimination of Kevin Harvick in Sunday’s Can-Am 500 at Phoenix, Busch is the only Championship 4 contender who has won a title under the 16-driver Chase format introduced by NASCAR in 2014. Continue reading →

Kevin Harvick’s Chase Streak Ends at Phoenix

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Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Jimmy John's Chevrolet, walks on stage during driver introductions prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Can-Am 500 at Phoenix International Raceway on November 13, 2016 in Avondale, Arizona. Photo - Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet, walks on stage during driver introductions prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Can-Am 500 at Phoenix International Raceway on November 13, 2016 in Avondale, Arizona. Photo – Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

Kevin Harvick’s hopes of a second NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title ended with a fourth-place finish at Phoenix International Raceway.

For the first time since NASCAR introduced its 16-driver elimination Chase format in 2014, Harvick won’t be racing for a championship in the season finale.

The performance of Harvick’s No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet was far from optimal during the weekend of the Can-Am 500 elimination event at the Arizona track. Continue reading →

Crew Chief Testifies to Logano’s Prowess

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Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images

Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, places the winner’s decal on his car in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Can-Am 500 at Phoenix International Raceway on November 13, 2016 in Avondale, Arizona. Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images

If you want evidence that Joey Logano is a special athlete, just ask his crew chief.

Todd Gordon continues to be impressed with Logano’s ability to deal with intense pressure.

True enough, Logano won Sunday’s Can-Am 500 elimination race at Phoenix International Raceway to advance to the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. And before he took the checkered flag, he kept Kevin Harvick behind him in a race for third place that could have been decisive, had a late caution not given Logano the opportunity to win. Continue reading →

Joey Logano Advances to Championship 4 with Hard-Fought Win at Phoenix

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Joey Logano earned a return trip to the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway after a year’s absence.

Kyle Busch will head to the South Florida track to try to defend his 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title.

And Kevin Harvick won’t be competing for the title for the first time since NASCAR debuted its elimination Chase format in 2014. Needing a victory to advance, as it turned out, Harvick finished fourth in Sunday’s Can-Am 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. Continue reading →