Darlington key to Logano's hopes of another NASCAR title - and another hat-tip to the haters

The biggest challenge on the path toward Joey Logano potentially winning a fourth NASCAR Cup Series championship is the race right in front of him.

“Darlington at the moment,” Logano told RACER and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “That was one of our hardest races in the spring. So, a lot of focus is on Darlington to make sure we’re better there.”

It’s an understatement to say it was a hard race for Logano and his No. 22 Team Penske group. They were irrelevant and quite simply terrible in the March event, with a race car that practiced 35th of 37, qualified 29th, and then fell multiple laps down before ultimately finishing 33rd.

Logano was left confused and frustrated. And now it’s the site of the first race of the Chase.

“One race at a time is how we always handle it, so one race at a time and we’ll see what we’ve got at Darlington and try to get some points, and we’ll go from there,” he said. “But I do feel like as far as pit stops and execution of the races, it’s still the same old (No.) 22 that knows how to do it, and the speed knob has gotten closer and closer as we’ve gone on through the season.”

Logano begins the Chase from the ninth position where he ended the regular season. He is 65 points behind leader Denny Hamlin with the reset.

A tall task no doubt, but a far better position than where Logano sat two months ago. Logano left Sonoma Raceway on June 28 sitting 20th in the standings, only to go on to win two of the final eight regular season races and pick up four top-10 finishes.

“Of course it’s a tall task, you’re racing against the best drivers in the world in stock cars,” said Logano. “So, yeah, it’s going to be hard, but it was hard before, too, and we’ve been able to do it. I feel great about our chances.

“We have a team that knows how to handle pressure, and as the Chase keeps rolling along, the pressure will keep ratcheting up, and that’s where you see the real players come out. So, I feel good about it.”

The maximum number of points a driver can earn in a race with a victory, sweeping the stages, and the fastest lap bonus is 76. That means Logano is one race away from taking the points lead with a dominating performance and a slip by his rivals. It won’t come down to one race, however. Logano sees a roadmap where a top 10 finish and stage points in every race will put a driver in contention for the title at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Logano and reigning series champion Kyle Larson are the only multi-time champions in the Chase field. In all, there are four former champions in the Chase. But it is Logano that’s often criticized for his accomplishments, and a fourth championship would sting those who wanted a different format.

Logano is well aware, having revealed after his Richmond Raceway victory (Aug. 15) that there is a “4 the Haters” slogan posted inside the team hauler. So, perhaps it’s time for Logano and his backers to bust it out as a hashtag as the Chase begins?

“Sure, sounds cool,” he laughed. “We definitely want to make it happen here, and we’ve got a great team that knows how to win championships, and we’ve come from behind before. And we’ve come from way behind already this season.

“We’ve closed the gap a lot, and it’s about consistency now, so we’ve got to be solid through all these races and stay in the top 10 no matter what. That’s what it needs to be, and we’ll scratch and claw and inch our way to the front.”