"It was a downhill slope" for Joey Logano after sundown at the NASCAR Richmond race to finish P6

Team Penske driver Joey Logano controlled most of the Richmond race, leading by 222 laps more than any other driver. After owning most of the race, it was evident that he had the win around the corner before the sun went down and he lost some turns, giving Kevin Harvick the perfect opportunity to shoot his shot.

Despite the huge success in stages two and three, Joey Logano never made it to a top-five finish. Instead, he had to settle for sixth place. The #22 marked Ford's third of five cars to finish in the top ten, adding more success to the manufacturer after it clinched its sixth win.

After dominating the race all day and finishing sixth, Logano has finally addressed what went down in the last run and how he lost his track position. Speaking in a post-race interview, Joey Logano cited that when the sun went down and the track cooled off, the #22 Ford Mustang lost some turns and opened the door for other drivers.

According to the Team Penske driver, the track was much stronger when it was hot and slick, but when it cooled, things started going sideways and they started running hard. From that point onwards, things went downhill for the #22 driver. They had hoped for a late caution to make things work for them, but the caution was never drawn and he finished in P6.

Trying to explain what happened, Logano said:

"I think just as the sun went down and the track cooled off and lost some turn on our car"

He added:

"When it was hot and slick that was probably our strength with the Shell Pennzoil Mustang. We had a good turn and then once we cooled off we lost the turn but still weren't really good on the exits. Then you start playing defense and running too hard. It was a downhill slope from there."

Though he didn't get the win, Joey Logan is excited that he managed to get a stage win and playoff points, which is extremely important as NASCAR heads to the championship stage.

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How Joey Logano performed at Richmond Raceway

During the event, Joey Logano was among the drivers who didn't get a good starting position, having a lineup for the event in P17. He managed to set the pace in Stage 1, sitting in and out of the top ten for most of it.

The Middletown-born driver took the lead in Stage 2, taking over from Ross Chastain, who took the win in the first stage. Logano went on to dominate the better part of Stage 2 and emerged as the winner at the end of it. By the time Joey Logano concluded the second stage, he had already led 140 laps.

Logano carried the same energy into Stage 3, where he also led 82 laps, bringing the tally to 222 lead laps, the most laps he has led this season since the Darlington race, where he led 107 laps and carried the checkered flag.

He currently ranks third in the Driver Standings with 718 points, 164 points behind the leader. With two wins this season, Logano is in the perfect position to clinch the 2022 championship.