Joey Logano's crew chief talks about what 'made the difference' for Team Penske this NASCAR season

After Joey Logano secured the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway last Sunday, his crew chief at #22 Team Penske, Paul Wolfe, revealed the key turning points for the team this season that helped Logano win a second title in five years.

Wolfe mentioned that September’s two-day tests at Homestead-Miami Speedway, which offered him a chance to gain experience outside of a race weekend for the Next Gen cars and win in the opening race of Round of 8 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, were the crucial moments.

Wolfe said:

“Throughout the playoffs, I feel like we had the speed. I feel like the Homestead test was a good turning point for us as we needed to find a little bit to… I felt like to the Chevrolets, for sure, and the Toyotas.”

He continued:

“So when you have those opportunities, you really have to make sure you're prepared to get the most out of them. And that's where I feel like having a great group of guys on this team and within Team Penske, we're able to make the most of that. It's obviously made the difference for us.”

Joey Logano topped the speed charts at Homestead after completing 324 laps in two days. After winning the Las Vegas race, he advanced into Championship 4.

Just like when he won his first Cup championship in 2018, Logano won the first race of the Round of 8 and went on to win the finale held at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

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“It started right after the win in Vegas” - Joey Logano’s crew chief on Phoenix Raceway preparations

Paul Wolfe said that Joey Logano’s spot to the final four with Las Vegas’s win allowed the #22 team to focus on the Championship Race straight after away. Logano and his team used the next two races perfectly to prepare for the season finale as he finished P18 and P6 at Homestead-Miami Speedway and Martinsville Speedway, respectively.

Wolfe said:

“It started right after the win in Vegas. We all know that's kind of how it works with this system. Not that we wanted to throw away those races [at Homestead and Martinsville], but I started focusing on Phoenix right after that win that next Monday, and making sure we didn't miss anything.”

Joey Logano and #22 Team Penske Ford will be seen in action next year in the Cup Series. The 2023 Cup season will begin on Sunday, February 19th, 2023, at Daytona International Speedway.