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Team Penske driver Joey Logano expressed disappointment in his Ford, questioning their understanding of the Next Gen cars.
With only two top-ten finishes so far, Logano's current season has not been perfect. During the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix last week, he finished in eleventh place, which was a large improvement given his 22nd-place finish in Bristol.
Questioning the current performance of his #22 Ford, he stated that the team is finding it hard to completely understand the aspects of the Next Gen cars, also called the Gen-7 cars which have been in function since the 2022 season. He said while speaking on SiriusXM:
"I don't think we completely understand the car yet. And that's why I said this during the offseason."
"Everything looks good. And I'm like, yeah, I've seen this story before. Things can look good on paper, but when we get to the racetrack, things are different. And we need to understand what those differences are."
Joey Logano still has some confidence in the car as he feels that it has the potential to be pushed further. This might indicate an issue with the aerodynamics or the engine development. He added:
"And I think in some ways, there's definitely some gains. In other ways, I don't think we're maximizing the potential out of the car yet, because I don't think we completely understand everything about it."
Ever since winning the Cup Series Championship in the 2022 season, Joey Logano's performance took a hit. He finished the 2023 season in 12th place and currently stands in 22nd place, 120 points off the top.
Joey Logano estimates a slow developmental pace
Logano is seemingly disappointed with the performance in his current season. He hasn't won a single race or a stage, reflecting quite a downfall from the top in 2022.
The race at the Circuit of the Americas was one of his only two top-20 finishes in the season so far, and as he spoke estimating his development, he told Sirius that it is a "slow climb."
"It’s a slow climb back to the top — it always is. But you have to start slowly, grabbing the little victories here and there. Little things that we’re doing well on and off the track. And there is, and we’re slowing grabbing some points back up through the ranks a little bit."
Joey Logano has been racing with Penske since the 2013 season. He has achieved great success with the team, winning the Cup Series Championship twice in 2018 and 2022. With his performance in the current season, it is hard to assert if he will be able to repeat that success anytime soon, but as he said, he has hope for the future.
