"If you get a stage win here you bury yourself" - Joey Logano 'ecstatic' after P3 finish at NASCAR Watkins Glen race

With the regular NASCAR Cup Series season just one race short of completion in 2022, drivers such as Team Penske's Joey Logano are comfortably locked into this year's playoffs. The 2018 Cup Series champion was happy to score good results and add more playoff points to his tally in last Sunday's Go Bowling at The Glen, which took place at Watkins Glen International.

The road-course race, which saw initial rain delays, started in wet conditions with the governing body allowing all cars to switch to wet weather tires. Conditions on the track changed rapidly after the race got underway and saw strategy play a huge role in bringing cars to the front of the field. Timing the switch from wet weather tires to slick dry weather tires meant teams and drivers who assessed the conditions the most were rewarded with a huge pace advantage over the rest of the non-switchers.

Joey Logano managed to drive his #22 Pennzoil Ford Mustang to a Stage 2 win after Paul Wolfe, Logano's crew chief, took key strategic calls in his hands. The 32-year-old had to drive through the field as he started the final stage at the back of the pack, but fresher tires and the inherent pace of the #22 Ford Mustang carried him to an ultimate P3 finish as the checkered flag dropped. Logano summed up his outing at Watkins Glen International after the race and said:

“It was crazy and I am ecstatic about what we did. We got the stage win, and usually, if you get a stage win here you bury yourself, which we did. We were 27th at the start of the third stage. We passed a bunch of cars and got to 17th and then we got stuck around 15th or so. I have to give it to Paul (Wolfe), he put two tires on it and gave us some track position and then we had a couple of more good restarts and it ended up as a top-three. Pretty good.”

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Joey Logano feels confident challenging for 2022 NASCAR Cup Series championship

Team Penske driver Joey Logano was confident after finishing in P3 at Watkins Glen International about his title aspirations this year. The 32-year-old has had a string of three top-10 finishes in the last three weeks despite not having the fastest car on track.

Logano believes that if the team keeps on executing the way they are doing now, the #22 crew can challenge for the ultimate prize, and said:

“If we keep doing what we’re doing, we’re in a great spot to win this thing.”

Watch the complete interview below:

Watch Joey Logano race next weekend at Daytona International Speedway in Coke Zero Sugar 400.