Joey Logano continues to struggle as his week turns from bad to worse at Kansas

Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano has struggled in the sessions on Saturday at Kansas Speedway. He first encountered a flat tire in practice before qualifying outside the top 30.

Logano will start 35th in the upcoming event at the 1.5-mile track, two positions ahead of Team Penske teammate Ryan Blaney, who also had a tire issue in practice before opting to race in a backup car. Their other teammate, Austin Cindric, also had a poor qualifying and got a 26th-place starting position.

Toyota locked out the front row with Chase Briscoe on pole, followed by Denny Hamlin. Chevrolet secured the second row with Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott, while Toyota driver Christopher Bell completed the top five. The top Ford driver in qualifying was Josh Berry, who only managed a 13th-place start.

NASCAR Insider Jeff Gluck reported on X Logano's early struggle over the weekend in Kansas.

“It's been a really, really bad day for Joey Logano and the #22 team. Slow in practice and later got a flat tire, now qualifies second-to-last with two drivers to go,” Gluck wrote.

Jeff Gluck

@jeff_gluck

It's been a really, really bad day for Joey Logano and the No. 22 team. Slow in practice and later got a flat tire, now qualifies second-to-last with two drivers to go.

The Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas will be a crucial race for Joey Logano in his bid to defend his title. He is only 24 points above the cutline in the sixth spot ahead of Chase Elliott (+14) and Chase Briscoe (+12)—both set to start inside the top five.

The race is the second-to-last event of the Round of 12, which means a bad result on Sunday would put him in a tough spot in the finale at the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course next week. Relying on a single race to save a season can be risky, as many variables could come into play—including an unexpected tire issue. The silver lining for Logano is his history at the Charlotte Roval, notching six top-10s in seven starts.

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“We've proven that in the past”: Joey Logano on keeping his playoff hopes alive

Joey Logano may not have been the most dominant driver in the playoffs so far, but he still believes he has a shot at the championship. As long as he remains in contention, he argues, there are always opportunities to advance through the rounds, as evidenced by his playoff runs in previous seasons.

In an interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, the three-time NASCAR champion said:

“The goal is to obviously win when it matters the most. And right now is when it matters the most. There's the most on the line. The championship's always the number one goal. And, no matter where you start the playoffs, as long as you're still in it, you've got a chance. And we've proven that in the past many times. So we've got to stay alive. Just continue to move on.”

Joey Logano drives the #22 Ford Mustang for Team Penske - Source: Imagn

One of the most talked-about playoff runs for the #22 team came at the Charlotte Roval last year. Logano was initially eliminated after failing to score enough points to advance, but was later reinstated when NASCAR disqualified Alex Bowman for failing post-race inspection. He capitalized on that second chance, ultimately going on to win the championship—a turn of events that fueled ongoing criticism of the playoff format.