Joey Logano delivers blunt message after failing to make it to the Championship 4: “We didn’t deserve”

Team Penske driver Joey Logano missed his chance to advance to the Championship Four race after the Martinsville Speedway race. During the post-race interview with NBC Sports, he opened up about his unsatisfactory run at the 0.526-mile short track.

Logano had a decent qualifying session for the 500-lap race and began the race from fourth place. He completed the 0.526-mile track with a best time of 19.32 seconds and a top speed of 98 mph. He then moved two spots up and clinched a P2 finish in Stage 1, earning nine points.

However, in stage two, things went south for Joey Logano, and he lost multiple spots. He pitted in the middle of the stage and chose the wrong lane after getting back on the track, which caught him in "dirty air." Moreover, the Team Penske driver pointed out that his #22 Ford Mustang lacked the pace to get him back into the fight.

Reflecting on that, the defending Cup Series champion stated:

"We weren’t good enough to drive back through either way, but I thought I would have had a chance if maybe I could have made that better earlier in the race. I just got out of the car. I have no idea. There will be plenty, obviously, looking back at it and things we’ve got to do better."

"Ultimately, we just have to be faster. That’s the biggest thing. Bummed. I don’t know if there’s another word for it. I’m just bummed that one of us didn’t make it. Everyone works hard enough to deserve to be there. We just couldn’t get the job done today, or really the last three races. That’s what it comes down to. The four there deserve to be there. That’s how I always look at it, and this year we didn’t deserve to be there," he added.

Joey Logano finished the 500-lap race in eighth place and lost his chance to advance to the final race at Phoenix. Meanwhile, Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron clinched the victory along with his seat in the Championship Four race.

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“I’d trade every one of those”: Joey Logano expressed his desire to add the Dover trophy to his collection

Former Cup Series champion Joey Logano sat down with SpeedFreaks for an interview ahead of the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Dover Motor Speedway. During the pre-race interaction, Logano candidly shared his fascination with the monster trophy and his aim to add one to his collection.

Since his debut in the Cup Series, Logano has competed in 29 race events at Dover Motor Speedway. But he never once crossed the finish line in the first place to win the trophy. He came close to victory on multiple occasions but finished the race in third place.

Recalling his fascination with the trophy and his desire to add one to his collection, Joey Logano stated:

"As far as coolness of trophies, yeah, it's up there pretty high. It's pretty cool; you put the die-cast card, and it looks cool. I got four of the little ones from the Xfinity races, but I'd trade every one of those for a Cup win; Cup wins obviously mean a lot more." (via Instagram)

Joey Logano has logged 37 wins, 173 top fives, 299 top tens, and 33 poles in 614 starts in his Cup Series career. He won the championship title three times in 2018, 2022, and 2024. Also, he led 9,467 laps with an average start of 11.8.