Joey Logano terms Kansas “one of the most important” stops on NASCAR calendar

Three-time NASCAR champion Joey Logano described Kansas Speedway as one of the most important stops on the season calendar. Logano suggested there is plenty to learn from the race weekend at the 1.5-mile oval, which will also host a playoff race later in the year, in the Round of 12.

The AdventHealth 400 in Kansas City is the 12th round of the 2025 Cup Series season. With the Cup Series returning to the track later this year, Logano believes this weekend will offer an opportunity to evaluate which setups work best for the team and make more informed decisions during the all-important playoff rounds.

Joey Logano said that NASCAR teams meticulously record what works and what doesn't for their car each weekend. However, with tracks hosting two races a year, the lessons learned from the first visit play a key role in making setup choices for the second. He noted that many variables can change over a year for tracks like Texas Motor Speedway, which only host a single race annually.

"Yeah, Kansas becomes one of the most important races. Either way, you just wanna make sure you learn a lot this weekend. Whether what works, and what didn't work? So you can make better decisions when we come back. We do that at every track...Some things will still be quite relevant so we can apply what we learned here." he said at Kansas via Bob Pockrass.

Logano was asked if teams could apply learnings from Kansas to the upcoming crown jewel race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The #22 Team Penske driver suggested that, despite being the same length, the characteristics of the two tracks are quite different.

"It's a mile-and-half but it's really bumpy an the load is similar, but how you get to the max load is quite a bit different. Some similarities, but some things are quite different." he added.

Kansas Speedway has seen six different winners in the last six Next Gen races held at the track. Although Toyota drivers have been dominant at the track, drivers like Kyle Larson, Chris Buescher, and Ross Chastain have shown race-winning pedigree.

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Joey Logano explains why Kansas Speedway suits the Gen-7 cars

Joey Logano described Kansas Speedway as a "ripper of a racetrack," stating that the 1.5-mile oval has produced some of the best racing in the Gen-7 (Next Gen) era. Beyond the thrilling finish to last year's Spring race, the event featured intense battles for the lead throughout the race.

Logano reckons the width of the track at Kansas Speedway provides drivers with options to move around and avoid the dirty air of the lead car. In a recent appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR radio, the 34-year-old said:

"That track is a ripper of a racetrack and it's one of the best NextGen racetracks that we have. For a mile-and-a-half, there's lanes, there's options to go to. That's what makes the NextGen racing good, is that the track has to be wide. We know you can't follow each other directly behind each other. These cars, they don't like it. So, you've got to have a track that's wide. Kansas presents that opportunity for some really good racing," Joey Logano said.

Coming off a victory in Texas last weekend, Joey Logano will line up on the third row, with Kyle Larson and Chris Buescher set to lead the field to the green on Sunday, May 11, at 3:00 PM ET.