Joey Logano’s Triumphant Return: Overcoming Challenges to Secure Victory at Texas
May 4, 2025, 09:23 PM ET
FORT WORTH, Texas — In a thrilling display of resilience and skill, reigning NASCAR Cup champion Joey Logano clinched his first victory of the season at Texas Motor Speedway. This win was not just another notch on his belt; it was a testament to his ability to overcome adversity and emerge victorious against the odds.
Logano’s journey to victory was anything but smooth. Just a week prior, his Team Penske teammate Austin Cindric had taken the win at Talladega, while Logano’s fifth-place finish was marred by a postrace inspection that dropped him to 39th due to a spoiler issue on his No. 22 Ford. Adding to the drama, Logano had an expletive-laden radio outburst directed at Cindric during the race, which the two managed to resolve in the following days. To top it off, Logano had to start 27th at Texas after a disappointing qualifying session on the 1½-mile track.
Despite these setbacks, Logano surged ahead on the restart in overtime, securing the win in the 11th race of the year. He led only seven of the 271 laps, which included four extra laps due to overtime.
“After what happened last week, to be able to rebound and come right back, it’s a total ’22’ way of doing things. So proud of the team,” Logano expressed with pride.
On the final restart following the 12th caution, Logano found himself on the inside of his other teammate, Ryan Blaney. Logano pulled away on the backstretch, maintaining his lead for the final 1½ laps, while Ross Chastain overtook Blaney to finish second.
“Just slowly, methodically,” Logano described his approach to moving up the ranks. “Just kept grinding, a couple here and a couple there and eventually get a win here.”
Logano’s victory marked his 37th career win, with his first lead occurring on Lap 264 when he passed Michael McDowell by going low.
“I mean, there’s always a story next week, right?” Logano mused. “So I told my wife last week before we left, I said, ‘Watch me go win this one.’ It’s just how we do stuff.”
During a caution with 47 laps remaining, McDowell opted for only two tires, propelling him up 15 spots to second. He led 19 laps but got loose after being passed by Logano, resulting in a crash that brought out the caution and sent the race into overtime. McDowell finished 26th.
“We were giving it everything we had there to try to keep track position,” McDowell explained. “Joey got a run there, and I tried to block it. I went as far as I think you could probably go. When Blaney slid in front of me, it just took the air off of it and I just lost the back of it. I still had the fight in me, but I probably should have conceded at that point.”
Odds and Ends
- William Byron, Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, and Chase Elliott remained the top four in season points.
- Elliott left Texas last spring with his first victory after 42 races and 18 months without one. He hasn’t won since, and now has another long winless drought — this one 38 races and nearly 13 months after finishing 16th.
- A crew member for Christopher Bell crawled in through the passenger side of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and was fully in the car to reconnect an air hose to the driver’s helmet during a caution in the second stage. It took two stops during that caution, and twice climbing into the car, to resolve the issue.
Fiery End to Hamlin Streak
Hamlin had finished on the lead lap in 21 consecutive races, but a fiery finish on Lap 75 ended that streak that had matched the eighth longest in NASCAR history. He was the first car out of the race.
After the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota lost power, something blew up when Hamlin recycled the engine. Flames were coming from under the car and it was engulfed in smoke when it rolled to a stop on the inside of the track, and Hamlin climbed out unharmed.
Youngest Pole Sitter
Carson Hocevar, the 22-year-old driver who is McDowell’s teammate with Spire Motorsports, was the youngest pole sitter in Texas. He led only the first 22 laps of the race, losing it while pitting during the first caution. He finished 24th after a late accident.
Stage Cautions
Both in-race stages finished under caution. Cindric won Stage 1 after Hamlin’s issues, and Kyle Larson took the second after a yellow flag came out because of debris on the track after the right rear tire on Chris Buescher‘s car came apart.
Larson got his 68th overall stage win and his sixth at Texas, with both marks being records. He has won a stage in each of the past five Cup races at Texas, starting in his 2021 win there.
Originally Written by: ESPN.com
