Logano led 199 of the 200 laps eventually month’s All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway and his victory was helped a minimum of partly by being one in every of three drivers that participated in a Goodyear tire check at observe in March.
Paul Wolfe, Logano’s crew chief, stated the two-time sequence champion ran round 900 laps on the observe that day, together with on the tire that Goodyear finally utilized within the all-star occasion.
How does that assist Logano on this week’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway?
Goodyear has modified the tire set-up on the Loudon, N.H., observe this 12 months, however the tire decisions are nonetheless acquainted ones – they have been used this 12 months at North Wilkesboro and final weekend at Iowa Speedway (the place Logano completed sixth).
Mixed with the actual fact Logano usually runs properly on the 1.058-mile flat oval and his Penske teammates Austin Cindric and Ryan Blaney have earned their first wins of the season within the final three weeks, Wolfe believes the No. 22 workforce’s expertise on this weekend’s tire may show essential.
“Anytime there’s a tire change in our sport, whether or not it’s a development, compound, massive stagger modifications, these issues can actually have an effect on your set-up, clearly, fairly a bit,” Wolfe stated this week in a Zoom name with reporters.
“So, with that being such an enormous issue, I feel as we’ve seen the consistency now on this tire for us and what we’ve been capable of do prior to now at New Hampshire, I’m excited to get to the observe. I feel we now have pretty much as good a shot as anyone to get to Victory Lane this weekend.”
Playoff hopes in jeopardy
That might be notably vital for Logano and his workforce as he at the moment sits beneath the cutoff to make the 16-driver playoff area with 9 races remaining within the common season.
In his Cup profession, Logano – a Connecticut native – has a pair of victories at New Hampshire and 9 top-five finishes in 25 begins, together with a runner-up end final 12 months.
Wolfe pointed on the market are some vital variations within the load on the tires between Iowa – which is shorter and sooner – and New Hampshire. North Wilkesboro may very well be extra related.
“As we discuss our brief observe package deal and the issues which have labored for the No. 22 workforce and Crew Penske on the brief tracks, you’re making small modifications as a result of Iowa to New Hampshire the loading, the scale of the observe is just a little completely different,” Wolfe defined.
“I suppose what makes you give attention to a sure a part of the nook, what makes success at Loudon versus Iowa is just a little completely different, so that you’re fine-tuning off from a base set-up and settings in a race automobile.
“Once you do discover one thing that works till there’s a massive change within the tire or aero package deal, I’ve discovered through the years you possibly can actually simply take it from one observe to the following and do your offsets or your modifications for the completely different hundreds or speeds and you may proceed to have success with it.”
Joey Logano, Crew Penske, Shell Pennzoil Ford Mustang
Photograph by: Danny Hansen / NKP / Motorsport Pictures
Logano isn’t alone in New Hampshire as a possibility for an vital victory.
Of the six former Cup winners on the observe entered this weekend, three are nonetheless seeking to lock themselves into the playoffs this season with a win – Logano (six factors behind the cutline), Martin Truex Jr. (122 factors above the cutline) and Kyle Busch (31 factors behind the cutline).
The latest success of Logano’s teammates, nevertheless, might assist give him the sting.
“If we are able to’t be in Victory Lane, there’s nothing higher than seeing one in every of our workforce vehicles (there) as a result of it offers you one other knowledge level of, ‘OK, we’re on the correct path right here’ and the issues we’ve been engaged on are appropriate,” Wolfe stated.
“We’ll preserve massaging on it as we transfer ahead to Loudon this weekend.”
