On Sunday, May 4, Joey Logano rewrote the NASCAR playbook and sent a message to the rest of the field: never let him sniff a win late in a race. Because if the defending Cup Series champion is in range, chances are, he’s taking the checkered flag.
At Texas Motor Speedway, Logano powered his way to his 37th career Cup Series win with an overtime finish. It’s been a tough start to the 2025 season, but the No. 22 driver bounced back in style—and made it look classic Team Penske.
Joey Logano Is Rewriting the NASCAR Playbook for His Competitors
Logano came into the Würth 400 with zero top-five finishes and fresh off a disqualification from Talladega. But by the time the dust settled in Texas, not only had he secured a top-five, he’d punched his ticket to the playoffs.
In a race full of busted pit strategies and late-race wrecks, Logano and crew chief Paul Wolfe stayed sharp. The No. 22 climbed through the field—one position at a time—until there was no one left to pass.
“Slowly, methodically, a couple at a time,” Logano said, describing his patient charge to the front. Despite being stuck with a tough pit stall, the team never let it hold them back.
And in the end, he pulled off the win after starting 27th—marking the worst starting position he’s ever had in a race he went on to win. His previous worst-to-first record came just last year when he started 26th at Nashville.
The 34-year-old was also grateful to a longtime partner who finally got to join him in victory lane.
“Finally got AAA Insurance into victory lane,” Logano said. “They’ve been a partner of mine since I joined Penske—13, 14 years—and I’ve yet to win with them. It was awesome to get that done here.”
Logano’s race-winning move came with 13 laps to go in regulation. He dove to the bottom on the exit of Turn 2 and made a clean pass on Michael McDowell to take the lead.
McDowell, shuffled back to third, lost control of his car in the dirty air off Logano and Ryan Blaney, hit the wall, and triggered an overtime finish.
On the OT restart, Ross Chastain gave Logano a big push heading into Turn 2, helping him clear Blaney for good. Chastain followed him past Blaney, but Logano had already built a gap—and sealed the win by 0.346 seconds.
