• Joey Logano started eight and finished second in Sunday afternoon’s Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, earning enough points to advance to the Round of 8 in the NASCAR Playoffs. The Shell-Pennzoil/Autotrader Ford team executed a conservative strategy throughout much of the race, being the only playoff team to score stage points in the opening two stages. Consistently running lap times on-pace with the race leader, Logano kept four tires on the asphalt all afternoon and brought home his career-best finish at the track.
• Logano moved from his eighth starting position to the top-five in the opening lap, using calculated aggression in the wet conditions. Under the competition caution, the Shell-Pennzoil/Autotrader team elected to remain on the track on wet weather tires as the track was still extremely damp through the infield section. At lap 18, Logano brought the No. 22 Ford Mustang to pit road for slicks as the track had become too dry for the rain tires to last to the conclusion of the stage. Logano used the fresh tires on a one-lap-shootout to end the first stage and rally for an eighth-place finish.
• At the start of the second stage, Logano moved inside the top-five, settling into the third position by lap 32 as the track continued to gain speed. A late caution in the stage would force the Shell-Pennzoil/Autotrader team to again remain on the track in a position to claim stage points, with Logano ultimately finishing fifth in the second stage, the only playoff competitor to score points in both stages.
• Under the Stage 2 caution, the No. 22 Ford crew came to pit road for four tires and an air pressure adjustment to work on drive off over the long run in the final stage. Logano restarted the final stage in the 23rd position. With 42 laps remaining, Logano re-entered the top-10 following a pit stop for four tires and an air pressure adjustment and tape on the nose.
• For the majority of the final stage, Logano maintained inside the top-five, turning competitive lap times and remaining above the cutline to advance to the Round of 8. The Shell-Pennzoil/Autotrader Mustang lined up fourth for a restart with 10 laps remaining in the event. Logano used the outside lane to power to the second position where he’d remain until the checkered flag.
• Logano’s performance on Sunday locked the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil/Autotrader Ford Mustang into the Round of 8 for the sixth time in the past seven seasons.

 

“Yeah, we won our league (laughing) because no one was beating that other car — the Chase Elliott and Alan and that whole 9 team. They’re light years ahead of us when it comes to the road course, I mean everybody even their teammates. I can’t really put my finger on it. I got a good look of what it was and watched him cruise around not even trying and he would keep on driving away from me. Overall, I’m proud of what our Shell/Pennzoil team did today. We had to come in here and execute. Obviously, there were plenty of crazy things that could have happened starting in the rain, going to slicks, stage points, trying to get ourselves in position. Obviously, there were times that the 18 was in the spot and we were racing the 88 with only a couple points between us, so it was close, it was stressful, but I feel a lot better now and will be able to sleep well tonight and then fire away to try and get into that Championship 4.”