• Joey Logano claimed his eleventh top-10 finish of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season with a seventh-place finish Saturday afternoon at Pocono Raceway. Logano started fourth, finished fourth and third in the opening two stages respectively before finishing seventh. The finish was Logano’s ninth at Pocono and will give him the 14th starting position on Sunday. The top 20 finishers from Saturday will be inverted to start the Sunday afternoon race.
• After starting the race from the fourth position, Logano ran inside the top-five for the majority of the opening stage. He reported the Shell-Pennzoil Mustang was just slightly free on corner entry but was running competitive enough lap times that the team elected to remain on the track during both early caution periods. Logano finished fourth in Stage 1 and he and crew chief Paul Wolfe elected to remain on the track at the end of the stage. He restarted as the leader when the race went green on lap 29.
• Logano pitted from the lead under green on lap 45 for his first stop of the day, taking four tires, an air pressure adjustment and fuel. The field was slowed by the fourth caution on lap 54, with Logano cycling back forward to the fourth position. A caution prior to the end of Stage 2 set up a two-lap dash to the finish and was also an opportunity for the team to cycle forward when two positions ahead of Logano pitted. The driver of the Shell-Pennzoil Ford finished third when Stage 2 ended on lap 77.
• The team pitted for a potential final stop at lap 90, taking four tires, fuel, plus a slight air pressure adjustment. Prior to the stop, Logano reported the balance of the Shell-Pennzoil Mustang was neutral overall. Logano continued on with a late caution setting up a restart with 19 laps to go which resulted in the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Mustang getting shuffled with the driver battling back for the seventh-place finish.

“We were okay. We ran about fifth most of the race. The Shell-Pennzoil Ford was pretty good the last run, but I just lost too much track position on the final restart. We were able to get some decent stage points. I think we were fourth and third in the two stages and then we finished seventh. Not what we want but it is a gain on our 550 package if you look at where we have been. We were able to run towards the front and see the front and actually pass some cars. That is a good sign. Progress is being made.”