Did Kevin Harvick help Joey Logano win the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series championship? Reports suggest crew chiefs behind controversial move

Team Penske's Joey Logano firmly cemented his name in the history books of NASCAR with his dominating win over the rest of the field last Sunday, a performance that earned him his second Cup Series title.

The #22 Pennzoil Ford Mustang driver started the 2022 season on a high note with a trip to Victory Lane in the inaugural Clash at the Coliseum in Los Angeles. He then managed to come full circle as the season came to a close with the Bill France trophy to his name.

Having showcased his talent and the speed of the Penske cars on numerous occasions throughout the year, Joey Logano's major advantage for the title decider came in the form of the first Round of 8 race this season. He managed to seal his berth in the Championship on the first chance in Las Vegas. This allowed him and the #22 crew to focus solely on the Championship Race and not worry about further Round of 8 appearances, giving them a 2-week head start over their competition.

When the moment of truth came at the Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona, the #22 crew and driver seemed to execute a near-perfect race, crediting them with the ultimate prize. Ever since the race was over, however, there have been reports of Logano's crew chief seeking help from other sources as well during the race. According to Kelly Crandall of Racer, Paul Wolfe, Logano's crew chief, sought advice from Kevin Harvick's crew chief Rodney Childers. Crandall wrote about the topic on Twitter:

"Paul Wolfe was texting fellow Ford crew chief Rodney Childers during the race about advice and strategy. Wolfe said they have a pretty good relationship and try to help each other. 'There are guys in the garage you can trust and guys you can't.'"

Social media has seen a few questions on the legality of the exchange. As of now, the NASCAR rulebook does not prevent any such exchange between the crews.

---

Joey Logano elaborates on his preparations before the 2022 Championship Race in Phoenix

2022 NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano spoke to various media personnel after clinching his second Cup Series championship last Sunday at Phoenix Raceway. During these conversations, one of the highlights from Logano came in the form of his confidence going into the race. He elaborated on the same in an interview with Bob Pockrass and said:

"We had the attitude all week and really ever since Vegas, we knew what we had to do to win this thing and we just had to prepare and go through every detail, and we did that. Because we had the time and we felt that ready, confidence comes along with that."

Watch Joey Logano try and carry this momentum into the 2023 season in February at the LA Coliseum.