Motivated Joey Logano applauds Ford tweaks for strong Texas mile-and-a-half performance

After expressing his concerns about Ford's dismal start to the 2024 campaign, Joey Logano was appreciative of his performance at the Texas Motor Speedway last Sunday.

After winning back-to-back NASCAR Cup Series championships and entering the campaign as the defending champion in all three national series, Ford has suffered an alarming start to the 2024 season. The reigning manufacturers' champions are yet to win a NASCAR race so far this year, drawing voices of concern from notable personnel.

One such character was Team Penske driver and two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano. The No. 22 Ford Mustang driver had expressed his frustration with his poor start to the campaign.

However, Logano's tunes have changed after the recent Cup Series AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive race in Texas. The 33-year-old driver told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio after the race:

"I passed like 15 cars this week. And I know that doesn't sound like a lot, but, boy I haven't passed a car on a mile and a half in a while. So, that to me is the number one sign."

The Team Penske driver added:

"I was able to move around the racetrack, do different things. I'm talking like catch them, pass them, like later in a run. And I feel like that's a good sign when you can do things like that. So we're making progress."

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No excuses for Joey Logano as he compares his situation with teammate Ryan Blaney

Blaney, who secured his maiden Cup title last season, continues to display impressive performances and rack up top-5 finishes. Despite Ford's struggles, Logano refrained from making excuses, acknowledging teammate Ryan Blaney's consistent success.

Addressing the situation, Joey Logano said of the No. 12 Ford driver:

"The #12 has been really good at the mile and a halves. So, we gotta get at least to where he's at before we started complaining about other things."

Reflecting on the challenges of adapting to evolving racing conditions without the luxury of extensive testing or practice sessions, Logano emphasized the need for experimentation and risk-taking. He said:

"It's so tough to learn these days. You just, you don't have the opportunity to go test. You don't have time to practice and try things and all that. You have to sometimes take a risk and try something different. At some point, you have to be willing to try something different because where we've been running on this mile and a half is not acceptable."

After nine races in the 2024 season, Joey Logano has 217 points to his name. The 2022 NASCAR Cup Series champion finds himself 15th in the standings, on the same number of points as RCR veteran Kyle Busch.