Everything that could go wrong did go wrong for Joey Logano at Phoenix Raceway. The Team Penske driver looked like the man to beat early after securing the point for Sunday’s race and running near the front for much of the afternoon. But a string of chaotic incidents quickly unraveled his day, and Logano’s shot at victory ultimately ended in a crash that took multiple drivers out of contention. Yet in classic Logano fashion, the No. 22 driver isn’t exactly taking the blame.

The three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion remains largely unapologetic about how the events unfolded.

“It just seemed like everyone ran out of space,” Logano said. “There were two cars outside of me. I thought I had one on the inside, and you’re trying to just merge all back together, and everyone ran out of space. I got the wrong end of it. It is what it is. It stinks. We had a pretty good car.”

In the Straight Talk Wireless 500 at Phoenix Raceway, the turning point for Joey Logano occurred during a Lap 217 restart in the final stage.

After getting into Austin Cindric, the chain reaction collected Ross Chastain and several others, bringing out another caution and adding to the growing list of damaged cars. While the Penske ace managed to continue, the incident further fueled the chaotic tone of the race as multiple drivers’ chances faded away.

The final blow came on lap 254, with just under 60 laps remaining. As the field battled into Turn 1, Logano drifted up the track and made contact with AJ Allmendinger, which turned the No. 22 Ford sideways and sent it spinning across the racing surface. The spinning car became an unavoidable target for Josh Berry, who slammed into the wreck with nowhere to escape.

However, Berry didn’t take it to heart. In an honest admission post-race, he simply mentioned, “Wrong place, wrong time,” further strengthening Joey Logano’s stance.

The crash also involved Chase Elliott and Daniel Suarez, bringing Logano’s once-promising run to a sudden end and leaving him officially out of the race with 49 laps still to go.

Logano jumped to the lead immediately, controlling much of the opening stage, holding off challenges from Ryan Blaney and Christopher Bell while setting the pace out front. Even after losing the lead late in stage one, Logano remained firmly in the hunt, consistently running inside the top three and positioning himself as one of the favorites to contend for the win deep into the race.

The race began to turn chaotic during the middle stages due to tire issues, but Joey Logano continued to stay near the front. He traded the lead with Christopher Bell multiple times through stage two and remained in striking distance as the field cycled through pit stops and restarts. However, the incident and crashes derailed his near-perfect run.

It was definitely not an ideal day for the 35-year-old. However, his teammate Ryan Blaney ensured to keep Penske’s dominant weekend amid IndyCar success, delivering the perfect gift to Roger Penske as the powerhouse team hits its 60th anniversary this year.

Ryan Blaney gets the job done

Tyler Reddick’s impressive winning streak finally came to a halt on Sunday at Phoenix Raceway. And the driver who snapped the run was Ryan Blaney, ironically the same driver who last visited Victory Lane last year at the Phoenix finale before Reddick’s hot week began.

Blaney once again proved his strength at Phoenix, carefully carving his way through the field during a caution-filled 312-lap race. The Penske driver made an impressive 49 passes while repeatedly fighting back through traffic, eventually putting himself in a position to challenge for the lead late in the race.

He ultimately led off a dominant Christopher Bell, who led 176 laps to secure the victory. Blaney led 28 laps in total, including the crucial final 10 that sealed the win.

The 2023 NASCAR champion admitted afterward that the closing line was anything but comfortable.

“I don’t know how many more laps I could’ve held him (Bell) off,” Blaney said after climbing out of the car. “I mean, just perseverance, you know. I mean, everybody in the 12 group persevered all day. We had a couple of mistakes that, you know, we learned from and got better. Honestly, the 20 was the best car, but Jonathan did a great job, a great call to take two, and we were able to get the lead and just hold them up.”

However, the moment carried extra meaning to the organization, as the weekend turned into a massive success for Penske across two major series. Just a day earlier, Josef Newgarden had captured victory in the IndyCar Series race at the same track, completing a huge weekend sweep for the legendary team owner, Roger Penske.

“Newgarden winning yesterday, us winning today—can’t wait to see Roger [Penske],” Blaney admitted, still so focused on the moment that the No. 12 Ford was still idling behind him during the post-race interview.