Playoff pressure mounts for Logano, others after disappointing Darlington

No one has been more successful in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs than Joey Logano, who has won three championships since the introduction of three-race elimination rounds in 2014.

But it's rarely been easy for the Team Penske star, who knows the pressure that many title contenders will be feeling at World Wide Technology Raceway outside of St. Louis.

"At some point in the playoffs, your back will be up against the wall, and it will be do or die," Logano said.

That moment could arrive for many at the 1.25-mile oval commonly known as Gateway (a reference to its moniker before corporate naming rights). Sunday's race will be the second of a first round that started with the Southern 500 battering the championship hopes of several drivers.

A record-low four championship-eligible drivers finished in the top 10 of the playoff opener at Darlington Raceway as Toyotas swept the top four. The best result for Hendrick Motorsports' quartet of playoff Chevrolets was 17th by 2020 Cup champion Chase Elliott, marking the first time the winningest team in NASCAR history placed no drivers in the top 15 of a Southern 500.

Logano, who finished 20th at Darlington, is among many in need of a rebound at Gateway, and clutch performances have defined his career. Of his 37 victories, 15 have been in the playoffs, including three en route to the 2024 title.

A second career win at Gateway would lock the defending Cup champion into the second round ahead of the first-round finale Sept. 13 at Bristol Motor Speedway. The treacherous short track will cut the playoff field from 16 drivers to the top 12 in the points standings.

Between winning the 2022 and '24 championships, Logano suffered a stunning first-round knockout from the 2023 playoffs at Bristol, where his No. 22 Ford has finished outside the top 10 in nine consecutive races.

"That's why Gateway is an ultra-important weekend," said Logano, who is ranked 13th in the standings, three points behind rookie Shane van Gisbergen. "The good news is we excel in those types of situations. We usually can rise to the occasion. With that said, we've seen the other side before, too. We've been through it enough, but we know how to handle it."

He and his Penske teammates also are adept at tackling Gateway, which is playing host to its first playoff race after three consecutive June races since joining the Cup schedule in 2022.

Austin Cindric won last year's race (after teammate Ryan Blaney ran out of fuel on the last lap), and his average Gateway finish of 8.33 is his best on the circuit. Logano is even better, with an average finish of 3.0, underscoring Penske's strength on flat tracks near a mile in length. Logano has won the season finale twice at Phoenix Raceway, a flat 1-mile oval.

"At the flat tracks, our team does a really good job of staying consistent," Cindric said. "That's where our team excels is being able to apply the same things to different challenges."

Gateway has been much tougher for Hendrick Motorsports. It's the only Cup track without a top 10 for Elliott. Teammate Alex Bowman, who is tied with Josh Berry for last among playoff drivers at 19 points below the first-round cutline, has finishes of 13th, 26th and 28th at the track.

Austin Dillon, who is ranked eight points below the cutline at 14th in the standings, won last month at Richmond Raceway's flat 0.75-mile oval and feels confident his No. 3 Chevrolet can duplicate the speed at Gateway (where Richard Childress Racing teammate Kyle Busch won in 2023).

"It's just a strong suit for us at RCR," said Dillon, who finished 23rd at Darlington. "Last week was very disappointing because I felt like we had a great week to capitalize, and we didn't do a great job of taking advantage. I feel we should be above the cutline, and Gateway is huge for us. Last year we had a very fast car, and with a top 10, I feel like we're going into Bristol just above the cutline."

Cindric, who is ninth in the standings and 12 points ahead of the cutline, said leaving Gateway fewer than 20 points above the cutline would be "pretty nerve-racking. I'd describe our position as fairly neutral at the moment. But definitely nothing's really guaranteed, especially with as many unknowns as there are with Bristol next week."

Budding star

Southern 500 winner Chase Briscoe's 3-year-old son, Brooks, became a minor celebrity after hijacking his dad's postrace news conference at Darlington. Clips went viral of Brooks Briscoe clowning on a microphone as his dad attempted to answer questions about his fourth career victory.

"Yeah, he's definitely the life of the party," Chase Briscoe said. "He got recognized at the mall this week. He had his first day of school Tuesday, and all his teachers were telling him he was all over TV. It was definitely a cool experience.

"That was really the first time I felt as a family we've gotten to experience a win. My parents and in-laws were all there. That was definitely a special night."

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