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NASCAR Buy or Sell: Joey Logano winning in the regular season?

By Asher Fair

BRISTOL, TN - AUGUST 18: Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, practices for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 18, 2017 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images)
BRISTOL, TN - AUGUST 18: Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, practices for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 18, 2017 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images) /
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Last year’s NASCAR Cup Series runner-up Joey Logano is without a non-encumbered victory in the 2017 season. Can he win before the playoffs begin?

There are now only two races to go in the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series regular season, and Joey Logano, who finished runner-up in the championship standings last season to seven-time championship Jimmie Johnson, needs to win in order to make it to this season’s playoffs.

Logano took the win at Richmond earlier this season and appeared to have his spot in the playoffs locked up. However, thanks to a rear suspension violation, the win was encumbered, and he was left with a victory that did not count in terms of getting him into the playoffs.

At the time, it appeared as though Logano would have no problem winning another race and getting into the playoffs. After all, through the Richmond race, the ninth race of the season, he had finished lower than 6th place just once.

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However, since the Richmond race, Logano has struggled mightily. In the 15 races since, he has just three top 10 finishes and 10 finishes outside the top 20.

Now on the outside looking in in terms of the playoff picture, can Logano capture that all-important victory in one of the remaining two regular season races to seal himself a spot in the playoffs?

Joey Logano winning in the regular season: SELL

As referenced above, Joey Logano has been flat-out cold since he had his win at Richmond encumbered. While the remaining two regular season races are at tracks he has had recent success at, there is no reason to believe that he can break out of his long slump.

At Darlington, Logano’s last two finishes have been in the top 5. And Richmond, he won the most recent race earlier this season and is a two-time winner at the track. These statistics may give him and his fans hope as we approach the two races at those tracks to close the regular season. However, recent track history at some of the other tracks the Cup Series has visited during his 15-race slump did not help him whatsoever.

At Daytona, where Logano finished in 6th place at to open up the season and won back in 2015, he finished in 35th place during his slump. At Michigan, where he is a two-time winner and actually finished in 3rd place during the beginning of his slump, he recently finished in just 28th. And at Bristol, where he is a two-time winner and finished 5th place earlier this season, he finished in just 13th. Him winning at either Darlington or Richmond isn’t very likely.

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