Joey Logano Blasts Ford Drivers for ‘Saving Fuel Strategy’ at Talladega

Joey Logano wasn't too impressed with Team Penske sticking to an awkward fuel strategy at Talladega that caused him to finish in only P16.

Joey Logano Blasts Ford Drivers for ‘Saving Fuel Strategy’ at Talladega

Joey Logano (Via @joeylogano/X)

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Joey Logano suffered from mediocre results at the YellaWood 500 at Talladega. The Penske star started the race from P16 and could not gain any positions on track towards the end of the race. Logano could only finish in P16, especially after the rivals ahead of him stuck to a different fuel-saving strategy that put the former at a disadvantage in attacking on track.

Despite the problematic fuel-saving strategy, Joey Logano was still able to lead the most laps at Talladega after leading over 35 laps at the forefront. Team Penske decided to call in the #22 driver late in the race for a fuel pit stop, which caused Logano to lose a lot of positions on track and ultimately finish in only P16. As such, the 35-year-old berated the team’s decision to stick to this fuel strategy.

Joey Logano recalled the in-race fuel strategy that caused him to lose track positions, he criticized how the team decided to call him late in the race to pit. Logano asserted that the team couldn’t expect to save gas for the entirety of the race and expect to gain positions by the race end. He reiterated that the team couldn’t do this and put both of their drivers at a disadvantage.

Joey Logano pointed out that even Ryan Blaney had problematic fuel strategy and had to pit out of the blue for more fuel. As such, Logano highlighted that it was frustrating to see Team Penske face such problems.

He shed light on how he and Blaney just lost positions to the rivals as they moved up the grid and both of them had to pit for fuel. The #22 driver explained that both of them were helpless on track and couldn’t fight for a better finish on track.

We can’t be saving gas at the end of the race and expect the lane to move. That’s the bottom line. We can’t be doing that. And it’s not Ryan’s fault—I wasn’t either. It’s just frustrating to see us getting demoted in the lane as cars keep pulling out in front. You’re helpless, just driving in circles, knowing the right thing to do but unable to do it. I drive one car.

Joey Logano told Dustin Long, @dustinlong/X.

Joey Logano labels his Talladega outing as ‘frustrating’

Joey Logano was poised for a great finish in the top five if it wasn’t for the problematic strategic calls towards the end of the race. Logano will face a stiff challenge in moving up the playoff rounds and into the Championship-4 following his P16 finish at Dega. Now, the #22 driver opened up on his entire race day at Talladega and how it wasn’t remotely close to how he expected the race to be.

Joey Logano (via Imagn)
Joey Logano (via Imago)

Speaking on the troubles on Sunday, Joey Logano asserted that he wasn’t going to say that everyone did a good job to stay in the lead and finish in a great spot. He noted that it was indeed very frustrating because he was so close to the win but couldn’t do anything about it because of the fuel strat. Logano reiterated that the outing was frustrating, but he insisted that the team was now aware of what to do and what not during race day which will surely be helpful in the upcoming races.

I can’t say everyone did a good enough job to stay up there and do our part. Really frustrating because you’re so close and see in front of you what you’ve got to do, and you can’t do anything about it. It’s frustrating. We know what we’ve got to do now. It’s pretty simple. (The car) was a little off, but it made it, so that part’s good.

Joey Logano told NASCAR

The defending Cup Series champion is definitely among the favorites to win the title this year once again, regardless of the issues so far. Joey Logano has suffered from a rollercoaster of a year in 2026, but his championship chances still look very strong. After a disappointing outing in Talladega, Logano will surely have to work extremely hard in the upcoming races ahead of the championship finale at Phoenix.

Read More: Corey LaJoie Brands Chase Briscoe “the Championship Favorite” After Impressive Talladega Win