Joey Logano facing must-win at Richmond to qualify for Cup Series playoffs

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. When Joey Logano left Richmond Raceway in April, he had just scored his first win of the 2017 season, seemingly solidifying his spot in the Monster Energy Cup Series playoffs.

A few days later, however, NASCAR officials determined Logano’s No. 22 Team Penske Ford had an illegal rear suspension and classified the win as encumbered. And although Logano was allowed to keep the victory, he was stripped of the benefits the triumph brought, which included postseason eligibility.

Although the penalties were a setback — Logano was also docked 25 points and crew chief Todd Gordon was suspended two races — conventional wisdom suggested that Logano, a perennial championship contender since joining Penske in 2013, would still ultimately be among the 16 drivers making the playoffs. He could earn a berth either by winning another regular-season race or accumulating enough points to grab a wild card spot.

Neither option, however, has materialized. Instead of making the playoffs for a fifth consecutive season, he returns to Richmond for the regular-season finale on the wrong side of the cut line facing a situation where anything less than winning the Federated Auto Parts 400 (6:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN) results in him failing to qualify.

”Obviously this is one of the toughest spots we have been in as a team,” Logano said. “We haven’t had to fight to get in the playoffs in a long time. This is a challenging position, but the spirits of the team are strong. They are ready to fight and do whatever we have to do to get into victory lane.”

Most years, Logano would stand a reasonable chance to come through in a must-win scenario. In 2014, he won five races and advanced to the championship playoff round. The following season, he won six times and was well-positioned to advance to the final bracket when Matt Kenseth deliberately crashed him at Martinsville Speedway, effectively ending his title hopes. And last year, while his win total dropped to three, he again qualified for the championship round where he finished runner-up to Jimmie Johnson.

But Logano’s 2017 has fallen well short of his customary performance level. After starting the season with a flourish, posting eight finishes of sixth or better in the opening nine races — including the Richmond win — he’s had only three top 10s in the 16 races that followed.

“We just need to go faster,” Logano said. “We’re just lacking speed in general. The team is still the same team that almost won the championship last year. Nothing has changed there. We just have to get faster. I am proud of the team and the way we have handled these situations.”

Because Richmond is a three-quarter-mile short track emphasizing a driver’s ability over aerodynamics and outright speed that factor prominently into the outcome on most other tracks on the Cup schedule, Logano is confident he can conjure up some magic Saturday night. He’s a two-time winner at the Virginia oval, with nine top-10 finishes in 17 career starts.

“This is a short track, which seems to kind of mask some of the challenges we have had with our cars,” Logano said. “When I look at those things, I feel confident that this is a race track that if we do everything right — it won’t be easy by any means — but if we do everything right we can squeak one out.”