Joey Logano stated that the postseason is his time of the year right after winning NASCAR's playoff opener.
During his first 10 playoff appearances, he consistently navigated through the rounds, clinching two Cup titles and always finishing within the top eight in the standings.
Then, last year, Logano, the reigning Cup champion, experienced his first-ever elimination from the 16-driver field in the opening round. Throughout the rest of the season, he hesitated to attend the track, despite his Team Penske teammate Ryan Blaney winning the championship.
There won't be any setbacks this year, especially since Logano secured a spot in the second round of the playoffs with an overtime win on Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Logano exclaimed, "This is how we kick off the playoffs, guys! When the playoffs arrive, it's our moment to shine."
Logano secured victory in the 11th race of the season, which concluded in overtime, equalling the record set during the 2017 season. He aims to become the sole active three-time Cup champion in the series. Kyle Busch, who failed to qualify for the playoffs, is the only other driver with two Cup titles.
Logano mentioned that being able to step up when necessary and starting the first race of the playoffs with a strong statement is crucial.
Initially, Ryan Blaney was positioned in second place, setting up a potential 1-2 victory for Team Penske and Ford. Blaney followed behind Logano, providing him with the necessary support to prevent Daniel Suarez from winning.
Following a review, Suarez was placed in second position, while Blaney fell to third. Team owner Roger Penske was absent from the race as he had plans to attend the Detroit Lions' NFL home opener later that Sunday.
After winning the closest three-wide finish in NASCAR history at this track in February, Suarez received assistance from his Trackhouse Racing teammate Ross Chastain. The two-lap overtime sprint to the finish started with Logano and Suarez positioned next to each other on the front row, with their respective teammates behind them ready to help propel them to the front.
Although Blaney initially got Logano ahead, Chastain stayed closely behind Suarez's Chevrolet, engaging in a duel until Blaney provided a final push to help his Penske teammate secure the victory.
Despite moving up two positions to ninth place in the standings with his second-place finish, Suarez was disappointed to fall just short.
He expressed his discontent by saying, "No, I am not satisfied at all. I am content with the performance, but not satisfied. I thought we had a good chance at winning. Ross was doing exceptionally well, but I'm not sure what happened to him - maybe he got a flat tire. Once I lost sight of him, I knew it would be challenging. However, that's just how racing goes, isn't it?"
Joe Gibbs Racing's Christopher Bell crossed the finish line in fourth place driving a Toyota, while Alex Bowman from Hendrick Motorsports secured the fifth spot in a Chevrolet. The sixth position went to Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing, the regular-season champion, followed by Richard Childress Racing's Busch, Hendrick's Chase Elliott, and William Byron, along with Penske's Austin Cindric. Notably, only two Toyotas, driven by Bell and Reddick, made it into the top 10.
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