Joey Logano fastest in Shriners Children's 500 practice at Phoenix Raceway

Tell me if you heard this one before, Joey Logano was the fastest in practice. The two-time NASCAR champion has that single-lap speed nailed down. Could he win another pole award tomorrow?

After this practice session, the first 50-minute session of the season, we can make a few inferences. To start, the Toyotas are fast and a few of them, like Christopher Bell and Bubba Wallace, were fast in short and long-run speed. Unfortunately, I’m not sure if passing is going to be any easier with the new package.

Chevy is still struggling in these practice sessions. Single-lap speed remains an issue. I don’t think that we need to panic until we see the same thing happen in the race on Sunday.

A few drivers had issues on the track. Daniel Hemric and Tyler Reddick both spun around. Hemric made contact with the wall, Reddick just burned up a set of tires, really. Wallace also kissed the wall, but that was due to how close he was getting to the wall, which is what he wants.

Phoenix NCS Practice pic.twitter.com/XIRHzAR61e

— Patrick Perrin (@P2Inc) March 8, 2024

So, the track is slick, and tires are being eaten up in the long run – this might end up being a decent race after all. For what it’s worth, Reddick believes passing is more difficult than before after today.

Behind Joey Logano in practice were Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick, John Hunter Nemechek, and Austin Cindric. The only two Chevys in the top-10 in speed were Chase Elliott at P7 and Carson Hocevar, at P10.

Last week’s race winner, Kyle Larson, found himself down in P19 when the session was through. There are a lot of teams that have work to do between now and qualifying tomorrow.

Joey Logano ready to earn third pole in four weeks

Nothing is guaranteed after this practice, but Joey Logano is in a great spot right now. The two-time champion has had fast cars all season long. He just has to get them to the finish line and get the most out of them on race day.

So far this season, despite three front-row starts and two pole awards, Logano only has a single top-10 finish to his record this season. To make his case further, Logano was top-5 in 10, 15, and 20 lap speed.

The speed in the long run is really what is important for a race like this. Getting the balance right, making sure that you can sustain a run if you need to. At the same time, it could come down to an overtime restart, dash to the finish. In that case, short run speed would be coveted.

Joey Logano and his team will try to strike a balance between the two, as will the rest of the Cup Series teams. Keep an eye on those Toyotas and Fords in qualifying. We will see if any of the Chevy teams can make the swing in the garage and catch up.