Joey Logano forced to make mid-race pit crew change after jackman Graham Stoddard falls ill

The jackman for Joey Logano is not feeling well and will not be able to continue in the NASCAR Championship race at Phoenix. Team Penske has moved the jackman from the No. 2 to the No. 22 and the jackman of the No. 21 Wood Brothers car to the No. 2.

Mid-race shift on pit road. Team Penske has two cars in the championship battle. While Joey Logano is doing well early on in the race, his pit crew now has a different look.

Graham Stoddard is out. Now we will see how this setback changes this race on pit road.

Joey Logano will have a crew change for the remainder of the race. The jackman on the 22 isn't feeling well, and the team has elected to move the jackman from the No. 2 over to the No. 22.

— PRN (@PRNlive) November 10, 2024

Stoddard is a former Nebraska Cornhusker football player. He played special teams and fullback. After his football career, he made the transition to NASCAR where he has been for 11 years. As tough of a competitor as he is, he must be feeling pretty sorry if he isn’t able to keep going.

With how hard it is to pass at this Phoenix track, this could be major. Joey Logano has to have great pit stops to stay on pace with his own teammate, Ryan Blaney. Not to mention William Byron has one of the best pit crews in all of NASCAR.

This race did start very well for Logano. It shows just how strong he can be in clean air.

Joey Logano dominates Stage 1

Through the first stage at Phoenix, it is all Joey Logano. The NASCAR Championship 4 driver dominated the first stint of this race. Logano is hoping to stink up the race today and dominate the next two stages as well.

Joey Logano started P2 in today’s race. He would go on to pass Martin Truex Jr. early on and pull away from the 19 car for most of the stage.

Team Penske has won the last two championships and for good reason. They know what they are doing at Phoenix. The last time Logano was in this position, he won at Las Vegas on his way to the finale and won the championship.

This time around, he is going to have more competition. His own teammate Ryan Blaney, the defending champion, will be giving him a hard time today. And you can’t count out William Byron, a past winner at Phoenix and Hendrick Motorsports’ only driver in the title fight.