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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — If the headline to this story doesn’t read: Logano says, ‘I don’t know what the hell I’m doing,’ don’t blame the Team Penske driver.
"That’s the headline right there," Logano says, laughing.
Clearly that isn’t the case. When it comes to restrictor-plate racing, Logano, 26, obviously knows a thing or two. In fact, he and teammate Brad Keselowski have become two of the best at understanding the nuances of the draft and pack racing on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series‘ two biggest venues — Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.
Since the fall Talladega race of 2014, the two have won six of nine races at the two tracks, including Logano’s win in the Daytona 500 two years ago. Last season, the duo went three-for-four in plate races.
"I’ve learned a lot about this whole thing, mainly because I just started studying it," Logano said of his recent success in plate races. "I had to."
There was a time, he said, when he bought into the belief that success on the restrictor-plate tracks was simply a product of luck. Finding oneself in the right place at the right time. Choosing the right line instead of the wrong one. Guesswork at 200 mph.
"But when you look at statistics, that’s not the case," he said. "If it was luck, there would be a different winner every single time. But it’s not."
It’s strategy. Understanding the draft and not only which moves to make, but when to make them. Likewise, the crew chiefs have to understand "what to do and when to do it. Spotters understanding everything," he said.
"I guess as a driver and as a team we put the effort into it and we see some results because of it. What does Roger (Penske, team owner) say all the time? ‘The harder I work the luckier I get?’ "
It’s also being able to process all that information, combine it with what a driver knows about his car and those around him and making decisions in the blink of an eye.
Something of what Keselowski describes as a "culture change" at Team Penske has had an impact as well.
"I think we got really tired of people saying that restrictor-plate tracks were about luck," the 2012 series champion said. "And the culture really changed for us when, as a company, we decided this isn’t luck anymore, this is a concerted effort to put on your best moves, your best face, your best cars and quit saying it’s luck.
"As soon as we stopped saying that at Team Penske we had a lot more success. I think it’s a lot more about culture than anything else."
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Physically, restrictor-plate racing might be the easiest form of NASCAR competition. Mentally it’s the most taxing.
"Mentally you’re just completely shot," Logano said. "It’s like your computer is just on overload with all the information. And some computers work quicker than others, right? It’s a mental race."
Hendrick Motorsports driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., who will start on the outside of the front row for Sunday’s Daytona 500 (2 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR) is an accomplished plate racer. So too are Denny Hamlin (Joe Gibbs Racing), the defending Daytona 500 champion, Kevin Harvick (Stewart-Haas Racing) and Kyle Busch (JGR). Toss in Matt Kenseth and Jamie McMurray as well.
Logano said he isn’t surprised that those are the drivers most often competing for wins and finishing in the top five on a regular basis at Daytona and Talladega.
"They just get it," he said. "They know what to do. They make these moves on the race track and you go ‘Yeah!’ You’ll see only those guys do it.
"Every now and again you’ll see those moves happen and you’re like ‘They knew what the hell was going on.’ It all came together. And then you see other people that go for it and sometimes it doesn’t work out; they may luck into one every now and again, they may completely lose it and go all the way to the back. Some guys just ride and they pick them off as some cars go backwards. But you’re never going to get to the lead that way.
"You have to be confident in your decision and the only way you’re confident is through prep. Without preparation you can’t be confident in anything. That’s how I look at it."
Keselowski scored his first Monster Energy Cup Series win in a restrictor-plate race, at Talladega in ’09. It was career start No. 5 and helped open the door to his arrival at Team Penske. Five of his 21 career wins have come on the plate tracks.
Looking back on past races, Keselowski said he’s "almost embarrassed" by what he sees.
"Because I see all the moves that were open," and not taken, he said.
"I think that speaks to just having the experience and to learning the tactics and those changing, evolving, being developed.
"Certainly the sport has changed and the drivers continue to get better. But the basics continue to be the same — you’ve always had to have a good car to win this race. You’re going to have to have a good car to win it this year, but you’re going to have to have those tactics right."
