Joey Logano takes the win in Texas for 1st this season

Joey Logano overcame a lot to get his first victory this season.

This occurred a week after Team Penske teammate Austin Cindric's victory at Talladega, where Logano initially finished fifth but was relegated to 39th place following a post-race inspection that discovered a problem with the spoiler on his No. 22 Ford. Additionally, there was an expletive-filled radio outburst from Logano directed at his teammate during that race, which they resolved over the week. Moreover, he started 27th at Texas due to a poor qualifying performance on the 1½-mile track.

Logano surged ahead during the overtime restart on Sunday, securing victory in the 11th race of the year. He led only seven of the 271 laps, four more than initially planned.

"After last week's events, bouncing back like this is typical of the '22' way. I'm incredibly proud of the team," Logano stated.

During the final restart after the 12th caution, Logano was positioned inside his teammate Ryan Blaney. He pulled ahead on the backstretch, maintaining a clear lead for the final 1½ laps, while Ross Chastain overtook Blaney to finish second.

"It was a slow, methodical process," Logano described about moving to the front. "Just kept grinding, gaining a few positions at a time, and eventually securing the win."

Logano achieved his 37th career victory, taking the lead for the first time on Lap 264 by passing Michael McDowell on the inside.

"There's always a new story next week, right?" Logano remarked. "I told my wife last week before we left, 'Watch me go win this one.' That's just how we operate."

During a caution with 47 laps remaining, McDowell took only two tires, advancing 15 spots to second. He led for 19 laps but got loose a few laps after being overtaken by Logano, leading to a crash that brought out the caution and pushed the race into overtime. He finished 26th.

"We gave it everything to maintain track position," McDowell said. "Joey got a run, and I tried to block it. I went as far as I could. When Blaney slid in front of me, it disrupted the air, and I lost control. I still fought for myself, but I probably should have conceded then."