The NASCAR Cup Series teams take on Martinsville Speedway this weekend. This race provides an opportunity for Joey Logano to snap a streak of undesired finishes.
The three-time Cup champion enters the seventh race of the season seeking his first top-10 finish. He has finished 12th or worse in every race this season and has an average finish of 18.8 despite leading the series in laps led (247). His Team Penske teammates -- Ryan Blaney and Austin Cindric -- are second and third with 147 and 159 laps led, respectively.
What makes Martinsville a fitting location for this potential rebound opportunity? He has delivered consistency at the Virginia track while posting an average finish of 10.8 with no DNFs. He has led 1,207 laps and has celebrated one win, 11 top-five finishes, and 20 top-10s.
This average finish would likely be different if not for the 2015 playoff race. Matt Kenseth wrecked Logano as the Team Penske driver was racing for the win. This was retaliation for Logano wrecking him at Kansas weeks prior.
Instead of crossing the line, at least in the top five, Logano ended the Martinsville playoff race in 37th place.
Logano is riding an 11-race streak in which he has finished 10th or better at the short track. This streak started during the 2019 playoffs when he crossed the line eighth, and it has since featured five of Logano's top-five finishes. This includes second-place finishes in the 2022 and '23 spring races.
Continuing this production at Martinsville would be crucial for Logano, who has his sights set on securing an opportunity to win his fourth Cup Series championship. He has fallen in the standings over the past two weeks.
Logano dropped from seventh to eighth after Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and then he fell to 11th after last weekend's race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He remains above the playoff cutline but is only 30 points ahead of Ryan Preece and Kyle Busch, the two drivers tied for 16th.