Logano Returns to Victory Lane with Overtime Win at Texas Motor Speedway

Defending NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano bounced back from recent disappointment to capture Sunday’s Wurth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway in overtime, reminding the competition that he remains a formidable force in 2025.

Redemption After Disqualification

Just one week after having his first top-five finish of the season stripped away due to a technical violation at Talladega Superspeedway, Logano rewrote that statistic by driving his No. 22 Team Penske Ford to victory lane in dramatic fashion.

“The sport changes so quickly,” Logano said in his post-race interview. “It’s crazy how you can ride these roller coasters. I’m just proud of the team, proud to finally get AAA insurance into victory lane. They’ve been a partner of mine since I’ve been with Penske, so 13, 14 years, and we had yet to win with them, so it was awesome to get that done here.”

The victory marks Logano’s first win of the 2025 season and provides a critical playoff berth as he defends his 2024 championship title.

Late-Race Charge to the Front

Starting from a distant 27th position, Logano methodically worked his way through the field throughout the 400-mile race.

“Just slowly, methodically, a couple at a time,” Logano explained of his approach. “We had a really tough pit stall situation; the pit crew did a good job at managing that and just grabbed a couple here and there. The car was fast. I knew that yesterday, I just did a poor job qualifying, and just grinded it out.”

The defining moment came with just four laps remaining in regulation when Logano made a bold move to the inside of Michael McDowell off Turn 2. Despite McDowell forcing him down near the inside backstretch wall, Logano fought to clear the Spire Motorsports driver going into Turn 3 and took the lead.

McDowell crashed a lap later, bringing out the 12th and final caution of the afternoon and setting up the overtime finish.

Overtime Drama

On the final restart, Logano lined up on the inside with Team Penske teammate Ryan Blaney alongside on the outside. When the green flag waved, Logano quickly cleared Blaney and drove away to secure the victory.

Ross Chastain capitalized on the restart to move past Blaney for second place, while the Penske driver settled for third. The result gave Team Penske two cars in the top three positions.

“It’s going to be a fun night,” Logano said with a smile in Victory Lane, clearly relieved to put the disappointment of Talladega behind him.

Day of Attrition for Championship Contenders

The race featured a remarkable 12 cautions and 20 lead changes among 13 different drivers, highlighting the chaotic nature of the competition at the 1.5-mile Texas track.

Kyle Larson, who led a race-high 90 laps and captured the second stage win, ultimately finished fourth after losing the lead when Michael McDowell cleared him into Turn 1 on a restart with 23 laps to go. Larson then slid high in Turn 3 with Tyler Reddick to his outside, further dropping him in the running order.

The final 50 laps saw six caution flags that dramatically altered the complexion of the race. Among the contenders taken out of contention were Kyle Busch, who spun from third place with 39 laps remaining, and pole-sitter Carson Hocevar, who was collected in a multi-car crash with 31 laps to go.

Austin Cindric, who won the first stage and led the second-most laps (60), saw his strong run end when he was involved in another multi-car incident with just 21 laps remaining. Tyler Reddick was running in the top 10 when he was spun in Turn 1 by Daniel Suarez with 14 laps left.

The day of attrition began early when Denny Hamlin suffered an engine failure before the end of the first stage. Josh Berry, who led 41 laps (third-most of any driver), crashed at the beginning of the final stage while leading.

Strong Runs for Smaller Teams

One of the more notable stories from the race was the strong performance by Legacy Motor Club, which placed both of its cars in the top 10. Erik Jones finished fifth while John Hunter Nemechek came home eighth, giving the organization one of its best collective performances of the season.

Rounding out the top 10 were Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in sixth, Austin Dillon in seventh, Christopher Bell in ninth, and Daniel Suarez in tenth.

Championship Implications

With his victory, Logano becomes the seventh different winner in the NASCAR Cup Series this season, further tightening the playoff picture as the regular season approaches its midway point.

For Logano, who had struggled to find consistency in the early portion of the season, the win provides both relief and momentum as he continues his championship defense.

“Just keep grinding a couple here and a couple there, and eventually get a win here,” Logano reflected. “It’s nice to get one — real nice.”

As the Cup Series continues its schedule next weekend at Kansas, Logano’s resilient performance at Texas Motor Speedway serves as a reminder that in NASCAR’s premier division, fortunes can change dramatically from one week to the next, and champions find ways to bounce back from adversity.

Chris Graythen/Getty Images