By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service

LOGANO SHAKES OFF ROUGH DARLINGTON RACE

MARTINSVLLE, Va. — Joey Logano is a three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and perpetual favorite at any race track he competes on. But the driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford, who is enduring a very uncharacteristic slow start to the season, is extraordinarily optimistic for Sunday’s Cook Out 400 (3:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Martinsville Speedway which stands to be a strong season panacea for the veteran.

MARTINSVILLE, VIRGINIA – MARCH 28: Ryan Blaney, driver of the #12 Advance Auto Parts Ford, (L) and Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, talk on the grid during practice for the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway on March 28, 2026 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)

His 13 consecutive top-10 finishes at Martinsville is the longest streak among this week’s starting field. He won here in 2018 and has a pair or runner-up finishes in the 14 races since his victory circle visit.

Through six races this season, however, Logano has only a single top-10 – a third place effort in the season-opening Daytona 500.  He is coming off a 33rd place finish at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway last week, while his two Penske teammates, Ryan Blaney and Austin Cindric both finished among the top five.

“Still a mystery,’’ Logano said of Darlington. “Obviously it was a tough one, but you have those races every now and again. It’s not fun living through them, I can tell you that much, not fun for anybody. 

“But you also have to remember the success we’ve all had together too. We still know how to do this, so you have to move on. Learn from it as quickly as possible and you have to close the book and by Monday, Tuesday move on and that’s kind of what we did.’’

With the change in the points format, and season-long points now putting a team in the Chase (Playoffs), Logano said it’s very much time to go and he’s very mindful of the points progression. Not only does he have the streak of top-10 finishes here, but Logano has been running at the finish of the last 34 consecutive Martinsville races – the fourth best effort all time and he’s still going.

“It’s one of those [tracks] that it seems like once you get a hold of it you see the same cast of characters in the top five frequently. You think of Blaney, Chase, us, the 24 [Byron] and the 11 [Hamlin], consistently. It’s a very predictable race from my standpoint. Every now and then you can sprinkle someone else into that mix. But those are the people who are probably going to be pretty strong here

“For us, it’s a good track to try to rebound, especially after last weekend that was so horrible. We know how to get around here, we know what to do, let’s just see if we can get a little momentum built up going into the off-weekend.”

NEW CHAMPIONSHIP FORMAT EFFECT

Even with only six races in the bookS, drivers say they do notice a difference in the way the competition is approaching the 2026 title run and the change this season to emphasize season-long points versus a win-and-in Playoff format.

Both the approach to stage points and emphasis on consistency have helped create a noticeable new dynamic.

“I notice guys are just a little more protective of their finish,’’ said three-time Martinsville winner William Byron, who is ranked sixth in the standings. “There’s more emphasis on finishing well, but what goes with that is stage points. Last year, we had a really good start to the season. We scored a lot of stage points. This year, we’re not scoring as many stage points and we’re not as high up in the points.

“I think there’s more of an emphasis on finishing the race strong, but I still think with stage points, you can’t overcome not having a good couple stages. So, the guys scoring a lot of points might still not be finishing as well, but they’re just scoring throughout the weekend on the stages.”

Fellow championship contender, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell agreed that there is a very evident change in mindset.

“I think everybody knows the importance of maximizing your day now where in the previous format you didn’t have to maximize your day,’’ said Bell, who is ranked eighth with three top-10 finishes.

“It was a win-or-bust mentality whereas now I think the racing is a little more compelling and aggressive. Everyone knows that every position matters more now than it did in years past.’’

KESELOWSKI MAKES 600th START

Although finishes are what typically define race car drivers, Brad Keselowski will be experiencing a significant career start this weekend. The 2012 NASCAR Cup Series champion boasts the fourth most race starts in the current field and best of all for him, he’s marking the 600-start milestone in one of the best season starts he’s turned in since becoming a team owner in the series.

MARTINSVILLE, VIRGINIA – MARCH 28: Brad Keselowski, driver of the #6 BuildSubmarines.com Ford, drives during practice for the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway on March 28, 2026 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images)

Only three other drivers on Sunday’s starting grid have more starts than Keselowski with Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch leading the group with 756. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin has 727 and three-time champ Logano has 621.

Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Richard Petty has the most series starts (1,184) in history and fellow NASCAR Hall of Famer Ricky Rudd is second on the list with 906. Petty is the only driver to have won his 600th start.

“Great to be back here, great to have cars that are super competitive and to be running up toward the front,’’ Keselowski said. “To hit 600 starts is a number I never really even dreamed of to be honest with you. I never thought that big. Just tried to do my thing and do the best I could and it kind of snuck up on me. It’s always a lot of fun when the cars are fast and things are clicking.”

Keselowski comes into Martinsville ranked ninth in the championship with three top-10 finishes already, including a third place in the Daytona 500 and a season-best runner-up effort at Darlington, S.C. last weekend. More encouraging for Keselowski is that the entire three-car effort is off to a positive start with Chris Buescher ranked seventh in the standings and Ryan Preece 12th.

“Ultimately to be judged as successful in this sport you have to win and be a contender to win regularly,’’ Keselowski sad. “I’m hopeful we can push through with some kind of stellar performance early in the season and kind of serve ourselves in that way. We were close last week.

“This weekend would be another one of those opportunities I feel real good about,’’ he continued. “Not trying to discredit Ryan [Preece] from winning the Clash but we need to win the points paying races and be in contention to that on a regular basis. We are not where I want us to be but we’re inching closer to that goal and I’m thrilled to see that growth. It never comes fast enough but there has been a lot of progress.’’

OFF WEEK PLANS

Next weekend is the first off-weekend of the season for the NASCAR Cup Series and not too surprisingly there is a great range of plans – and non-plans – for the competitors.

Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender, Trackhouse Racing’s Connor Zilisch, 19, is heading to California with the idea of taking a break from racing. It’s a similar idea for Bell, who grinned and proclaimed, “I’m going to sitting on my couch.’’

Spire Motorsports’ Daniel Suarez and his wife Julia are heading to Greece.

Three-time champ Joey Logano says he will just spend time with his three kids and maybe enjoy a family trip to the beach. Reigning series champion Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson conceded that his down time now as a father looks a lot different than it did a few years back. Next week, he will not be racing and instead attending the races his son Owen, 11 and daughter Audrey, 7, will compete in.

His Hendrick teammate Byron, smiled and explained he hasn’t even begun considering off-week plans yet. “I’m not a planner, just gotta get through this weekend and see where I’m at.”