Joey Logano 2018 Fantasy NASCAR Preview
Strengths – Joey Logano is one of the premiere drivers in NASCAR. 2017 was clearly a down year for him, but in 2018 I think we’ll see him return to form and compete at a very high-level like in years past. In 2018 I would look for Logano to be at his best at intermediate tracks, short tracks, shorter flat tracks and road courses.
Weaknesses – The big question about Joey Logano is will he bounce back? I think he will, but what if he doesn’t? Assuming he bounces back there should be no real notable weaknesses.
Track Type Fantasy Value Key = Elite > High > Medium-High > Medium > Low
Intermediate Track Fantasy Value – Elite
At intermediate tracks in 2018 I would look for Joey Logano to bounce back in a big way. He’s proven himself to be a great performer at these tracks in the past and I think he’ll be much more competitive than he was in 2017. Last year on this track type Logano scored the 12th most points, in the four season’s prior to that his average points ranking was 4.25.
Last year Logano had an off-season across the board and that impacted him at intermediate tracks. This upcoming season at intermediate tracks I would look for Logano to compete for wins, get a good amount of top fives and contend for a top ten nearly every weekend.
Flat Track Fantasy Value – High
Joey Logano is a strong performer at flat tracks. Last year on this track type he scored the 13th most points, that’s pretty good for an off-year. In the three prior seasons on this track type he scored the 7th, 1st and 6th most points. At both the smaller and bigger flat tracks he’s a strong performer.
In 2018 on this track type look for him to have a bounce back year and be more competitive.
At shorter flat tracks Logano is one of the best performers in the series. Last year on this sub-track type minus the spring Phoenix race and summer New Hampshire race where he had problems he had a 6.25 average finish.
Last year at the bigger flat tracks he had problems in 2 of the 3 races. At Indy which turned into a high-attrition race he finished 4th. At Pocono, the other big flat track on the schedule he had results of 23rd and 27th. Historically both of those tracks have been great for him. At Indy he has five straight top 8’s
Short Track Fantasy Value – Elite
Short tracks were a bright spot for Logano last year. In 2017 he scored the most points, had the most top fives (4) and had a series best 8.2 average finish. That’s even more impressive when you take into account he probably would’ve finished in the top five at Martinsville last fall if he didn’t have problems late (finished 24th). In the other Martinsville races since 2014 minus fall 2015 when he was wrecked while leading he had a 6th place average finish.
At Richmond Logano has been very strong. He was essentially stripped of the win in the spring, and finished 2nd in the fall. Currently at RIR Logano has a series best 8 straight top tens.
Bristol has been a tough place for many drivers, but Logano thrives there. He’s a two-time winner who has a 7.8 average finish over the last five races. Last summer he finished 13th, in the four races prior to that he had results of 5th, 10th, 10th and 1st.
Over the four prior season’s on this track type Logano scored the 3rd, 6th, 1st and 10th most points.
Restrictor Plate Track Fantasy Value – High
In the last three seasons at plate tracks Logano has ranked in the top ten in terms of points accumulated. Last year he scored the 10th most points, in the two prior seasons he scored the 2nd and 6th most points.
At both plate tracks Logano is a former winner. At Talladega he’s been very strong recently, particularly in the fall event where he’s won 2 of the last 3 races and has finished in the top 4 every race. The spring race has been tough for him there though with him having finished 25th or worse in every event since 2012. Last fall at Talladega he finished 4th, in the spring he was caught up in a wreck and finished 32nd.
Daytona has been a pretty friendly track to him. He’s a former winner who’s finished in the top six in 4 of the last 6 races. It’s hard to do better than that. Last summer at Daytona Logano wrecked, in the three races prior to that he had results of 6th, 4th and 6th.
Road Course Track Fantasy Value – Elite
Joey Logano is a very strong road course racer. He should be viewed as a favorite at Watkins Glen, and a solid top ten performer at Sonoma. Charlotte is a great unknown, but I think he’ll perform at a high level there.
Last year Joey Logano didn’t have a great performance at Watkins Glen and finished 24th. He lacked speed almost everywhere last year so I’m not going to read into it too much. In the four races prior to that he finished in the top 7 including a win in 2015.
At Sonoma Logano has performed well. Since 2011 he’s finished in the top twelve in 6 of the last 7 races. Last year he finished 12th. In the two races prior to that he finished 3rd and 5th.
In 2017 at road courses Logano scored the 13th most points, in the four prior seasons on this track type he scored the 3rd, 2nd, 8th and 6th most points.
