Joey Logano has returned to Richmond Raceway, site of his only controversial victory this season, needing another one to make the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.

Talk about narrative.

Logano’s victory in the April 30 Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond was deemed encumbered by the sanctioning body due to the No. 22 Team Penske Ford having parts that did not conform to NASCAR rules.

While he kept the win, it did not count toward qualifying for the playoffs and he hasn’t returned to victory lane since. That combined with his 15th-place championship standings has not been enough to qualify for the Round of 16, and he enters the weekend in a must-win scenario.

"We know what we have to do," Logano said on Friday morning. "We know that the only option is to win. Have our cars been off a little compared to where they have been in past years? Yes. I would be lying if I said they weren’t.

"Richmond is one of those places where we can carry some speed. I was watching the spring race on the way up here. We had a good car. Brad (Keselowski) had a really fast car and we battled up front for the win and finished 1-2. That wasn’t that long ago. This is a short track which seems to kind of mask some of the challenges we have had with our cars. When I look at those things, I feel confident that this is a racetrack that if we do everything right, it won’t be easy by any means, but if we do everything right, we can squeak one out."

So what are those challenges?

The Team Penske drivers were fast during the spring but struggled during the summer months. Even Brad Keselowski, sixth in the standings with a 14.2 average finish, can’t seem to make the jump from the top-10 to top-5s.

That’s a far cry from the team that placed the No. 22 into the Championship 4 and won a combined five races this season.

"We just need to go faster," Logano said. "We're just lacking speed in general. The team is still the same team that almost won the championship last year. Nothing has changed there. We just have to get faster. I am proud of the team and the way we have handled these situations.

"Obviously this is one of the toughest spots we have been in as a team. We haven’t had to fight to get in the playoffs in a long time. This is a challenging position but the spirits of the team are strong. They are ready to fight and do whatever we have to do to get into Victory Lane. I am proud of that."

And if Logano can win on Saturday night, he feels like he and crew chief Todd Gordon still have all the resources needed to return to Homestead-Miami Speedway with a chance to win a championship.

"I feel like we can get there," Logano said. "Do I think we are there right now? Obviously not. We aren’t even in the playoffs. I wouldn’t say we are at that spot. I have seen this sport go through big swings within the period of four or five races where all of a sudden other cars get super-fast and the fast cars kind of fall off. It is all about the timing.

"I never think that we are not. Not for very long at least. Anything can happen."

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