Joey Logano Bounces Back for First Win of Season at Texas

On a wild and eventful Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway, Joey Logano escaped the chaos for his first win of the 2025 season in the Würth 400.

Logano took the lead from Michael McDowell with four laps to go, then survived an overtime restart to earn his 37th career NASCAR Cup Series victory.

Race Results: NASCAR Cup Series Wurth 400 at Texas

Logano is a three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, but his 2025 season has been anything but a return to championship form thus far. Sunday's win was just his second top-10 finish of the year, and comes one week after being disqualified from a top-five finish at Talladega Superspeedway due to a missing spoiler bolt.

"The sport changes so quickly," said Logano. "It’s crazy how you can just ride these roller coasters."

The victory also marks the first win for AAA Insurance as a primary sponsor in the NASCAR Cup Series. AAA has been involved in the sport since the mid-2000s, and has been with Team Penske for the entirety of Logano's tenure with the team starting in 2013.

"I'm just proud of the team. We finally get AAA Insurance into victory lane. They’ve been a partner of mine since I’ve been to Penske, so 13, 14 years. I’ve yet to win with them. It was awesome to get that done here.

"The JL Kids Crew is here. We’ll have fun with them on victory lane. A lot of people here. My family, they’re at home. Hey, Brittany, the kids, love you guys. It’s going to be a fun night."

While Texas is known for being a difficult track for passing, Logano won from the 27th starting position. It took patience to work his way towards the front of the field, but he knew his Team Penske No. 22 Ford Mustang Dark Horse was up to the task.

"Slowly, methodically, a couple at a time. We had a really tough pit stall situation. The pit crew did a good job of managing that and just grabbed a couple here and there.

"The car was fast. I knew that yesterday. We just did a poor job qualifying. Just grinded it out. Just keep grinding a couple here and a couple there and eventually get a win here. It’s nice to get one. Real nice."

Logano took the leadon lap 264 from Michael McDowell, going all the way to the apron on the backstretch as McDowell attempted to block Logano's pass for the lead. McDowell crashed one lap later after losing the second spot to Ryan Blaney, bringing out the caution and setting up an overtime restart.

McDowell finished 26th, acknowledging he took it over the edge in the late-race battle but unwilling to yield in what he believes is a must-win situation for his Spire Motorsports team.

"I just really hate it for everyone on this Spire Motorsports No. 71 Delaware Life Chevrolet," said McDowell. "We were giving it everything we had there to try to keep track position. Joey got a run there, I tried to block it. I went as far as I think you could probably go. When Blaney slid up in front of me, it just took the air off of it and I lost the back of it.

"I still had the fight in me. I probably should have conceded at that point, but I'm just proud of everybody at Spire Motorsports. I know that's not the day we wanted, but we had an opportunity to win the race. I'm really proud of everybody at Hendrick Motorsports, Hendrick Engine Shops, you guys saw those restarts. The motors are ripping.

"I just hate we didn't get it done, but we knew we had to go for it. We went for it and it didn't work out."

Ross Chastain snagged second position on the overtime restart, but could not chase down Logano to fight for the win. Like Logano, Chastain overcame a poor qualifying effort to secure a solid finishing result.

"Yeah, that’s a working class day," said Chastain. "That’s enough reason to go to Tootsie’s next time I’m in Nashville. I want to head straight there. Gosh, that’s a working day.

"Just no confidence in the car yesterday. Y’all saw that. Just the speed of the Trackhouse cars on Saturdays is just terrible. We’re just not confident, all three drivers."

"So there was one pit stop today that Phil Surgen and the group — it takes a ton of people back at Trackhouse and on the box here in GM at Chevrolet. They made me a confident driver all of a sudden with one adjustment. It was small stuff. It doesn’t even make sense, but after that I was a confident driver."

Blaney finished third, giving Team Penske two drivers on the podium one week after Austin Cindric won at Talladega. However, he was frustrated with letting a chance to win slip away after having a shot at battling with McDowell for the win in the closing laps.

"The one time I didn’t pick the outside, the 71 [of McDowell] gets the lead, and then I couldn’t get it back," said Blaney. "Just the driver making dumb decisions and not doing his job, so I appreciate the 12 car was a fast car. Just can’t do nothing right currently, so hopefully it will work itself out."

A total of 12 cautions slowed Sunday's race, the most for a NASCAR Cup Series event thus far in 2025. Those cautions constantly shook up the complexion of the race, and even one race leader was not immune

Josh Berry crashed while leading during the second stage of the race, seeking his second win of the season. Berry finished 32nd, unable to continue after completing 187 laps.

Logano makes the ninth different winner in the last nine NASCAR Cup Series events at Texas Motor Speedway. The most recent repeat winner at Texas was Kevin Harvick, winning at the track in both 2018 and 2019.

Next, the NASCAR Cup Series goes to Kansas Speedway. Last season, Kansas produced the closest finish in the history of the NASCAR Cup Series as Kyle Larson defeated Chris Buescher.

Coverage of the AdventHealth 400 will take place on Sunday, May 11 at 3:00 PM ET on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

-Photo credit: Matthew T. Thacker, NKP for Ford Performance