Since the introduction of the NextGen cars, drivers have been heard criticizing the gas-guzzling engines and having to lift off to conserve fuel. After the race at Talladega, this criticism was at its peak as drivers were stuck and were left in a scramble to conserve fuel to be able to finish the race. Subsequently, some recommended NASCAR to add stages at Superspeedways to avoid such situations but Joey Logano thinks otherwise.
The weekend at Talladega was predicted to have fuel rants just like it did in season opener Daytona 500, which witnessed similar antics. This had already frustrated the drivers with the conservative strategies as they wanted to plant the throttle down and experience the engine’s power behind. Moreover, they suggested adding more stages to help drivers refuel without consequences.
Joey Logano is not in favor of this as he deemed the fuel mileage game to be more interesting than going full throttle. He then gave a possible solution to this problem by suggesting mandating a double-stop strategy in each stage but recommended to not change it up much more as the mileage game is more interesting and forces them to think strategically.
The fuel mileage game — I don’t know how that goes away. The only way to me that it goes away, is if you put a mandatory two-tire stop within the stage because you’re then not waiting on fuel anymore. That’s the only thing I can come up with without adding stages and I’ve heard all this other stuff people have talked about. I don’t think we should add stages. But going wide open is not more interesting to me. I think the fuel mileage game is more interesting than when they were wide open. My opinion. Joey Logano said in an interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Joey Logano revealed why drivers did not attempt to pass at Talladega
The race at Talladega ramped up quite a bit in the final moments. However, it was not able to hide the fact that the race saw an alarmingly low number of overtakes during the weekend. This then led to questions being asked around in the garages about why the drivers not initiated to overtake their rivals, and the former champion had the answer for it.
The Penske driver revealed that as soon as anybody tried to overtake another car, they were hit by a wall of air. This slowed their momentum down and discouraged them from indulging in one. Moreover, the fuel issues had motivated drivers to stay behind in the draft of the leaders and to pounce on them in the final stages as seen in the last few laps of the race.
We can't pass cars. So everyone's scared to pull out of the line because it's just like hitting a wall. It's like hitting a brick wall. It just stops. All your momentum stops. That's the issue. Joey Logano said.
Despite Logano’s claims to not worry about the mileage issue, NASCAR has stated that they will look into this. However, a resolution would take a few months to a year so the current scenes of drivers slowing down on straights may become the unfortunate reality going forward.
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