Joey Logano mired in slump not seen since 2009

Joey Logano is in the middle of a slump the likes of which he hasn't seen since his rookie season in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2009. 

On Sunday at Watkins Glen, a flat tire led to Logano finishing the Go Bowling at The Glen in 36th, three laps down. It was his fourth consecutive finish of 30th or worse and dropped him from 17th to 18th in the series standings. 

In total, Logano has only three top 10s in 2026 and six finishes of 30th or worse. The three-time Cup champion hasn't been top 10 in points since the fourth race of the season at Phoenix. 

The only comparably poor stretch of races in Logano's career came early in the 2009 season, where, after a 43rd-place finish in the season-opening Daytona 500, Logano finished 30th, 38th and 32nd, respectively, at Atlanta, Bristol and Martinsville early in the season. 

The fourth race of that stretch saw Logano finish 21st at Phoenix. 

Joey Logano is in trouble

The problem at the moment for Logano is that the No. 22 team is completely down on speed. Logano has led only 114 laps this season, 73 of which came in a race at Phoenix, where he finished 31st after a crash. He's led only six laps over the past eight races and has fallen from sixth to 18th in the standings over that same stretch. 

Logano will enter the next points race at Charlotte on May 24, 38 points out of the provisional Chase field and in desperate need of answers.