Has Joey Logano shaken off 2017? (Yes)

With Sunday’s win at Talladega, Joey Logano snapped a 36-race losing streak dating back to last year’s encumbered win at Richmond.

Anyone who kept track of last year saw that after that doomed win, Logano began a slide downward that caused him to miss the Playoffs for the first time since joining Team Penske in 2013. After that win, Logano posted just nine top 10 finishes and zero wins after starting the first nine races of the season with one win, six top 5’s and eight top 10s.

Fast-forward one year later and the stats are all too familiar: one win, three top 5’s and nine top 10s.

While all three Team Penske drivers have had quiet seasons so far compared to three-peaters Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch, they have all been fairly consistent. All three are in the top 10 in the regular season standings and Logano has the most top 10 finishes out of anyone this year. And so far, this win at Talladega has not been encumbered (knock on wood).

It looks like 2017 is being proven as a fluke year for Logano. His stats going into that season were of championship caliber: 14 wins total from 2014-2016 and two final four appearances.

We’ve seen drivers have down seasons after having hot, winning years. In 2013, Brad Keselowski had a championship hangover season, but bounced back the following year. Kevin Harvick’s 2002 season proved to be disastrous, but he turned out fine by the next year.

If you have Logano on your fantasy NASCAR team, be sure to keep him. Odds are he’ll be a top finisher for your points standings throughout the year. And with favorable tracks like Kansas, Charlotte and Michigan coming up soon, you can be almost assured the No. 22 car will be in the top 10 and perhaps compete for more wins.

Just pray Matt Kenseth isn’t around to wreck him or Tony Stewart isn’t waiting to punch him.