Winless Logano not in "panic mode" going into Richmond

Logano, who led the Sprint Cup Series last season with six wins but failed to qualify for the final four in the Chase for the Sprint Cup after he was punted by Matt Kenseth at Martinsville, is still trying to find the consistency he enjoyed last year.

Our goal is not top-five finishes. Our goal is winning and the fact of the matter is we haven’t won yet

Joey Logano

Yes, Logano is fourth in the standings. His average qualifying effort (7.1) and average finish (8.2) is better than six-time champion Jimmie Johnson, who is currently third in points. But he’s only led a total of 102 laps in just four races — the most (74) at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where his fellow Team Penske driver Brad Keselowski went on to win.

Not the 2016 start Logano was hoping for

And speaking of wins, Logano hasn’t this season. So it’s not surprising the driver of the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford offered a grade to his team of “B-minus or maybe even a C-plus” when he was asked on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio to compare this year’s performance to 2015 after the first eight races.

“That doesn’t mean that we’re failing by no means,” Logano said on the Morning Drive. “We need to find a little more speed in our cars and we need to clean up our mistakes.

"We know how to do that. It’s not panic mode by no means. We’re still running well. We’re still looking good in (the points). But that’s not our goal.

“Our goal is not top-five finishes. Our goal is winning and the fact of the matter is we haven’t won yet. We know how to do that. We’re going to get cars that are fast enough to win like we did this week and we’re going to have cars that are not as fast but we need to execute in those races as well.

"We have some time before the Chase starts, for sure. But we want to get a few wins before that and make sure we’re ready when the Chase starts.”

Logano was one of four drivers to participate in the Goodyear tire test on March 29. He thought the tires used at the confirmation test were “very good” when it came to laying rubber down on the race track — an issue that has plagued Richmond in the past.

“We’ve been there at times and run a whole weekend and never be able to come off the bottom line because the track never took rubber and the fastest line was on the bottom,” Logano said.

“When we were there a couple of weeks ago, the track was rubbered up to the second — maybe the second-and-a-half lane and we were running up with four cars on the racetrack. For me, that’s a great sign for what’s going to happen this weekend.”

The key to winning at Richmond

Logano says the strategy to winning on Sunday will be “knowing when to push — and when not to.”

“Richmond is one of those racetracks where there’s a lot of tire wear — and there are comers and goers throughout a run,” Logano said. “It’s kind of like Martinsville, where if you push it really hard on the front side, you’re going to pay the price.

"So it’s all about knowing when to go and when to hold back and save your tires for a longer run and knowing the pace of the race and what’s going to happen is very important.

“If you can save your rear tires a little bit in the beginning, you’re going to get that reward later on in the run. You just hope the run goes that long.”

Logano has earned the last two poles at Richmond International Raceway. Although Logano has just one win (2014) at RIR, the driver of the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford has earned the most points at the track over the last six races.

Four drivers riding dry spells  that could end at RIR

Here are four other drivers — certain to be Chase contenders — desperately seeking their first win of 2016:

Kurt Busch

Busch is the defending winner of this race. He dominated the rain-delayed event and led 291 of 400 laps for his second Richmond win. Busch is currently seventh in the point standings but has not won a race since the rain-shortened Michigan romp in June.

The No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevy has not lacked for speed in 2016. Busch won consecutive poles at Atlanta and Las Vegas.

He led 41 circuits last week at Bristol before posting his season-high finish of third. In the last three Richmond races, Busch has earned the third most points.

But a repeat win at Richmond could put the SHR’s second-best team in high gear.

Matt Kenseth

While Joe Gibbs Racing enjoying a banner year, the No. 20 team can’t seem to get out of its own way. Kenseth’s bad luck continued last week at Bristol, where the driver led 142 laps before slamming into the wall after blowing a tire on Lap186.

Richmond could not have come at a better time for Kenseth, who won his second trophy at the venue last September and earned the most points at the track in 2015. Kesenth’s 18th-place position in the standings is not indicative of the team’s overall performance.

The No. 20 car has led laps in all but one of the first eight races. Kesenth’s 306 laps led is fourth in the Cup series behind his teammates Kyle Busch (520) and Carl Edwards (475) — and Kevin Harvick (499).

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

For the last two week, Earnhardt has finished second. While half of his finishes have been in the top five this season, Earnhardt has only led laps in two races. Earnhardt’s greatest struggle this season has stemmed from lackluster qualifying.

Although Earnhardt is currently sixth in the Cup standings, his average qualifying effort of 18.6 is the worst among the top 20 drivers.

In 33 starts at Richmond, Earnhardt has one pole (2012) and three wins in 33 starts. He’s led 501 laps and completed 99.3-percent of all laps race — with just one DNF.

Martin Truex Jr.

Truex has completed 100-percent of all laps raced this season and led 198 circuits. But the driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing ride has just one top five to show for his effort — a second-place finish at Daytona.

Pit stop miscues and inspection issues have cost the Truex dearly this season. The last two weeks were no exception. Truex led 141 laps at Texas but failed to pit in the closing laps, At Bristol, two loose wheels relegated Truex to a 14th-place finish.

Perhaps Truex can turn his season around this weekend at Richmond. Although his second worst average finish is at the 0.75-mile track, one of his five top-10 finishes were earned at Richmond in this race last year.