Joey Logano has fired a warning to his NASCAR Cup Series rivals as the Chase approaches.

The three-time champion won his first race of a difficult season on Sunday at North Wilkesboro, vaulting back up into a postseason spot and into the battle for a top-ten seed.

2026 has been a rough year for Ford and for Team Penske in particular, the manufacturer going on a 16-race winless streak after Ryan Blaney's win at Phoenix, but Blaney and Logano have combined to win the last two races for the Blue Oval – with rivals fearing that one of Penske and Ford's late-season resurgences is beginning.

That late-season strength has lifted Logano to two of his three championships, especially in 2024, and although the move from playoffs to the Chase is intended to better reward regular season performance, another strong couple of finishes for the 36-year-old could put him right back in the mix.

READ MORE: Winners and losers from Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race at North Wilkesboro

Logano: No. 12 team excels under pressure

Asked if he feels like there's a chance of making a splash once the points are semi-reset for the Chase, Logano admitted that while his current points situation isn't comfortable, his team consistently excels in high-pressure situations.

"It’s one step at a time," he said in his post-race press conference. "I always said this team doesn’t crack under pressure. Like, that’s our biggest strength, is that we’re an even-keeled team. You just keep going along.

"Obviously the pressure’s on us right now. This team usually excels in those situations, under pressure. We’ve seen that for years in the playoff system we’ve had for years. It really put us under that crazy amount of pressure for years. Our team’s gotten really good at that.

"This point of the season where we are, yeah, we’re in the crazy amount of pressure territory just to get in. I like that. I like that our team excels in that. I think all of us do. A lot of that’s just because of experience that we’ve been there, done that.

"Like I said, the pressure’s still on. It’s not a comfortable situation. Still, it’s a long ways from the ultimate goal."

NASCAR Standings: Joey Logano vaults back into Chase contention as Tyler Reddick falters again