NASCAR Cup Series driver Joey Logano has experienced a wide range of emotions in the past two races.
First, at The Roval at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Oct. 13, Logano was eliminated from the playoffs at the end of the Round of 12. Just a few hours after the race, Alex Bowman was disqualified, putting Logano back into the title chase.
Then, at Sunday’s South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Logano capitalized on his second chance.
Logano passed Daniel Suarez at the start-finish line with five laps to go, held off a late charge from Christopher Bell and stretched his final tank of fuel to win the opening race of the Round of 8 in the NASCAR playoffs at Las Vegas’ 1½-mile oval.
With the win, Logano clinched a berth in the Championship 4 and will race for his third Cup Series title Nov. 10 at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona.
“This group of guys is truly incredible,” Logano said. “They’re good people, which is the one thing I’m most proud of. They’re really smart, and in the playoffs, they’re able to keep a level head and maximize the races, no matter what’s dealt to them.”
Logano only led six laps — the final six — and finished 0.662 seconds ahead of Bell. Logano finished eighth in Stage 1 and fifth in Stage 2.
In the final stage, Logano and the rest of the leaders pitted on lap 196. Crew chief Paul Wolfe told Logano that they were just one lap short of making it to the finish, but Logano saved plenty of fuel to hold on for the win and do a celebratory burnout.
“I just focused on the information I was being fed,” Logano said. “I was going as fast as I felt comfortable going with saving fuel. I knew I had to — I couldn’t waste time with Suarez. I knew I had to get by him as soon as I got to him.”
‘Just a bummer’
Bell won the pole and led a race-high 155 laps. It appeared it was his race to lose, but he and several other leaders pitted with 37 laps to go. Wolfe said once they pitted, he knew what his team was going to do.
“That exact scenario was discussed in our prerace meeting this morning, and it made the call pretty easy for us to know that we were going to stay out,” Wolfe said. “I was actually surprised how many guys pitted. I thought a lot more would run like we did.”
It’s the second straight year at the South Point 400 that a late-race charge from Bell came up short. Last season, Bell finished second to Kyle Larson by 0.082 seconds.
“I don’t think I’ve come to terms yet. It’s just a bummer,” Bell said. “Everyone on this team did everything perfect today. This thing was on rails. Pit crew did an amazing job, (crew chief) Adam (Stevens) called a great race. Did everything we needed to put this Rheem Camry in victory lane. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be today.”
Logano said once he heard the confidence in Wolfe’s voice saying the car was going to stay out, he knew he was going to make it.
“I don’t know exactly what it is, but I do know that this team rises to the occasion,” Logano said. “I’m proud to be a part of this team.”
‘Worth a lot’
Logano credited Wolfe, his engineers and spotter Coleman Pressley for helping him manage the last green flag run. Wolfe has just as much confidence in Logano.
“Having a guy like Joey behind the wheel, you let him know what you need, and he’s very good at delivering,” Wolfe said. “Those calls that to some people look tough or a big gamble, it just makes it pretty easy for me to make. It’s all about our preparation, and there’s a great group of guys around me.”
Logano won the Cup Series title in 2018 and 2022. In 2022, Logano won the South Point 400, and his N0. 22 Team Penske Ford team had two extra weeks to prepare for the championship race in Phoenix.
“So excited about the opportunity ahead of us,” Logano said. “Our focus now moves forward to Phoenix, and the next two weeks don’t really matter. It’s the advantage that we earned. We know what that advantage is worth. It’s worth a lot.”
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