The even-year streak continues for Joey Logano.
Logano somehow saved enough fuel over the final stage of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas to hold off a hard-charging Christopher Bell and lock himself into the championship race at Phoenix in three weeks.
NASCAR implemented its multi-round playoff format in 2014. Logano has been among the four drivers racing for the championship in 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2022 and now 2024. He has not qualified for the title race in any other year.
“I don’t know what the deal with the even-year thing is, but maybe it’s real,” Logano said after climbing from the car.
Logano used a one-stop strategy over the final stage of the race as most other drivers in the field did two stops. Bell, who dominated the race, was one of the two-stop drivers. Had the race lasted a lap or two longer, Bell probably wins. Instead, Logano and crew chief Paul Wolfe perfectly executed their fuel-saving strategy.
Daniel Suarez finished third ahead of William Byron and Alex Bowman. Just four playoff drivers finished in the top 10 as Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott and Tyler Reddick were all caught in a second stage crash.
Reddick’s car flipped over after Martin Truex Jr. slid up into Elliott. As Reddick was on Elliott’s high side, Elliott was pinched in the middle and the wreck also collected Brad Keselowski and Austin Cindric.
Blaney finished 32nd, Elliott was 33rd and Reddick was 35th.
Kyle Larson rebounded to finish 11th after pit stop issues under green. Larson had to pit twice during a green-flag stop cycle but was able to get his lap back and finish just a spot outside the top 10.
The crash really spread out the playoff field. Denny Hamlin finished eighth on Sunday but his struggles during the first part of the race ruined his chances for stage points. Here’s how the playoff standings look ahead of the second race of the third round.
1. Joey Logano [clinched]
2. Christopher Bell, 42 points ahead of Hamlin
3. Kyle Larson, 35 points ahead of Hamlin
4. William Byron, 27 points ahead of Hamlin
5. Denny Hamlin
6. Tyler Reddick, 30 points back of Byron
7. Ryan Blaney, 47 points back of Byron
8. Chase Elliott, 53 points back of Byron
Four drivers will race for the title at Phoenix, so if a different playoff driver wins each of the next two races in the third round, one driver will make it into the final round on points. The most points a driver can earn in a single race is 60 (40 for a race win and 10 points each for two stage wins), so Elliott and Blaney are already in a significant hole.
Race results
1. Joey Logano
2. Christopher Bell
3. Daniel Suarez
4. William Byron
5. Alex Bowman
6. Martin Truex Jr.
7. Ross Chastain
8. Denny Hamlin
9. John Hunter Nemechek
10. Chris Buescher
11. Kyle Larson
12. Bubba Wallace
13. Kyle Busch
14. Corey LaJoie
15. Harrison Burton
16. Zane Smith
17. Justin Haley
18. Noah Gragson
19. Daniel Henric
20. Michael McDowell
21. Cody Ware
22. Ryan Preece
23. Carson However
24. Josh Berry
25. Erik Jones
26. Chase Briscoe
27. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
28. Jimmie Johnson
29. Shane van Gisbergen
30. Ty Gibbs
31. Todd Gilliland
32. Ryan Blaney
33. Chase Elliott
34. Austin Cindric
35. Tyler Reddick
36. Brad Keselowski
37. Austin Dillon
