Logano hits the jackpot in Las Vegas

Joey Logano wins in Las Vegas to secure himself into a shock final four position.

The driver of the Penske #22 was out in the round of 12 last Sunday after an uninspired performance at the Roval, meaning he finished 9th in the round of 12. The #48 of Alex Bowman was disqualified after the race for his car being significantly underweight, meaning Logano was promoted into the crucial 8th spot, allowing his charge for a 3rd championship to continue.

Christopher Bell led from the pole, with stiff competition from Tyler Reddick, winner of stage 1, who started second. As the race progressed, Bell was the class of the field, leading 155 of 267 laps, finishing stage 1 in second and stage 2 first ahead of Joe Gibbs teammate Martin Truex Jr. All the lead cars pit on lap 169 with Bell leading off pit road, where he was then able to begin to stretch his advantage at the front. On lap 229, Bell pitted from the lead allowing Daniel Suárez and playoff driver Joey Logano to inherit the lead. Their new, audacious strategy, was to extend the fuel for the final 72 laps, saving themselves the 30+ seconds on pit road.

The Joey Logano fuel save brilliance saw him cling on to victory over the fast-charging Bell, who was furious after crossing the line mere car lengths behind. Daniel Suarez finished an impressive third for Trackhouse and William Byron in the #24 Hendrick car crossed the line in fourth, continuing his excellent playoffs so far.

As for the other playoff drivers, their days were not as fruitful.

Denny Hamlin suffered from extreme inconsistency in his car all race. At points of the race he was running in the top 10, even leading at the start of stage 2, but during this stage, he dropped all the way back down to 24th position. A poor pitstop during a caution saw him drive back down pit road to re-tighten a loose wheel, forcing him back down to 23rd. By running the same fuel save strategy as Logano and Suárez, he was able to rescue his afternoon and finished in P8.

Kyle Larson had a very frustrating afternoon. At the end of stage 1 the team discovered debris stuck in the grill of his car, and so under the stage yellow he returned down pit lane for repairs, dropping him a lap behind the field. His progress was then halted by a slow pitstop on lap 125, and a return to the pits on lap 127 to tighten the left rear tyre. Eventually on lap 195, Larson received the free pass, allowing him back on the lead lap again. Larson pit on Lap 226 for the final time and charged to an eventual P11.

This is where any sort of luck for the playoff drivers ran out.

Ryan Blaney, the 2023 champion, had a crash during practice, meaning he missed qualifying and so had to start from the back of the field come Sunday. He worked his way through the field methodically, reaching as high as P11 on lap 83. His race then became unstuck on lap 90, with fellow playoff drivers Reddick and Elliot involved.

Martin Truex Jr made contact with the #9 of Elliot, collecting Reddick and Keselowski. The #45 of Reddick and Elliot then spun onto the grass, with the #45 car flipping once and sliding to a stop. The damage to these two cars was terminal, meaning their race ended just after stage 1. Ryan Blaney wasn’t involved in the initial part of this incident, but the out-of-control Keselowski drifted back on the the track, pushing Blaney into the barrier, forcing him to pit for repairs.

Blaney’s race wasn’t over, albeit a few laps down, as he still played a pivotal role in the final result. He helped push teammate Joey Logano to victory. By doing so, Logano was able to save fuel whilst going faster, protecting him from the ever-closing Christopher Bell. In the end he finished 32nd, with his championship defence seemingly in tatters.

So, where does this race leave us for next weekend in Homestead-Miami.

Logano is going to have a stress-free two races as he’s already into the championship 4. Christopher Bell after a strong showing finds him self +42 points to the good, Larson is +35 of the cutline and the ever consistent Byron is +27 in fourth.

Hamlin and Reddick are -27 and -30 respectively, and so are still chasing down the top 4, however it will be tough to close the gap. As for defending champion Blaney, and the #9 of Chase Elliot, they find themselves -47 and -53 points, a deficit that many are saying is insurmountable. Two perfect weekends will be needed by the both of them to stand a chance of making the top 4, and some good fortune along the way as well.