Joey Logano Secures Championship 4 Spot With Strategic Win At Las Vegas

In a thrilling finish to the South Point 400 playoff race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Joey Logano’s fuel strategy gamble paid off as he claimed victory and secured the first of four spots in the NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4. The two-time Cup Series champion led only the final six laps but managed to hold off Christopher Bell, who had been the most dominant driver throughout the afternoon, by a narrow margin of 0.662 seconds.

“Man, we did some fuel-mileage stuff, didn’t we? Holy crap,” said a smiling Logano, whose four career wins at Las Vegas now tie him with NASCAR Hall of Famer Jimmie Johnson for the most all-time at the track. “What an incredible turn of events here the last week. Very fast Pennzoil Mustang. We’re going to the Championship 4 again. It’s real. Great fuel mileage, great calls by [crew chief] Paul [Wolfe], Nick Hensley, our gas man, making sure she’s full, giving me the info to keep the lead that we needed. We’re going racing again. What an incredible situation, man. I’m so blessed.”

Bell, who led a race-best 155 of the 267 laps and won Stage 2, pitted 35 laps later than Logano and was unable to overcome the nearly 30-second advantage Logano’s No. 22 Team Penske Ford had built up on track after Bell’s stop. Despite the disappointment, Bell’s strong performance propelled him into the championship points lead with a 42-point advantage on the elimination line.

“I don’t know, and I don’t think I have come to terms yet,” said Bell, who is now 0-for-13 in wins after starting a race from pole position. “Just a bummer. I think everyone on this team did everything perfect today. This thing was obviously on rails, pit crew did an amazing job and [pit crew] Adam [Stevens] called a great race. Did everything we needed to, but unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be today.”

The race had significant implications for the eight playoff drivers, with three eliminated from winning contention by Stage 2 and two more struggling with pit stops. Logano, Bell, William Byron (4th), and Denny Hamlin (8th) were the only playoff drivers to finish in the top 10.

Kyle Larson, who finished 11th after falling off the lead lap in Stage 2 due to pit road issues, now sits second in the points standings, 35 points above the cutoff line. Byron holds the important fourth-place spot, 27 points ahead of Hamlin.

Tyler Reddick, the race’s outside polesitter and Regular Season Champion, was eliminated after a rollover accident on Lap 89 that also collected fellow playoff drivers Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney. Reddick finished 35th, while Elliott and Blaney ended up 33rd and 32nd, respectively.

The NASCAR Cup Series now moves to Homestead-Miami Speedway for the Straight Talk Wireless 400 on Sunday, with Christopher Bell as the defending race winner. The Round of 8 will conclude at Martinsville Speedway on Nov. 3, determining the final four drivers who will compete for the championship.