Joey Logano has secured his spot in the Championship 4 once again, triumphing in the Round of 8 opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The Team Penske driver led the last six laps after executing a daring fuel strategy that paid off. At 34 years old, Logano becomes the first driver to qualify for this year’s title race, continuing a remarkable streak of making the finale in every even-numbered year since 2014. This marks his sixth Championship 4 appearance, adding to his two titles from 2018 and 2022.
The top-five finishers included Christopher Bell, Daniel Suarez, William Byron, and Alex Bowman, but it was Bell who dominated much of the race, leading 155 laps and winning Stage 2. Despite his strong performance, an extra pit stop meant he couldn't catch Logano in the final laps, finishing just 0.662 seconds behind.
Logano's journey to this victory was anything but straightforward. Just a week prior, he seemed out of the playoffs until a disqualification of Bowman after the Charlotte Roval race allowed him to advance.
“Man, we did some fuel-mileage stuff, didn’t we? Holy crap. 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 to. We’re going racing again. What an incredible situation, man. I’m so blessed. Just an incredible day. Like I said, it takes the whole team to do the fuel-mileage stuff. Not just the engineers, spotter. It takes all of us to do it. Total team win. We may not have been the fastest car today, but we were a solid top-five car and were able to maximize it at the end," said Logano, whose four career wins now at Las Vegas ties NASCAR Hall of Famer Jimmie Johnson for most all-time at the track.
In stark contrast, Bell expressed his disappointment. “I don’t know, and I don’t think I have come to terms yet... Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be today,” he said, acknowledging his team’s efforts despite not securing the win".
The race was filled with challenges for playoff drivers, with Tyler Reddick and Chase Elliott facing the worst of it. After Reddick won Stage 1, he collided early in Stage 2, resulting in a 35th-place finish. Elliott, who was also involved in the incident, ended up 33rd.
As the Cup Series heads to Homestead-Miami Speedway next Sunday, seven playoff contenders are still vying for the final three spots in the Championship 4. Here’s how the points stand after a chaotic race:
1. Joey Logano - LOCKED IN
2. Christopher Bell - 4,086 (+42 above the cut)
3. Kyle Larson - 4,079 (+35 above the cut)
4. William Byron - 4,071 (+27 above the cut)
5. Denny Hamlin - 4,044 (-27 below the cut)
6. Tyler Reddick - 4,041 (-30 below the cut)
7. Ryan Blaney - 4,024 (-47 below the cut)
8. Chase Elliott - 4,018 (-53 below the cut)
Logano's success in Las Vegas, where he ties Jimmie Johnson for the most wins at the track, exemplifies the significance of strategy in NASCAR. With two more races in this round, the stakes are high as drivers seek to secure their Championship 4 spots. The next race is the Straight Talk Wireless 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, with Bell returning as the defending race winner.
