Joey Logano wins in Las Vegas and qualifies for the final!

The double champion of the NASCAR Cup Series had to wait several hours after the finish of the Charlotte race to qualify, following the disqualification of Alex Bowman (Hendrick Motorsports) for being too light. Eager to avoid a similar scenario in this third round of the playoffs, the Ford driver perfectly executed his fuel-saving strategy to take the lead with six laps to go and not let go until the checkered flag. Behind him, Christopher Bell (Joe Gibbs Racing) may have dominated the race, but he ultimately finished second after a final stop under the green flag with 35 laps to go.

“Gosh, that’s some fuel economy, right?”, Logano enthused in Victory Lane after the win. “What an incredible turnaround this last week. I have a fast car, which we are going back to the final with, this is the reality, but it’s hard to believe! The whole team worked hard to put this strategy in place, and I was getting the right information on track to make sure I could finish. It’s such an incredible situation, I feel truly blessed!”

Logano's qualification for the final allows him to extend a rather astonishing statistic. Indeed, the Middletown, Connecticut native has qualified for every final played in even years since the current system was adopted in 2014! Of course, he won his two titles in 2018 and 2022, also even years. It remains to be seen whether he can add a third crown in three weeks...

In addition to Logano and Bell, two other playoff riders finished in the top 10, William Byron (Hendrick Motorsports) in third and Denny Hamlin (Joe Gibbs Racing), eighth. Eleventh, Kyle Larson (Hendrick Motorsports) did not have an ideal day, including a loose nut after a pit stop, but this time luck was on his side, unlike the opening rounds of the other playoff stages, since a saving yellow flag allowed him to return to the leader lap.

For the other three contenders, it was clearly a day to forget. Tyler Reddick (23XI Racing), Chase Elliott (Hendrick Motorsports) and Ryan Blaney (Team Penske) were all eliminated in the same crash on Lap 89 of the race. While battling at the front of the field, Elliott and Martin Truex Jr. (Joe Gibbs Racing) had a minor collision, sending Elliott's No. 9 car into Reddick's No. 45 car on the outside. Reddick then hit Brad Keselowski (RFK Racing) before sliding into the grass and rolling! While the regular-season champion was able to get his car back to his pit box, his day was over. After this first race of the "Round of 8", Logano, Bell, Larson and Byron are the provisional finalists, with Denny Hamlin 17 points behind in fourth place, Tyler Reddick 30 points behind, Ryan Blaney 47 points behind and Chase Elliott 53 points behind. Next meeting Sunday at the Homestead-Miami Speedway!

A pivotal moment in the #NASCARPlayoffs. pic.twitter.com/mZWKKfyBPF

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) October 20, 2024

Las Vegas – Ranking