Joey Logano will be one of 4 drivers racing for the 2022 NASCAR Cup title at Phoenix. The 2018 champion, and Team Penske driver and his team used a gutsy call late in the race that allowed Logano to catch fellow Playoff contender Ross Chastain with 3 laps to go and win the first race in the Round of 8 Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Most of the leaders had pitted during the race’s sixth of eight cautions in lap 229 of 267. With a two tire stop, Justin Haley was able to win the race off pit road followed by Ross Chastain who had led the most laps on the day to that point.
During that round of stops, Logano’s crew had a problem with the left rear, and he lost six places.
Chastain was soon back at the point, and it appeared he was on his way to a dominate win. But on lap 241, Chastain’s Trackhouse Racing teammate Daniel Suarez, who had led 31 laps earlier in the race, spun while racing inside the top five.
During the caution the leaders stayed out save for Logano whose crew pitted him for fuel and 4 fresh tires and rejoined the field 13th.
That stop would prove to be the race winning move.
There would be one more caution, for a spin by Landon Cassill on lap 247 with the restart coming with 16 laps to go. Chastain was in control at the front, but a relentless Logano charged through the field getting by Chastain with 3 laps to go and winning by .817 of a second. Behind Chastain, Kyle Busch rallied from a spin of his own earlier in the race to finish third.
“Man, what a great car,” Logano said. “Penske cars were all fast. All of them were really fast today. Oh, man, all you want to do is get to the Championship 4 when the season starts and race for a championship, and we’ve got the team to do it. I don’t see why we can’t win at this point.”
Chastain led the most laps on the day, 68, but had to settle for a runner up spot.
“It hurts, right?” Chastain said. “It hurts to lose like that with just a few laps to go to fresher tires.”
Chase Briscoe was perhaps one of the more disappointed drivers. He fell a lap down early in the race and was fighting for the lead late in the going after coming into the day at the bottom of the Playoff standings. He had to settle for fourth, while Denny Hamlin rounded out the top five.
“We weren’t the greatest at the start of the race and obviously it didn’t really matter there at the end,” Briscoe said. “We put ourselves in position and I wish that when I was running second and Justin (Haley) was in the lead, that run would have gone to the end.”
Easily the most disappointed Playoff driver was Ryan Blaney. The only Playoff driver without a win this season looked strong in the second half of the race winning Stage 2 and leading the second most laps on the day, 39. But on lap 229 a left front tire gave way sending Blaney up into the wall. His team would make repairs, but he had to settle for a 28th place finish, 7 laps down.
Polesitter Tyler Reddick was sixth, followed by Martin Truex Jr., Erik Jones, AJ Allmendinger and Austin Dillon, all non-Playoff drivers, rounding out the top 10.
Bubba Wallace led 29 laps but while fighting his way back to the front of the field after winning Stage 1. Racing side by side with Kevin Harvick going into Turn 3, Kyle Larson dove to the inside of the two looking to gain spots. Harvick, backed off and exiting Turn 4, Wallace and Larson were side by side. The two cars touched, and Wallace on the outside bounced off the wall. Larson shot down to the inside of the track, but Wallace immediately turned left hooking Larson’s car and spinning both up into the outside wall.
Wallace confronted Larson shoving the Hendrick driver several times before a NASCAR official separated him. Playoff driver Christopher Bell was an innocent victim of the melee when he was tagged by Larson as he was spinning. Bell’s crew tried to make repairs, but it was for not and Bell was the lowest finishing of the Playoff drivers with a DNF in 34th place.
Playoff driver William Byron was 13th, while Chase Elliott who led the standings at the start of the day was 21st.
There are three reaming spots in the Final 4 at Phoenix as the series heads for the second Round of 8 race at Homestead-Miami Speedway next Sunday. Byron won the race when NASCAR lasted visited the 1.5-mile track in February of last year.
Chastain is second in the Playoff standings 18 above the cutline; Elliott third 17 ahead, with Hamlin 6 above. Byron is 6 below the cutline, Briscoe 9, Blaney 12 and Bell 23 below.
The 7 remaining Playoff drivers will be vying for the 3 remaining spots over the next 2 races, while Logano leaves Vegas knowing his spot is secure
“Things are looking really good for us,” Logano said. “And man, just a lot of adversity fought through the last 50 laps or so. I thought we were going to win and then we kind of fell out and then had the tires, and racing Ross was fun. He was doing a good job air-blocking me, and just trying to be patient, and eventually, I was like, I’ve got to go here. Just great to win out here in Vegas again, and it means so much getting to the championship.”
Photos: NASCAR at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Sunday Oct. 16, 2022
NASCAR Cup Series Race Results South Point 400
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Las Vegas, Nevada
Sunday, October 16, 2022
- (5) Joey Logano (P), Ford, 267.
- (11) Ross Chastain (P), Chevrolet, 267.
- (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 267.
- (16) Chase Briscoe (P), Ford, 267.
- (31) Denny Hamlin (P), Toyota, 267.
- (1) Tyler Reddick, Chevrolet, 267.
- (27) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 267.
- (22) Erik Jones, Chevrolet, 267.
- (21) AJ Allmendinger(i), Chevrolet, 267.
- (10) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 267.
- (17) Noah Gragson(i), Chevrolet, 267.
- (13) Kevin Harvick, Ford, 267.
- (3) William Byron (P), Chevrolet, 267.
- (28) Justin Haley, Chevrolet, 267.
- (12) Chris Buescher, Ford, 267.
- (6) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet, 267.
- (25) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 267.
- (23) Aric Almirola, Ford, 267.
- (15) Michael McDowell, Ford, 267.
- (24) Cole Custer, Ford, 267.
- (20) Chase Elliott (P), Chevrolet, 267.
- (19) Ty Gibbs(i), Toyota, 267.
- (29) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, 267.
- (30) Corey LaJoie, Chevrolet, 267.
- (35) Todd Gilliland #, Ford, 267.
- (8) Harrison Burton #, Ford, 266.
- (34) Cody Ware, Ford, 264.
- (4) Ryan Blaney (P), Ford, 260.
- (2) Austin Cindric #, Ford, 259.
- (36) BJ McLeod(i), Ford, 256.
- (26) JJ Yeley(i), Ford, 253.
- (32) Landon Cassill(i), Chevrolet, Accident, 246.
- (33) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, Suspension, 237.
- (7) Christopher Bell (P), Toyota, DVP, 94.
- (14) Kyle Larson (P), Chevrolet, Accident, 94.
- (9) Bubba Wallace, Toyota, Accident, 94.
Average Speed of Race Winner: 130.48 mph.
Time of Race: 3 Hrs, 4 Mins, 10 Secs. Margin of Victory: .817 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 8 for 42 laps.
Lead Changes: 18 among 11 drivers.
Lap Leaders: T. Reddick 1;A. Cindric # 2;T. Reddick 3-33;A. Cindric # 34-40;R. Stenhouse Jr. 41;D. Suarez 42-56;B. Wallace 57-85;D. Suarez 86-96;R. Chastain (P) 97;D. Hamlin (P) 98-102;D. Suarez 103-107;R. Chastain (P) 108-128;R. Blaney (P) 129-167;J. Logano (P) 168-196;R. Chastain (P) 197-229;J. Haley 230-245;C. Briscoe (P) 246-251;R. Chastain (P) 252-264;J. Logano (P) 265-267.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Ross Chastain (P) 4 times for 68 laps; Ryan Blaney (P) 1 time for 39 laps; Joey Logano (P) 2 times for 32 laps; Tyler Reddick 2 times for 32 laps; Daniel Suarez 3 times for 31 laps; Bubba Wallace 1 time for 29 laps; Justin Haley 1 time for 16 laps; Austin Cindric # 2 times for 8 laps; Chase Briscoe (P) 1 time for 6 laps; Denny Hamlin (P) 1 time for 5 laps; Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 1 time for 1 lap.
Stage #1 Top Ten: 45,22,99,20,12,2,5,19,8,24
Stage #2 Top Ten: 12,22,99,1,11,24,4,19,2,18
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.