Joey Logano within the subsequent spherical with a dramatic NASCAR Cup Sequence victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday afternoon within the Quaker State 400.
HAMPTON, Ga.—With a powerful last-lap push from Staff Penske teammate Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano rocketed into the Spherical of 12 of the NASCAR Cup Sequence Playoffs with an additional time victory in Sunday’s Quaker State 400 obtainable at Walmart at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Joey Logano within the Subsequent Spherical with a Dramatic NASCAR Cup Sequence Victory at Atlanta
In a two-lap shootout that despatched the primary Playoff race of the 2024 season six laps previous the posted distance of 260 laps, Logano had the lead by greater than a automobile size when NASCAR known as a warning on the ultimate circuit for a mid-pack wreck behind the chief.
The victory was Logano’s second at Atlanta, his second of the season, and the thirty fourth of his profession. The driving force of the No. 22 Ford vaulted to fifth within the Playoff standings, however the win assured him a spot within the subsequent spherical.
“They only give me actually quick automobiles on superspeedways, and we at all times discover ourselves in direction of the entrance of them, (however) we simply find yourself wrecking extra instances than not,” mentioned Logano, who led twice for 9 laps, a far cry from teammate Austin Cindric’s race-high 92.
“So, to have the ability to lastly capitalize on a quick race automobile and win right here in Atlanta once more, I lived proper over there in condominium 805 for a very long time (as a toddler racing Legend Vehicles), waking up dreaming of simply racing on this racetrack.
“So pulling into Victory Lane right here is at all times a particular one. We had such a very good crew right here right this moment. It’s superior to get (sponsor) Autotrader into Victory Lane, and the JL Children Crew (certainly one of Logano’s charitable enterprises) are right here right this moment, so it’s actually cool to lastly win with them right here.”
When NASCAR known as the warning on the ultimate lap, February Atlanta winner Daniel Suarez was inches forward of Blaney, the defending collection champion. However with the third-place end that entailed surviving a three-car wreck on lap 205, Blaney took over the collection lead by 5 factors over Christopher Bell, who completed fourth.
Alex Bowman completed fifth after a powerful, constant run all through the race. Playoff drivers claimed 9 of the highest ten positions.
The lap 205 wreck Blaney survived proved the undoing of Martin Truex Jr. After repeated journeys to pit highway, Truex left the race 12 laps down and heads for subsequent Sunday’s second Playoff race at Watkins Glen Worldwide fifteenth within the standings, 19 factors beneath the present cutoff for the Spherical of 12.
Suarez raced beside Logano on the primary lap of additional time however misplaced his pusher when Trackhouse Racing teammate Ross Chastain washed up the monitor within the third flip and fell again.
“No, positively not glad,” Suarez mentioned of the second-place end result. “I’m pleased with it, however not glad. I misplaced my pusher, my teammate. He was doing an awesome job, and I felt like we have been going to have an awesome shot at it.
“Ross was doing a tremendous job of pushing, and I don’t know if he bought a flat tire or one thing, however as soon as I misplaced him, I knew it was going to be powerful. However that’s a part of racing, proper?”
Playoff Implications for Contenders
The race was incident-free for the primary 55 laps, however on the 56th circuit, calamity struck top-seeded Kyle Larson and fellow Playoff driver Chase Briscoe.
As automobiles on the entrance of the sector got here off the second activate lap 56, Larson’s No. 5 Chevrolet, operating third, broke unfastened and shot into the skin wall at roughly 160 mph.
Briscoe’s Ford slammed into Larson’s Camaro because the No. 5 automobile rebounded off the SAFER barrier. The contact ripped the left entrance quarter panel off the No. 14 Mustang.
Larson and Briscoe left the race, in thirty seventh and thirty eighth, respectively. They scored one level every for his or her efforts on Sunday.
“I’m OK,” Larson mentioned after leaving the infield care middle. “Fortunately, every little thing held up nicely contained in the automobile. That was an enormous hit. I’m probably not positive what precipitated it.
“I used to be truly kind of tight and loaded within the nook. After which I used to be fairly far across the nook, and it simply stepped out. I don’t know, all of it simply occurred actually quick.”
After incomes his Playoff spot by successful final week at Darlington Raceway, Briscoe leaves Atlanta beneath the present reduce line with a win-or-bust mentality.
“It was an enormous hit, one of many greatest hits I’ve had in a very long time,” Briscoe mentioned. “I’m glad I’m all proper, and we simply need to go win. That’s what we needed to do at Darlington, and I do know we’re able to doing it once more, so we’ll simply need to go to Watkins Glen and Bristol and attempt to do the identical.”
Larson leaves Atlanta in tenth place, 15 factors above the present reduce line for the Spherical of 12. Briscoe is sixteenth within the standings, 21 factors on the improper facet of the equation.
The Remainder of the Greatest
Common-season champion Tyler Reddick got here residence sixth, overcoming points on pit highway. Non-Playoff driver Kyle Busch completed seventh after main 24 laps within the closing stage. Chase Elliott was eighth, adopted by William Byron and Cindric.
Collected within the last-lap wreck, Playoff driver Harrison Burton completed thirty first. He’s 16 factors behind Ty Gibbs, who completed seventeenth after main 37 laps and is twelfth within the standings. Brad Keselowski ran nineteenth and is one level behind Gibbs.
Denny Hamlin ran in the back of the pack all through the race. However he was collected within the last-lap wreck, ending twenty fourth. He heads for Watkins Glen eleventh within the standings, two factors forward of Keselowski.
Subsequent Up
The NASCAR Cup Sequence heads to the second race within the Spherical of 16 at Watkins Glen Worldwide. The Go Bowling at The Glen begins at 3 pm ET on Sunday, September fifteenth. Protection is offered on USA, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Streaming is offered on the NBC Sports activities app. The defending winner of this race is Hendrick Motorsports driver, William Byron.
