With a powerful last-lap push from Staff Penske teammate Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano rocketed into the Spherical of 12 of the NASCAR Cup Collection Playoffs with an time beyond regulation victory in Sunday’s Quaker State 400 out there at Walmart at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
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 car-length when NASCAR known as a warning on the ultimate circuit for a mid-pack wreck behind the chief.
Joey Logano WINS at Atlanta, however they’re WRECKING BEHIND HIM! #NASCARPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/I1miHuN0AL
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) September 8, 2024
The victory was Logano’s second at Atlanta, his second of the season and the thirty fourth of his profession. The motive force of the No. 22 Ford vaulted to fifth within the Playoff standings, however the win assured him a spot within the subsequent spherical.
“[Penske] simply provides me actually quick automobiles on superspeedways, and we at all times discover ourselves in direction of the entrance of them, [but] 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.
“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 staff right here immediately. It’s superior to get (sponsor) Autotrader into victory lane, and the JL Children Crew (considered one of Logano’s charitable enterprises) are right here immediately, 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.
After a powerful, constant run all through the race, Alex Bowman completed fifth, as Playoff drivers claimed 9 of the highest 10 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, 18 factors beneath the present cutoff for the Spherical of 12.
Suarez raced beside Logano on the primary lap of time beyond regulation however misplaced his pusher when Trackhouse Racing teammate Ross Chastain washed up the observe in Flip 3 and fell again.
“No, undoubtedly not glad,” Suarez mentioned of the second-place outcome. “I’m pleased with it, however not glad. I misplaced my pusher, my teammate. He was doing a fantastic job, and I felt like we had been going to have a fantastic shot at it.
“Ross was doing a tremendous job of pushing, and I don’t know if he obtained a flat tire or one thing, however as soon as I misplaced him, I knew it was going to be robust, however that’s a part of racing, proper?”
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 had been exiting Flip 2 on Lap 56, Larson’s No. 5 Chevrolet, working third, broke free and shot into the skin wall at roughly 160 mph.
Because the automobile rebounded off the SAFER barrier and slid sideways in the course of the observe, Briscoe’s Ford slammed into Larson’s Camaro, ripping the left entrance quarter panel off the No. 14 Mustang.
Each Larson and Briscoe exited the race, in thirty seventh and thirty eighth, respectively, and 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 properly contained in the automobile. That was an enormous hit. I’m not likely certain what brought about it.
“I used to be truly form of tight and loaded within the nook. Then 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.”
Briscoe, who earned his Playoff spot with a victory every week earlier at Darlington Raceway, leaves Atlanta beneath the present minimize line with a win-or-bust mentality.
“It was an enormous hit, one of many largest 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 minimize line for the Spherical of 12. Briscoe is sixteenth within the standings, 20 factors on the incorrect aspect of the equation.
Common-season champion Tyler Reddick got here dwelling 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 and is 15 factors behind Ty Gibbs, who completed seventeenth after main 37 laps and is twelfth within the standings. Brad Keselowski ran nineteenth and is tied with Gibbs.
Denny Hamlin ran behind the pack all through the race and was collected within the last-lap wreck, ending twenty fourth. He heads for Watkins Glen eleventh within the standings, a mere two factors forward of Keselowski.
