Joey Logano secures his third Cup Series championship.
Logano seized the lead from William Byron following the final restart on lap 260 of the NASCAR Cup Series championship race at Phoenix. He maintained his position and held off Ryan Blaney, his Team Penske teammate, in the closing laps.
“What a race, what a Team Penske battle at the end,” Logano commented after exiting his car.
Logano’s third title places him among NASCAR’s elite. Only 10 drivers have claimed three or more Cup Series championships. Icons like Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, and Jimmie Johnson have seven titles each. Jeff Gordon boasts four championships. Logano now shares the three-title club with legends such as Lee Petty, David Pearson, Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip, and Tony Stewart.
Logano’s victory continues his impressive pattern of winning titles in even-numbered years. If history repeats itself, he might be a strong contender for the 2026 Cup Series championship. His previous titles came in 2018 and 2022, both secured by winning the season finales. Additionally, he has consistently made the Championship 4 in every even-numbered year since NASCAR introduced the winner-take-all playoff format in 2014.
“I don’t know if I’m the best driver, but I have the best team,” Logano humbly stated.
Although Blaney closed in on Logano after overtaking William Byron for second place, he couldn’t make a successful pass in the final 10 laps of the 312-lap race.
Starting the race in second position, Logano led the second-highest number of laps. While Christopher Bell led 143 laps, Logano led 107 and demonstrated superior performance among the four title contenders.
All four drivers finished within the top six positions. Byron secured third place, Tyler Reddick finished sixth, Kyle Larson claimed fourth, and Bell took the fifth spot.
The race featured only four caution flags, two of which were for stage breaks. The first caution occurred right at the beginning of the race when Ty Gibbs hit the wall. The second caution was triggered by Zane Smith’s crash on lap 249 before the final restart.
The most unusual incident of the day unfolded when the pace car caused a brief red flag. As the second stage was set to begin, the pace car entered pit road too late and collided with the sand barrels, spilling sand in front of pit road. NASCAR officials had to halt the race momentarily to clear the spilled sand.
How Logano clinched the title
Logano and his No. 22 team faced challenges throughout 2024. Despite winning four races, Logano’s average finish of 17.6 ranked 15th among full-time Cup Series drivers, with only 12 top-10 finishes. Surprisingly, 13 drivers had more top-10 finishes, including three who didn’t qualify for the playoffs.
However, Logano and his team secured crucial wins when it mattered most. A victory at Nashville during a chaotic race secured their spot in the playoffs. Logano then triumphed in the playoff opener at Atlanta, advancing to the second round.
Although the second round was challenging, Logano advanced to the third round with an eighth-place finish at the Charlotte Roval. He then won the first race of the third round at Las Vegas, earning a spot in the championship race.
Race Results
1. Joey Logano
2. Ryan Blaney
3. William Byron
4. Kyle Larson
5. Christopher Bell
6. Tyler Reddick
7. Bubba Wallace
8. Chase Elliott
9. Chris Buescher
10. Daniel Suarez
11. Denny Hamlin
12. Noah Grayson
13. Austin Cindric
14. Alex Bowman
15. Brad Keselowski
16. Harrison Burton
17. Martin Truex Jr.
18. Carson Hocevar
19. Ross Chastain
20. Todd Gilliland
21. Kyle Busch
22. Erik Jones
23. Daniel Henric
24. Josh Berry
25. Derek Kraus
26. Jimmie Johnson
27. Austin Dillon
28. Justin Haley
29. Chase Briscoe
30. John Hunter Nemechek
31. Michael McDowell
32. Corey LaJoie
33. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
24. Kaz Grala
35. JJ Yeley
36. Chad Finchum
37. Ryan Preece
38. Jeb Burton
39. Zane Smith
40. Ty Gibbs