Joey Logano held off a late cost from Team Penske team-mate Ryan Blaney to win a dramatic season finale at Phoenix and change into a three-time NASCAR Cup champion.
Reigning champion Blaney discovered himself 2.3 seconds down on Logano getting into the closing levels having battled previous Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson and William Byron however regardless of slashing the deficit, he by no means received shut sufficient as Logano took the chequered flag.
The end result means Workforce Penske has gained all three NASCAR Cup titles for the reason that arrival of the Gen-7 automobile in 2022.
“I really like the playoffs,” mentioned Logano. “I find it irresistible, man. What a race! What a Workforce Penske battle there on the finish. I had restart and was capable of get in entrance of the #12 [Blaney]. He had plenty of long-run velocity there, and it was all I had there to carry him off.
“Man, three of them, that is actually particular to get that. What a staff. To combat by means of immediately, we went by means of a bit of little bit of adversity all through the race.
“I’ve received the perfect staff. I do not know if I am the perfect driver, however I’ve received the perfect staff, and collectively we’re very well-rounded and might present up when it issues probably the most. We have got a mentally powerful staff that may make issues occur when it issues.”
Joey Logano, Workforce Penske, Shell Pennzoil Ford Mustang
Photograph by: NASCAR Media
Blaney finally completed 0.33s adrift on the end, with Byron third and the bottom of the Championship 4, Tyler Reddick, ending in sixth.
Blaney, who appeared exhausted, was tended to by the AMR security staff after the race and he mentioned: “Just worn out actually and simply could not fairly get there and tried actually laborious to take action, simply the restart did not actually work out and [Logano] simply received too distant from me and took me some time to go a pair guys and simply might by no means get by Joey. I ran out of time.
“However congrats to him, congrats to the #22 staff. They put collectively a fantastic playoffs, and we’re blissful. If we’ll race anyone, I am blissful it was him for the championship, and blissful to be one-two for Roger [Penske, owner], three in a row for Roger, tremendous superb, and Ford.
“Simply super-fast, simply did not fairly have sufficient there on the finish. No less than a Penske automobile gained it, however a heck of a battle. I hope the followers loved it, and hopefully we come again even stronger subsequent yr.”
The ultimate stage
With no stage factors handed out within the finale, Blaney and Logano’s stage wins had been largely irrelevant.
At the beginning of the essential remaining stage, Reddick made a determined bid to realize floor by making an attempt to go four-wide on the restart. Across the exterior, he made the transfer stick earlier than contact was made with Chris Buescher and Chase Elliott – the trio in some way popping out the opposite facet unscathed.
William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports, Joey Logano, Workforce Penske, Ryan Blaney, Workforce Penske, Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing
Photograph by: NASCAR Media
A prolonged green-flag interval adopted, leaving racing velocity pitstops for a lot of the leaders with round 75 laps remaining.
Byron bided his time, nevertheless, and hit pitroad over 10 laps later – the timing good as Zane Smith compelled a warning by crashing.
This left Byron within the lead because the others once more pitted for recent tyres, together with his two Hendrick team-mate behind. However Christopher Bell, indignant over the race manipulation controversy at Martinsville per week prior, made quick work of them to go side-by-side for the lead.
This introduced a gap for Logano, who was capable of go them each with a three-wide transfer throughout the Flip 1 dogleg. Blaney was not as lucky and received slowed down in site visitors. It took him some time, however lastly fought his approach round Larson with 35 laps to go and Byron with 22 laps left.
Clearly the quickest automobile on monitor, the 2023 champion quickly closed the hole to Logano, however the #22 defended masterfully to maintain him at bay.
The race, whereas fairly tame, was additionally briefly halted by a weird incident between the primary two levels when the tempo automobile crashed into the sand barrels on the entrance of pitroad.
The Toyota Camry was herding the sector prepared for the beginning of the second stage when the motive force misjudged the entry to the pits.
It turned abruptly in direction of the pits, simply in entrance of then-leader Elliott, earlier than hitting the sand barrels in the beginning of the pitwall while spinning sideways. This triggered a pink flag interval as clean-up work started to clear the sand and particles.