NASCAR 2022: Joey Logano secures Championship 4 berth with Las Vegas win
Driving the #22 Ford Mustang for Team Penske, Joey Logano won the seventh playoff race of the 2022 NASCAR season at South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday. The 32-year-old secured his third win of the season after beating Ross Chastain in the closing laps of the 400-mile-long race.
The victory made him the first playoff driver to confirm his place in the finale of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season, giving him a shot at the Cup Series title for the fifth time in his career. The #22 driver previously qualified for the Championship 4 in 2014, 2016, his Championship year of 2018, and 2020.
HE WILL RACE FOR A CHAMPIONSHIP. Retweet to congratulate Joey Logano on his NASCAR Cup Series WIN at Las Vegas Motor Speedway! https://t.co/3dblwQKNR2
Joey Logano emerged victorious after giving up track position to take fresh tires at a late race pit stop. He used his superior rubber to go on a tear through the field to pass race leader Ross Chastain with three laps remaining to win the Sunday’s playoff race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Logano pitted for four fresh tires on Lap 242 of the 267, which dropped him from a top-10 position, but the new tires made the difference to take the lead from the leaders.
In a turn of events at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Logano crossed the finish line 0.817 seconds ahead of fellow competitor Chastain to grab the checkered flag.
The win marked the third Cup victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and the overall 30th Cup victory for Logano.
On Twitter, NASCAR congratulated Joey Logano for clinching a spot in the Championship 4 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
See the Tweet below:
CHECKERED FLAG: JOEY WILL RACE FOR THE TITLE!
@joeylogano wins at @LVMotorSpeedway to clinch a spot in the #Championship4! #NASCARPlayoffs https://t.co/AmD41SADK5
The South Point 400 saw 18 lead changes among 11 different drivers. The venue hosted its 5th annual Cup race and the new Next Gen cars for the second time. The 1.5-mile-long track also witnessed eight caution flags.
Joey Logano talks about his NASCAR's South Point 400 win
Sunday’s win was amazing for Joey Logano and #22 Team Penske team as they locked themselves in the Championship 4 to win their second Cup title. With the win, Logano gained 58 points and moved top in the latest release of the Cup Series points table.
Speaking about his victory during a post-race interview with NBC, Logano said:
“What a great car, the Penske cars were all fast today. Oh man, all you want to do is get to the Championship 4 before the season starts and race for the championship and we’ve got the team to do it. I don’t see why we can’t win it at this point. Things are looking really good for us.”
Catch Joey Logano next for the second NASCAR race of the Round of 8 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, October 23, 2022.