Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Joey Logano wins Chase elimination in OT NASCAR
TALLADEGA, Ala. — Joey Logano won in overtime at Talladega on Sunday in a Chase elimination race that could have been called Last Man Standing.
The day began with 12 drivers competing for eight spots in NASCAR’s playoff format. But those numbers whittled down as the race continued.
Martin Truex Jr.? Engine trouble on Lap 41. Done.
Brad Keselowski? Engine issues too, overheating after dealing with debris on two separate occasions before his day came to an end on Lap 144.
Logano? A fortunate son, up front at the end, as he held off Brian Scott for the win after a late caution. He also began the day as a Bubble Boy, tied with Austin Dillon for the eighth and final playoff spot.
“I knew the situation. I studied the points and knew who I had to beat,” Logano said.
Sound strategy ... until Logano made his first pit stop and took off with the jack for a lap penalty that he would overcome on a caution after he got onto the lead lap.
That was his first fortunate twist. The second one came when Keselowski, his Penske teammate, had those engine issues. Keselowski, also in a scramble for points and likely needing a win to advance, had the most dominant car of the day, leading 90 laps.
He went from dominant to doormat, opening a window for Logano, who ended up leading 45 laps.
“There’s a lot going through your mind,” Logano said, “a lot more than thinking about winning. … I felt bad for Brad. He had a very good car and unfortunately he got some garbage that made his motor retire.”
That wasn’t the only drama along the way.
The margin between Denny Hamlin and Kurt Busch was .006 seconds — which allowed Hamlin to advance for the final Chase spot in a tiebreaker with Dillon.
“It’s heartbreaking obviously,” said Dillon, who came in ninth. “Perfect storm kinda when the 78 [Truex] and 2 [Keselowski] fell out, but we weren’t able to pull it off.”
Hamlin was doing as much Chase math as he could in the race, although he told his team not to bother relaying the intel as the race came down to its final laps.
“I didn’t want any,” said Hamlin, who finished third. “Even on the last lap, I’m sure they had information. I told them I was going to try finishing the best I could and if it wasn’t enough, it wasn’t enough.
“It’s new life for us. We’re on house money at this point.”
He will be among four Joe Gibbs Racing cars in the final eight. Hamlin will join JGR teammates Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth. Hendrick Motorsports’ Jimmie Johnson will seek his seventh season title. StewartHaas Racing will bring two drivers into the mix, Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch, while Penske has one in Logano.
“The good news is you don’t have four people that you’re trying to work with as you go into the Chase,” team owner Roger Penske said. “We can put all of our efforts on one car and Joey, and of course Brad is one of the biggest supporters of Joey, so I think this will pay dividends for us.”
Keselowski and Truex were among the most dominant drivers this season, each with four victories.
“Definitely disappointed; what else can you say?” Truex said. “We have a team capable of competing for the championship. Unfortunately we’re not going to be able to show that.”
Truex began the day up front as the pole-sitter and ranked sixth among the Chase drivers competing to advance.
It’s been a newsy weekend for Truex, who began the race under intrigue when NASCAR announced it was confiscating a jack bolt prior to qualifying. Any points deduction would have been crippling for Truex. It’s now a moot point.