Logano clinches spot in next Chase round

Joey Logano grabbed the first berth into the next round of NASCAR’s championship race with a victory Sunday at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan.

Logano’s win advanced him into the third round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship, which begins after stops at Charlotte and Talladega. Four drivers will be cut from the 12-driver field after Talladega.

“Getting us to the next round, that’s awesome,” Logano said. “This is so much fun, I’m having a blast this year, and we’ve got a real shot to win this championship. I feel like we’re one of the teams to beat.”

It was Logano’s career-best fifth win of the season and ties with him Team Penske teammate Brad Keselowski for most in the Sprint Cup Series.

Kyle Larson — who is not part of the Chase — finished second and was followed by championship-eligible driver Kyle Busch, who finished a career-best third at a track where he often has seen his title hopes crumble.

“I won today,” Busch said, “I just didn’t get Champagne and a trophy.”

Kansas is noted for destroying the championship chances of many a driver, and four Chase drivers finished 22nd or worse Sunday. That included three of the Hendrick Motorsports cars — and six-time and defending NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson.

Johnson, who spun during Friday qualifying and started 32nd, was mired in thick traffic when he was hit by Greg Biffle just 85 laps into the race. He was forced to take his Chevrolet to the garage for repairs and finished 40th.

“It just means we’ve got to be on our game at Charlotte and Talladega,” Johnson said. “We’ll see how the other Chasers fare.” Formula One: Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton won a rain-shortened Japanese Grand Prix, claiming his third straight Formula One victory in a race marred by a serious crash.

Hamilton leads second-place Nico Rosberg by 10 points with four races remaining.

With Hamilton leading teammate Rosberg, a red flag ended the race on the 44th of 53 laps because of a crash involving Marussia driver Jules Bianchi. With heavy rain falling and visibility poor, race officials elected not to restart and Hamilton was declared the winner.

Bianchi, who was unconscious, was taken to a hospital and is in critical condition. He underwent emergency surgery after a scan revealed a severe head injury.