Logano stops Blaney from becoming a three-time NASCAR Cup champion

Joey Logano faded late and Penske teammate Ryan Blaney was fast approaching the ultimate in a dramatic matchup with Phoenix. Blaney made his way through Hendrick Motorsports drivers Kyle Larson and William Byron before cutting away from Logano by 2.3 seconds.

He almost made it to the rear bumper, but never got there as Logano took the checkered flag and his third NASCAR Cup Series title. Penske stays undefeated in the present era of NASCAR, winning the last three championships within the Gen-7 automobile.

- Advertisement -

“I love the playoffs,” Logano declared. “I like it, man. What a race! What a Team Penske battle at the tip. He had a very good start and was capable of pass 12. He had lots of long distance speed there and that was all I needed to stop him.

“Man, there are three of them, it's really something special. What a team. To survive today, we had to overcome some adversity throughout the race.”

“I even have the most effective team. I don't know if I'm the most effective driver, but I even have the most effective team and together we’re excellent and we are able to show up when it matters most. We have a mentally strong team that could make things occur when it counts.

Joey Logano, Team Penske, Shell Pennzoil Ford Mustang

Photo: NASCAR Media

At the finish line the advantage was 0.330 seconds, and Blaney missed consecutive cup titles. William Byron was third and Tyler Reddick was the bottom for the title in sixth.

The AMR safety team cared for Blaney after the race, and he looked exhausted after the fight.

“Yeah, I was just really tired and I just couldn't get there,” Blaney said. “And I attempted really hard, however the restart just didn't work, it just got too far-off from me and it took me some time to get past a pair of men, and I just could never catch as much as Joey. Yes, we ran out of time.

“But congratulations to him, congratulations to the 22 team… They organized a fantastic playoffs and we’re glad. If we're going to race someone, I'm glad he was fighting for the championship and I'm glad I can do it a few times for Roger [Penske, owner]three in a row for Roger, super awesome and Ford.

“There just wasn't enough at the end. At least the Penske car won, but it was quite a battle. I hope the fans enjoyed it and I hope we come back even stronger next year.”

William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports, Joey Logano, Team Penske, Ryan Blaney, Team Penske, Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing

Photo: NASCAR Media

The final stage

Blaney and Logano took stage wins in Phoenix, but Championship 4 drivers receive no stage points. Early in the ultimate stage, Reddick made a daring four-wide move in a desperate try to gain a bonus. Made it persist with the skin, but contact was made and it almost led to tears. Reddick made contact with Chris Buescher and Chase Elliott, who almost crashed but made it through. This daring move propelled Reddick into the highest five.

What followed was an extended green flag race with many of the leaders pitting with about 75 laps remaining. Byron waited, pitting greater than ten laps later. However, the timing couldn't have been more perfect as Zane Smith crashed, forcing a caution.

Byron inherited the race lead while the remainder of the sector looked for brand spanking new tires, with two of Hendrick's teammates directly behind him. Christopher Bell quickly handled them after raging earlier this weekend over Chevrolet's alleged manipulation of the Martinsville race. He reached Byron, fighting side by side for the lead.

This created a chance for Logano, who was capable of pass each of them with a three-wide move across dog leg. Blaney wasn't so lucky and got stuck in traffic. It took him a while, but he finally managed to pass Larson with 35 laps to go and Byron with 22 laps to go.

Without a doubt the fastest automobile on course, the 2023 champion quickly closed the gap to Logano, however the number 22 automobile defended masterfully to maintain him at bay.

The race, although reasonably uneventful, was also briefly interrupted by a freak incident between the primary two stages when the race automobile hit sand barrels at the doorway to pit road.