Logano surges ahead of Chastain at Las Vegas for Championship 4 spot
LAS VEGAS — Since the first Championship 4 in 2014, Joey Logano has qualified to race for the title in the finale every other year – and 2022 will be no different, as Logano won Sunday’s South Point 400 to earn a Championship 4 berth.
Logano claimed the berth with his third win of 2022. He led twice for 32 laps, including the final three laps after making the winning pass on Ross Chastain.
“When there’s so much on the line there’s nothing like a playoff victory,” he added. “And when you get into the Round of 8, it’s the second-biggest win of the year.”
Like his previous two Championship 4 berths, in 2018 and 2020, Logano won the Round of 8 opener to lock into a chance to qualify for the championship.
“I love the playoffs. I can’t help but get excited and love the opportunity to do something great like we did today,” Logano said. “To have the moment to do something big and really change the outcome of your season – there’s no better feeling than that and I’m always in constant search for that feeling.”
Logano has now earned five Championship 4 berths, which is tied with Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. for the most all-time.
On the other side is Ross Chastain, who finished second after leading four times for 68 laps.
Logano caught Chastain and he adjusted his line. Howver, with 13-lap fresher tires than Chastain, Logano still battled by and pushed him to second.
“It’s a really, really, really good kind of hurt, running, competing for wins – and I hope I’m racing that guy [Joey Logano] for wins in the Cup Series for a long time to come,” he added. “It’s gonna be a fun career, if that’s the case.”
“I’m sure I can look back and find a lot of things [I could’ve done differently],” he added. “An obvious one is when he got inside of me in three and four. If i just don’t commit to the top but I thought I could rip the top.”
Chastain still sits second in points, 18 points ahead of the cutline, entering the Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, October 23 (TV: NBC; Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Ch. 90; 2:30 p.m. ET).
Top 10 finishers at Las Vegas: Joey Logano, Ross Chastain, Kyle Busch, Chase Briscoe, Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick, Martin Truex Jr., Erik Jones, A.J. Allmendinger, Austin Dillon
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com