Joey Logano wins third NASCAR Cup championship: Results, highlights

by Junna Base November 11, 2024

Joey Logano won the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Championship race Sunday at Phoenix Raceway.

The 34-year-old won his third career Cup title, adding to the championships he won in 2018 and 2022. Logano became the 10th driver in NASCAR Cup Series history to win three or more championships.

Logano retook the lead in the midway point of the final stage and held off his Team Penske teammate Ryan Blaney, who was aiming to win his second consecutive Cup title. The victory was Logano’s fourth of the season and the 36th of his Cup Series career.

The championship was also the third in row for Team Penske after Logano’s title in 2022 and Blaney’s championship last year.

“I love the playoffs. I love it,” Logano said after climbing out of his car. “What a Team Penske battle there at the end. I had a good restart and was able to get in front of (Blaney). He had a lot of long-run speed, and it was all I had there to hold him off.

“We have three of them, and that’s really special. What a team effort to fight through today. We had a little bit of adversity throughout the race. … I don’t know if I’m the best driver, but I’ve got the best team. We’re a mentally tough team that can make things happen when it matters.”

Blaney tried everything he could to track down and pass his teammate, but eventually ran out of laps. He finished as runner-up in the season’s final race for the second year in a row.

“Couldn’t quite get there,” Blaney said in an interview with NBC immediately after the race. “Tried really hard to do so but the restart didn’t really work out. … If we’re going to race somebody, I’m happy it was (Logano) for the championship.”

Championship contender William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports finished third, followed by 2021 champion Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell and the final championship contender, Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing, in sixth.

“We just didn’t have enough, but I’m really, really proud of our team,” Byron said. “We fought hard. It was a great strategy there in the final stage to do something different, but we just didn’t have enough.”

Logano nearly missed a chance to race for the title earlier in the playoffs. Following the second-round elimination race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, it appeared that Logano would be the first driver eliminated until he became the lucky recipient of Alex Bowman’s disqualification. That gave him the final spot in the Round of 8, and Logano capitalized immediately, winning the first race of the third round at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to become the first driver to clinch a berth in the 2024 championship race.

USA TODAY Sports covered all the action in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Championship race. Scroll below for highlights and results from Phoenix Raceway:

Here at the Top 10 finishers from the NASCAR Cup Series Championshp Race at Phoenix Raceway:

Joey Logano, Team Penske, winner
Ryan Blaney, Team Penske, 0.330 seconds behind
William Bryon, Hendrick Motorsports, -5.119 seconds
Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports, -7.169 seconds
Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing, -9.752 seconds
Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing, -11.068 seconds
Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing, -11.372 seconds
Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports, -11.824 seconds
Chris Buescher, RFK Racing, 15.567 seconds
Daniel Suarez, Trackhouse Racing, -21.531 seconds

∎ Click here for full results from today’s race at Phoenix Raceway.

With his victory today, Joey Logano became the 10th driver to win at least three Cup titles. Here are the drivers with the most championships in NASCAR Cup Series history:

7 championships: Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Jimmie Johnson

4 championships: Jeff Gordon

3 championships: Lee Petty, David Pearson, Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip, Tony Stewart, Joey Logano

Joey Logano used an aggressive restart to take the lead in the NASCAR Cup Series Champioship race. Logano had restarted fifth behind championship contender William Byron and his two Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott, as well as Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell. But Logano passed everyone and pulled out to a more than 1 second lead over Byron, with Larson third, Blaney fourth, Bell fifth and Tyler Reddick sixth.

William Byron was the last of the Championship 4 drivers to pit under green, coming down pit road on Lap 247 of 312– 12 laps later than Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano and Tyler Reddick. Byron came back on the track behind the other title contenders, but would have finished the race with fresher tires.

A few laps later, however, Zane Smith, running 28th, crashed into the wall on Lap 250 to bring out the caution. With the yellow flag back out, Blaney, Logano, Reddick and Christopher Bell came back down pit road to refuel and take new tires. Those three will now restart behind Byron with a little more than 50 laps remaining in the race.

With less than 100 laps to go in the NASCAR Cup Series Championship race at Phoenix Raceway, the championship contenders all run in the Top 6. Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, William Byron run second through fourth, respectively, while Tyler Reddick runs sixth.

Christopher Bell leads the race with 86 laps to go.

Reigning series champion Ryan Blaney passed race leader Christopher Bell with seven laps remaining in the second stage to lead the field in the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race. Bell finished second, while Joey Logano, seeking his third Cup title, finished third – making a late charge on the leaders. Championship contender William Byron finished Stage 2 in fourth, and Tyler Reddick, the final Championship 4 driver, finished 10th.

Nineteen cars were on the lead lap when the stage ended, and all cars hit pit road for fuel and tires to begin Stage 3.

As the second stage of the NASCAR Championship race hit the midpoint, drivers began coming down pit road under green for fuel and tires. Ryan Blaney and his No. 12 Team Penske Ford team had the best pit stop among the championship contenders, and he runs second behind Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell. Championship 4 driver William Byron runs third, with Joey Logano and Tyler Reddick also in the Top 10.

Christopher Bell took the lead from Chase Elliott on the restart to begin Stage 2 of the NASCAR Championship race. Title contenders Ryan Blaney, William Byron and Joey Logano run third through fifth, respectively. The final Championship 4 driver, Tyler Reddick, runs 10th through 25 laps of the second stage.

Team Penske’s Joey Logano led the final 50 laps in the 60-lap opening stage of the NASCAR Cup Series Championship race at Phoenix Raceway, a good start to his championship campaign. Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Martin Truex Jr. and Christopher Bell closed in on Logano in the final laps but could not get close enough to attempt a pass.

All four title contenders finished in the Top 7, with Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron in fourth, Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney in sixth and 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick in seventh. Blaney passed Reddick for position on the final lap of the opening stage.

Chase Elliott finished the opening stage in fifth but won the race off pit road, and will restart first.

Joey Logano took the lead over pole sitter Martin Truex Jr. on a Lap 10 restart and has continued to hold it with 20 laps remaining in the opening stage. Among the other championship contenders, William Byron runs fourth, Tyler Reddick sixth and Ryan Blaney seventh.

Moments after the NASCAR Cup Series Championship race began, the caution flag came out for a crash on Lap 2. Ty Gibbs slid hard into the outside wall coming out of Turn 1. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver was in 12th position at the time, and no other cars were involved.

Gibbs was checked and rleased from the infield care center, ending his barely before it began.

The NASCAR Cup Series Championship race at Phoenix Raceway has officially begun. Martin Truex Jr., in his last full-time race race, leads the field from the pole. Championship 4 driver Joey Logano is also on the front row. The race is 312 laps, barring overtime.

What time does the NASCAR Championship race start?

The NASCAR Cup Series Championship race starts at 3 p.m. ET (1 p.m. local) on Sunday at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona.

What TV channel is the NASCAR Championship race on?

NBC is broadcasting the NASCAR Cup Series Championship race and has a pre-race show beginning at 2 p.m. ET (noon local).

Will there be a live stream of the NASCAR Championship race?

The NASCAR Cup Series Championship race can be live streamed on the NBC Sports website, the NBC Sports app and Peacock. The race is also available to stream on Fubo, which is offering a free trial.

Championship contender Joey Logano faces a disadvantage in Sunday’s season finale at Phoenix Raceway. Logano’s No. 22 Team Penske Ford failed pre-race inspection twice on Saturday, resulting in NASCAR penalties. Logano’s car chief Tommy Ellis was ejected and will not be able to participate in the NASCAR Cup Series Championship race, and the team lost its choice of pit-stall selection.

Logano is one of four drivers racing for the 2024 Cup Series title. Teammate Ryan Blaney, Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron and 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick are the other contenders in the Championship 4 field, and their cars passed inspection on their first try.

In his final race as a full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver, Martin Truex Jr. will start on the pole in Sunday’s race in his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Also starting on the front row, championship contender Joey Logano, in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford.

Among the other championship contenders, William Byron is starting eighth in his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Tyler Reddick is starting 10^th in his No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota, and Ryan Blaney is starting 17^th in his No. 12 Team Penske Ford.

Car number in parentheses; (P)=playoff driver

1. (19) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota

2. (22) Joey Logano (P), Ford

3. (1) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet

4. (5) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet

5. (9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet

6. (54) Ty Gibbs, Toyota

7. (20) Christopher Bell, Toyota

8. (24) William Byron (P), Chevrolet

9. (21) Harrison Burton, Ford

10. (45) Tyler Reddick (P), Toyota

11. (2) Austin Cindric, Ford

12. (14) Chase Briscoe, Ford

13. (7) Justin Haley, Chevrolet

14. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota

15. (77) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet

16. (48) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet

17. (12) Ryan Blaney (P), Ford

18. (42) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota

19. (43) Erik Jones, Toyota

20. (51) Corey LaJoie, Ford

21. (10) Noah Gragson, Ford

22. (31) Daniel Hemric, Chevrolet

23. (84) Jimmie Johnson, Toyota

24. (17) Chris Buescher, Ford

25. (8) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet

26. (16) Derek Kraus, Chevrolet

27. (6) Brad Keselowski, Ford

28. (71) Zane Smith, Chevrolet

29. (23) Bubba Wallace, Toyota

30. (47) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet

31. (15) Kaz Grala, Ford

32. (38) Todd Gilliland, Ford

33. (41) Ryan Preece, Ford

34. (99) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet

35. (34) Michael McDowell, Ford

36. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet

37. (44) JJ Yeley, Chevrolet

38. (66) Chad Finchum, Ford

39. (4) Josh Berry, Ford

40. (50) Jeb Burton, Chevrolet

Ideal race conditions for drivers and fans alike. The National Weather Service is calling for sunny skies with a high of 81 degrees in Avondale, Arizona, with a slight east northeast wind becoming calm in the afternoon.

The NASCAR Cup Series Championship race is 312 laps around the 1-mile oval at Phoenix Raceway for a total of 312 miles. The race will feature three segments (laps per stage) — Stage 1: 60 laps;  Stage 2: 125 laps;  Stage 3: 127 laps.

According to BetMGM, defending series champion Ryan Blaney is the favorite to win Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Championship race (through Saturday night):

Christopher Bell, +750

Martin Truex Jr., +850

Team Penske put two drivers – Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney – in the Championship 4, while Hendrick Motorsports has William Byron and 23XI Racing has Tyler Reddick.

Blaney is the defending NASCAR Cup Series champion, while Logano won titles in 2018 and 2022. Byron and Reddick are each seeking their first Cup championship.

Christopher Bell led 50 laps, including the final 41, before cruising to a win over Chris Buescher by 5.465 seconds on March 10, 2024.

And one year ago in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Championship race, Ross Chastain led 157 laps, including the final 31, before holding off Ryan Blaney by 1.230 seconds. Since Chastain was not a Championship 4 driver, Blaney’s runner-up finish was enough to win the 2023 title.

The current playoff format was adopted in 2014, and Kevin Harvick won his first championship while also winning the final race of the year. Under this current format, the season champion also won the championship race every year except 2023, when non-playoff driver Ross Chastain won the final race and Ryan Blaney finished second to win his first NASCAR Cup Series title.

Here are the NASCAR Cup Series champions since 2014 and their finish in the season’s final race:

2014: Kevin Harvick (won at Homestead-Miami Speedway)

2015: Kyle Busch (won at Homestead)

2016: Jimmie Johnson (won at Homestead)

2017: Martin Truex Jr. (won at Homestead)

2018: Joey Logano (won at Homestead)

2019: Kyle Busch (won at Homestead)

2020: Chase Elliott (won at Phoenix Raceway)

2021: Kyle Larson (won at Phoenix)

2022: Joey Logano (won at Phoenix)

2023: Ryan Blaney (runner-up at Phoenix)

Sept. 8:  Atlanta Motor Speedway. Winner: Joey Logano

Sept. 15:  Watkins Glen International. Winner: Chris Buescher

Sept. 21:  Bristol Motor Speedway. Winner: Kyle Larson

Oct. 13:  Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval. Winner: Kyle Larson

Oct. 20:  Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Winner: Joey Logano

Nov. 3:  Martinsville Speedway. Winner: Ryan Blaney

Nov. 10:  Phoenix Raceway, NBC, 3 p.m. ET

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