The NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Round of 8 continued this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway as Tyler Reddick won in a thrilling final-lap shootout with Ryan Blaney to capture the checkered flag and claim a spot in the Championship 4. Additionally, Reddick led 97 laps and also claimed his eighth career Cup Series win, his third victory of the season, and his first at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
After clinching the regular-season championship, Reddick is presently focused on the ultimate goal – the NASCAR Cup Series championship.
Ryan Blaney finished second, followed by Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell and Chase Elliott, rounding out the top five.
Playoff Driver Quotes
Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota – Winner
“I couldn’t believe it,” Reddick said. “I just knew I needed to get even with him on his right side door, and he raced me clean, and I appreciate it. I’m just really, really excited having a shot at the championship. We did what it took to win this race, and we’re fighting for a championship,” said the 28-year-old Californian, who became only the second driver in 22 years to win at Homestead from the pole position.”
Team owner, Michael Jordan, was ecstatic, saying, “Little kid, (Reddick) drove his ass off, and I’m proud of him. He didn’t let go. He just went for it, and we needed it. We needed it.”
Ryan Blaney, No. 45 Team Penske Ford – Finished 2nd
Blaney led 47 laps and was the highest-finishing Ford but was disappointed with the outcome.
“Yeah, disappointment. I had a good shot to win it and I didn’t have a very good last lap,” Blaney said. He continued, “I thought I got into three hard and the 45 just went in there and it stuck for him, which is really impressive. I hate to give one away there like that. I don’t know if we gave it away. We got the lead back after losing it on the restart and just that last lap didn’t play out for us. I appreciate everybody on the 12 team for bringing a really fast race car. I had a really great shot to go to Phoenix and I still have one more chance, so we still have to look forward to that.
Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota – Finished 3rd
Hamlin led 21 laps during the race but came up short of clinching a spot in the Championship 4. He is currently sixth in the standings.
“Tried to cover all lanes but just couldn’t quite get off the corner as good as I needed to there on that short run. Short run wasn’t my specialty all day, obviously. Either way, controlling the race with two to go, you got to try to find a way to finish it. Just didn’t.
Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota – Finished 4th
I guess I’m out of here with a top-five and getting points is really good. You have to win races in the Round of 8, and we haven’t done that yet. We’ll go to Martinsville, and yeah, I feel confident about where we’re at in Martinsville. (It) has been a good track for us in the past and I think we can build on that. Overall, I’m happy, just disappointed that we weren’t a little bit better contending for the win. Just, I don’t know.”
Chase Elliott, No 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet – Finished 5th
“I just got tighter and tighter as the day went on. I was just trying to manage that on the front side of a run, and ultimately I just didn’t do a great job of managing it. When the pace got quicker and everyone started pushing, I didn’t really have anything left to push. It was a really solid couple of weeks for the No. 9 NAPA Chevy team, from a pace perspective. That’s encouraging as you move along in the playoffs.”
William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet – Finished 6th
“We kind of had what we had today. We weren’t good enough, and we were just trying to get all we could. I feel like a sixth-place finish is good. If it had gone green there, we were going to end up top-five. I don’t know how that changes the points, but we just have to go to Martinsville Speedway and compete for a win.”
Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet – Finished 13th
Kyle Larson, who had a blown tire in Stage 1 and spun out in the final stage, is looking ahead to next week’s playoff race at Martinsville.
“I had a little bit of a hole and I was trying to shoot the gap to get in front of the No. 3 and get to the wall quickly to either hopefully stay on the outside of the No. 12 or build a run to have a shot at him in (turns) one and two. But yeah, it just didn’t work out. I was going as hard as I could. The No. 5 Chevy team did a great job rebounding after the flat tire. We’ve been strong at Martinsville (Speedway) at times, so we’ll see. It’s not my best track, but I’ve been a lot better there since I joined Hendrick Motorsports. We just need to qualify well and give it our best shot.”
Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford – Finished 28th
After Logano’s win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last week, the team’s primary goal is preparing for the Phoenix Raceway championship race. In a pre-race interview, he said, “Not that this race (Homestead) doesn’t matter to us but the fact that we earned an advantage by being able to focus on to Phoenix before anyone else, we need to take advantage of that opportunity.”
Cup Series Playoff standings after Homestead:
Reddick-win Logano-win Bell +29 Byron +7
Larson -7 Hamlin -18 Blaney -38 Elliott -43
Up Next
Next weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series travels to Martinsville Speedway for the final race in the championship Round of 8.
One week after rolling over in dramatic style at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Tyler Reddick responded in a monstrous way by notching a dramatic last-lap NASCAR Cup Series victory in the Straight Talk Wireless 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, October 27.
The two-time Xfinity Series champion from Corning, California, led eight times for a race-high 97 of 267-scheduled laps in an event where he started on pole position and led the first 31 of 32 laps. Despite losing the lead during the event’s first round of green flag pit stops that started on Lap 32, Reddick would cycle back into the lead on Lap 55 and proceed to claim the first stage victory. Amid another cycle of green flag pit stops during the second stage period, he would collect an additional seven stage points by settling in fourth place at the stage’s conclusion.
Then through various pit strategies that occurred within the final stage period that started with 95 laps remaining, Reddick, who restarted in the top five and spent a majority of the period racing towards the front and battling with his fellow Playoff contenders, attempted to pull a strategic move by stretching his fuel tank to the distance while leading, a move that started with 46 laps remaining. Ultimately, the Californian would then pit from the lead with 16 laps remaining as he plummeted below the leaderboard.
After Playoff contender Kyle Larson spun with 13 laps remaining in his bid for the lead, Reddick remained on the track while the rest of the field pitted. Reddick would then lose the lead to team owner Denny Hamlin on the ensuing restart with seven laps remaining and spend the next six laps tracking both Hamlin and Ryan Blaney to remain in contention for the lead. Then after overtaking Hamlin for the runner-up spot at the start of the final lap, Reddick used the first two turns and the backstretch to reel in Blaney before he executed a bold race-winning pass to Blaney’s outside through Turns 3 and 4. With the momentum to his advantage, Reddick claimed his third Cup victory of the 2024 season and clinched a Championship 4 berth for the first time in his career.
With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Saturday, October 26, Playoff contender Tyler Reddick notched his third Cup pole position of the 2024 season with a pole-winning lap at 167.452 mph in 32.248 seconds. Joining him on the front row was Playoff contender Kyle Larson, who clocked in his best qualifying lap at 167.053 mph in 32.325 seconds.
Prior to the event, Playoff contender Joey Logano, who is guaranteed a spot in this year’s Championship 4 field by winning last weekend’s Round of 8 opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to his No 22 Team Penske Ford Mustang Dark Horse entry. Chris Buescher also dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to his No. 17 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse entry.
When the green flag waved and the race started, Tyler Reddick launched his No. 45 The Beast Killer Sunrise Toyota Camry XSE ahead with an early advantage. He was followed by Playoff contender Christopher Bell while Kyle Larson struggled to launch from the outside lane. The field then fanned out through the first two turns and the backstretch as Reddick retained the lead ahead of Bell and Larson.
Then entering Turn 3, the event’s first caution flew as Justin Haley, who was running in sixth place, turned across the right-front fender of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and spun his No. 7 Chili’s Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 towards the bottom of the track through the turn as the field scattered to avoid him. With Haley managing to continue without sustaining any damage to his entry, Reddick proceeded to lead the first lap under caution.
When the race restarted under green on the fifth lap, the field fanned out through the first two turns as both Reddick and Bell dueled for the lead. They continued to duel for the lead in front of Larson through the backstretch and through Turns 3 and 4 before Bell led the following lap by a fender. Larson then tried to make a move beneath Reddick through the frontstretch, but Reddick fended him off as Reddick stormed into the lead. Behind, Martin Truex Jr. challenged Larson for third place as Bubba Wallace tried to join the battle.
Through the first 10-scheduled laps, Reddick was leading by half a second over Bell as Larson, Wallace and Playoff contender Chase Elliott were racing in the top five. Behind, Truex was back in sixth place ahead of Playoff contender Denny Hamlin, Alex Bowman, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and rookie Josh Berry while Daniel Hemric, Playoff contender Ryan Blaney, Chase Briscoe, Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch were in the top 15 ahead of Noah Gragson, Daniel Suarez, rookie Carson Hocevar, Playoff contender William Byron and Michael McDowell. Meanwhile, Playoff contender Joey Logano was mired in 27th place.
Ten laps later, Reddick stretched his advantage to more than a second over Larson as Elliott was up to third place. Behind, Wallace and Hamlin, both of whom nearly had an incident as Wallace got loose in front of Hamlin in Turn 1, trailed in the top five while Bell, Truex, Berry, Bowman and Briscoe followed suit in the top 10 ahead of Blaney, Keselowski, Byron, Stenhouse and Suarez.
Another 12 laps later, the event’s first cycle of green flag pit stops occurred as Byron pitted his No. 24 Valvoline Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. More names including McDowell, Chastain, Ty Gibbs and Corey LaJoie also pitted before the leader Reddick pitted during the next lap. Elliott, Hamlin, Blaney, Briscoe, Berry, Hocevar, rookie Zane Smith, Hemric and Erik Jones also pitted before Larson, who assumed a brief lead, pitted along with Wallace by the Lap 34 mark. Truex, Bell, Bowman, Austin Dillon, Gragson and John Hunter Nemechek would follow suit to pit road as Keselowski, who was among 11 competitors who had yet to pit, remained on the track and inherited the lead.
Just past the Lap 40 mark, Keselowski continued to lead as he was ahead of Kyle Busch, Todd Gilliland, Logano and Austin Cindric on the track while Elliott, who managed to cycle ahead of Larson and Reddick following his green flag pit stop, trailed in eighth place. By then, Stenhouse, Kaz Grala and Chris Buescher had pitted earlier. Not long after, Busch, Logano and Cindric would pit their respective entries before Keselowski pitted from the lead on Lap 42. Once Gilliland pitted a lap later, Elliott would cycle past Haley, who has yet to pit, and assume the lead from teammate Larson and Reddick.
Nearing the Lap 50 mark, the caution flew when Larson, who was running in second place, scraped the outside wall entering the backstretch after he blew a right-rear tire, which the tire rolled out of the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in Turn 4 as Larson limped to pit road. During the caution period, nearly the entire lead lap field led by Elliott returned to pit road for service while the rest including Busch, Logano, Austin Dillon and Haley remained on the track. Following the pit stops, Elliott exited pit road first as he was ahead of Wallace, Reddick, Blaney, Bell, Byron, Hamlin, Truex, Bowman and Hocevar.
As the race restarted under green on Lap 53, Busch retained a brief advantage through the frontstretch before Wallace, who restarted in sixth place, threaded the needle between three competitors and proceeded to zip by both Logano and Busch to assume the lead through the first two turns. Elliott would follow suit in second place through the backstretch as the field fanned out. With a bevy of competitors jostling for spots, Wallace led the following lap as teammate Redick made his way into second place over Elliott while Blaney followed suit. Playoff contenders Bell, Byron and Hamlin would also make their way into the top seven while Logano was slowly fading back on his worn tires.
Then on Lap 55, Reddick made a move beneath teammate Wallace through Turns 3 and 4 to assume the lead as he led the following lap. Reddick would proceed to lead to the Lap 60 mark while Wallace was fending off Elliott and Blaney for the runner-up spot. By then, six of eight Playoff contenders were racing in the top 10 on the track while Logano was drifting out of the top-20 mark. Meanwhile, Larson, who remained on the lead lap despite drawing the previous caution period, was trying to carve his way back into the top-25 mark on the track.
At the Lap 70 mark, Reddick’s advantage grew to three seconds over teammate Wallace while third-place Elliott trailed by four seconds. Behind, Blaney and Bell followed suit in the top five while Hocevar was up to sixth place ahead of Byron, Bowman, Hamlin and Truex.
When the first stage period concluded on Lap 80, Reddick, who came into Homestead 30 points below the top-four cutline to make the Championship 4 round, captured his sixth Cup stage victory of the 2024 season. Teammate Wallace followed suit in second ahead of Elliott, Blaney and Hocevar while Bell, Hamlin, Byron, Bowman and Truex were scored in the top 10. With six of eight Playoff contenders racking up the event’s first round of stage points by finishing in the top 10, the remaining Playoff contenders including Larson and Logano were mired outside the top 20 on the track.
Under the stage break, the lead lap field led by Reddick peeled off the track to pit road for service. Following the pit stops, Blaney exited pit road first as he was followed by Wallace, Hocevar, Elliott, Bell and Hamlin while Reddick exited seventh as he lost six spots due to a slow pit service. Amid the pit stops, Buescher spun in his pit stall after he was bumped by Stenhouse. In addition, Kyle Busch was penalized for a safety violation.
The second stage period started on Lap 87 as Blaney and Wallace occupied the front row. At the start, Elliott steered his No. 9 NAPA Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 beneath Blaney’s No. 12 Menards Ford Mustang Dark Horse through the frontstretch as both along with Wallace went three wide for the lead in front of the field entering the first turn. Elliott and Wallace would then duel for the lead through the backstretch while Blaney was left pinned with Reddick and Hamlin in a three-wide battle for third place. As Bell joined the battle for third place, Elliott would muscle ahead of Wallace and lead the following lap. With Elliott leading by the Lap 90 mark, Hamlin and Blaney battled for third place in front of another battle involving Bell, Reddick and Bowman before Reddick gained a strong run through the frontstretch to challenge both Blaney and Hamlin for third place.
At the Lap 100 mark, Elliott stabilized his advantage to three-tenths of a second over Blaney as Hamlin, Reddick and Hocevar were scored in the top five. Behind, Wallace fell back to sixth place as he was ahead of Bell, Byron, Zane Smith and Bowman while Ryan Preece, Ty Gibbs, AJ Allmendinger, Logano and Berry followed suit in the top 15.
Twelve laps later, another cycle of green flag pit stops commenced as Blaney, who brushed the outside wall, pitted his No. 12 Menards Ford Mustang Dark Horse. Teammate Cindric would also pit along with Byron, Preece, Bowman, Logano, Suarez, Gilliland, Logano, Chastain, Larson and Erik Jones before Elliott pitted from the lead on Lap 116. Bell would also pit with Elliott.
As more names including Stenhouse, Buescher, Gragson, Wallace and Hemric pitted during the proceeding laps, Hamlin then pitted his No. 11 Mavis Toyota Camry XSE from the lead on Lap 123 as teammate Truex, Berry and Hocevar followed suit. Reddick, who assumed a brief lead, then pitted during the following lap as Kyle Busch and Keselowski, both of whom have yet to pit, moved into first and second ahead of Blaney and Elliott. By Lap 126, Blaney cycled into the lead as both Busch and Keselowski pitted. Elliott, however, would overtake Blaney for the lead two laps later.
Just past the Lap 135 mark, Elliott was leading ahead of Bell, who made his way past Blaney for the runner-up spot, as Hamlin started to close in from fourth place. Behind, Reddick cycled to fifth place as Byron, Hocevar, Bowman, Preece and Zane Smith were in the top 10. Elliott would continue to lead by Lap 140 while Hamlin, who had fresher tires than Elliott, was up to second place.
By Lap 150, Hamlin started to close in on Elliott for the lead. Then after spending the next five laps both stalking and closing in more to Elliott’s rear bumper, Hamlin started to make a move beneath Elliott for the lead. Amid lapped traffic, both dueled for the lead during the next five laps through every corner and straightaway before Hamlin used the inside lane in Turn 1 to rocket ahead and clear Elliott with the lead.
When the second stage period concluded on Lap 165, Hamlin, who came into Homestead 27 points below the top-four cutline, captured his seventh Cup stage victory of the 2024 season as he had extended his advantage to more than a second. Elliott settled in second and Bell fended off Reddick to settle in third place while Blaney, Byron, Truex, Hocevar, Preece and Allmendinger were scored in the top 10. By then, six of eight Playoff contenders racked up the event’s second round of stage points while both Larson and Logano did not.
During the stage break, the lead lap field led by Hamlin pitted for service. Following the pit services, Elliott reassumed the lead as he exited pit road first ahead of Bell, Hamlin, Blaney and Reddick while Byron, Hocevar, Truex, Preece and Bowman followed suit in the top 10. Amid the pit stops, Kyle Busch was penalized for pitting outside his pit box.
With 95 laps remaining, the final stage commenced under green as Elliott and Bell occupied the front row. At the start, Elliott and Bell dueled for the lead as the field fanned out to multiple lanes entering the first turn. Bell and Elliott remained dead even for the top spot through the backstretch and for the final two sets of turns before Bell led the following lap by a fender. Elliott would then use the inside lane to muscle back ahead of Bell and reassume the lead. With Elliott leading, Blaney would then muscle past Bell and retain second while Hamlin, Byron and Reddick followed suit.
With 85 laps remaining, Elliott retained the lead by two-tenths of a second over Blaney as Bell, Reddick and Hamlin were in the top five. Meanwhile, Larson was back up to sixth place in front of teammate Bryon as Blaney started to close in on Elliott for the lead.
Then with 81 laps remaining, the caution returned as Haley spun in Turn 3 for a second time, this time due to getting hit by Ty Gibbs. During the caution period, the lead lap field led by Elliott returned to pit road for service. Following the pit stops, Blaney managed to beat Elliott off of pit road first as they were followed by Bell, Reddick, Larson, Hocevar, Hamlin, Bowman, Byron and Preece.
The start of the next restart period with 76 laps remaining featured Blaney rocketing ahead with the lead entering the first turn as Bell made his way into second place. Behind, Larson moved up to fourth place and battled Reddick and Byron to retain the spot while Elliott tried to battle Bell for second place. Amid a series of battles occurring within the field, Blaney led the following lap. As Blaney retained a steady lead over both Elliott and Bell with 70 laps remaining, Larson continued to fiercely battle with Byron and Reddick for fourth place while Hamlin overtook Hocevar for seventh place.
Down to the final 60 laps of the event, Blaney stretched his advantage to more than a second over Elliott while Larson, who carved his way up to third place, trailed by more than two seconds. Behind, Bell and Reddick were in the top five as Hamlin, Byron, Bowman, Hocevar and Allmendinger were in the top 10.
Ten laps later, Blaney stabilized his advantage to more than a second over Elliott while Larson continued to trail in third place by more than two seconds. Shortly after, a late cycle of green flag pit stops ensued as Keselowski, Wallace, Busch, Austin Dillon and Gilliland all pitted their respective entries. More names including LaJoie, Berry, Preece, Gragson and Byron pitted over the next three laps before teammates Elliott and Larson pitted their respective Chevrolets with 47 laps remaining. The leader Blaney would then pit with 46 laps remaining along with Bell as Reddick and Hamlin remained on the track to assume first and second.
With 40 laps remaining, Reddick, who had yet to pit but opted to stretch his fuel tank to the furthest of its distance, continued to lead ahead of team owner Hamlin while Bowman, McDowell and Briscoe, all of whom had yet to pit, were in the top five. As Truex, Suarez, Logano, Nemechek and Cindric, all of whom have yet to pit, trailed in the top 10, Blaney, the first competitor who pitted, was up in 11th place and racing ahead of Elliott and Larson.
A lap later, Hamlin pitted under green from the runner-up spot. By then Reddick, remained in the lead as he was leading by more than 21 seconds over Blaney. Reddick would continue to lead and stretch his fuel tank before he surrendered the lead to pit under green with 16 laps remaining. As Reddick pitted, Blaney cycled into the lead as he was leading by three-tenths of a second over a hard-charging Larson.
Then with 13 laps remaining, the caution flew as Larson, who tried to thread the needle in between Blaney and the lapped competitor of Austin Dillon in a battle for the lead, was lightly bumped into both as he slid sideways and spun to the bottom of the track in Turn 4. Following the spin, Larson managed to proceed as he lost the runner-up spot to Hamlin as Blaney retained the lead.
During the caution period, Blaney led nearly the entire lead lap field back to pit road for service while Reddick remained on the track as he inherited the lead. Following the pit stops, Blaney exited pit road first as he was followed by Hamlin, Elliott, Bowman, Byron, Bell, Allmendinger and Hocevar while Larson, whose No. 5 pit crew repaired the diffuser lap, exited ninth as he lost six spots in the process.
Down to the final seven laps of the event, the race restarted under green as Reddick launched ahead of Blaney from the outside lane to assume the lead through the frontstretch. Then as the field fanned out entering Turn 1, Hamlin seized an opportunity through the first two turns and used the outside lane to dart his No. 11 Mavis Toyota into the lead. Behind, Blaney and Elliott battled for second along with Reddick. Hamlin would lead the next lap before Blaney launched his challenge on the former for the top spot entering the first turn. Despite Blaney having the advantage through the turns from the inside lane, Hamlin used the outside wall to gain the final advantage and retain the lead entering the straightaways. As Reddick and Elliott battled for third place, Hamlin continued to lead with five laps remaining.
Over the next three laps, Hamlin fended off repeated challenges from Blaney through the corners to lead as Reddick tried to close in. Then entering the backstretch, Blaney gained a strong run beneath Hamlin and dueled with him before he muscled his No. 12 Menards Ford ahead in Turns 3 and 4.
When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Blaney was leading by a tenth of a second over Hamlin as Reddick started to close in on Hamin for the runner-up spot. Reddick then used the inside lane to overtake Hamlin through the first two turns as Blaney remained in the lead. Then after stalking Blaney through the backstretch, Reddick floored his No. 45 The Beast Toyota to the outside lane as he drew even with Blaney through Turns 3 and 4. With the outside lane working to his advantage, Reddick rocketed past Blaney and used the momentum to muscle ahead through the frontstretch as he claimed the checkered flag to cap off a dramatic battle and finish to the event.
With the victory, Reddick notched his eighth Cup Series win in his 180th career start, his third of the 2024 season, his first at Homestead and his first since winning at Michigan International Speedway in August. The victory was also the ninth of the season for the Toyota nameplate and the eighth overall for 23XI Racing.
Above all, Reddick, who is in his fifth consecutive full-time season as a Cup Series competitor, became the second Playoff contender to clinch one of four berths to the 2024 Championship 4 round at Phoenix Raceway as this season marks Reddick’s first time reaching the final Playoff round in NASCAR’s premier series. As a result, he joins Joey Logano as a championship finalist and will contend for the first Cup Series championship for himself and 23XI Racing.
HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 27: Tyler Reddick, driver of the #45 The Beast Killer Sunrise Toyota, celebrates after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Straight Talk Wireless 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on October 27, 2024 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images).
“We’re backed into a corner and we had no other choice,” Reddick, who celebrated with his family, No. 45 team, and owner Michael Jordan, said on the frontstretch on NBC. “I knew we were on a tire deficit and here at Homestead, that’s a death sentence, but I don’t care. We did what it took to win this race and we’re fighting for a championship. I couldn’t believe it. I just knew I needed to get even with [Blaney] on his right-side door. I didn’t care what he did, but he raced me clean. I appreciate it, but just really, really excited that we’re going to get to have a shot at this championship. It’d mean the world [to win the championship]. We thankfully can take off from Martinsville [Speedway] a little bit and get ready for Phoenix [Raceway], but we’re pumped.”
As Reddick celebrated both a victory and a locked-up Championship 4 berth, Blaney was left dejected on pit road after having his victory and Championship 4 berth slip out of his grasp on the final lap and final corner. Despite being 38 points below the top-four cutline, Blaney heads into next weekend’s Round of 8 finale at Martinsville Speedway with a final opportunity to race his way back into the final round and defend his title.
“It’s obvious [I am with] disappointment,” Blaney, who led 47 laps, said. “I had a great shot to win. I didn’t have a very good last lap. Man, I thought I got into [Turn] 3 hard and [Reddick] just blitzed it off in there and it stuck for him, which was pretty impressive. I hate to give one away there like that. I don’t know if we gave it away. I mean, we got the lead back after losing it on the restart. Just last lap didn’t really play out for us. Definitely stings. I appreciate everybody on the No. 12 team for bringing a really fast race car. [I] Had a great shot to go to Phoenix and still got one more chance, so we still got to look forward to that. I’ll be picking through [the finish] all night what I should have done different probably and that’s just the way it goes, but overall, really proud of the effort and hopefully, we can bring it to [the competition] next week.”
Like Blaney, Hamlin, who led 21 laps and fell short of the victory after settling in third place, trails the cutline by 18 points as he strives to return to the Championship 4 round for the first time since 2021.
“I tried to cover all lanes, but just couldn’t quite get off the corner as good as I needed to there on that short run,” Hamlin said. “Short run wasn’t my specialty all day obviously, but either way, controlling the race [with] two [laps] to go, you got to try to find a way to finish it and just didn’t. [Martinsville]’s another opportunity and certainly, you’re not out of it until [NASCAR] throws the checkered flag at Martinsville.”
Christopher Bell and Chase Elliott, both of whom led a combined 84 laps, finished in the top five while William Byron, Alex Bowman, AJ Allmendinger, Carson Hocevar and Ryan Preece finished in the top 10. Meanwhile, Kyle Larson ended up in 13th place while Logano settled in 28th place.
As a result of the final on-track finishes, Bell and Byron occupy the final two vacant spots to the Championship 4 round while Larson, Hamlin, Blaney and Elliott trail entering next weekend’s Round of 8 finale at Martinsville Speedway.
There were 33 lead changes for 11 different leaders. The race featured six cautions for 30 laps. In addition, 33 of 38 starters finished on the lead lap.
The Round of 8 in the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs is set to conclude next weekend at Martinsville Speedway for the Xfinity 500, which will determine this year’s Championship 4 field. The event is scheduled to commence next Sunday, November 3, and air at 2 p.m. ET on NBC.
Tyler Reddick captured the pole for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series playoff race at Homestead-Miami Speedway with a qualifying lap of 167.452 mph in the 23XI Racing No. 45 Toyota. It is Reddick’s third pole this season and the ninth of his career.
Notably, this achievement couldn’t have come at a better time. With only two races remaining in the Round of 8, he is currently 30 points below the Playoffs cutline and at risk of not advancing to the NASCAR Cup Series final 4.
Reflecting on his performance, Reddick said, “Yeah, the pole has kind of eluded me in the Cup Series here (Homestead-Miami Speedway). “We’ve been very close, we just needed to have a really good round two. Yeah, I think we, for our group, ran a really good lap for sure. Yeah, again, we were just fortunate where we were in Group A. It padded us a little bit.
“Yeah,” he added, “it’s always nice to run a really good lap.”But when you run your lap, and the 5 car (Larson) runs after you, you know they have time to adjust. Curious to see what the 5 and 20 (Christopher Bell) did there. “Obviously,” he said, “the 5 got pretty close.
“All-in-all,” he summarized, “it was a good day for us. And looking forward to the race tomorrow.” And looking forward to the race tomorrow.”
Four more playoff contenders will join Reddick in the top 10 including Kyle Larson (2nd), Christopher Bell (3rd) and Denny Hamlin (4th), and Chase Elliott (7th).
Playoff Drivers:
Three playoff drivers, including Ryan Blaney who will start 20th, and William Byron. who will begin the race in 25th, will start from a disadvantage. Joey Logano, who qualified in 26th, will start from the rear of the field after the team made a steering system change post-qualifying. After his win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Logano is already guaranteed a spot in the championship Round of 4.
Sunday’s Straight Talk Wireless 400 Playoff race at Homestead-Miami Speedway will air at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC with radio coverage provided by MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Current Cup Series Playoff Standings:
Logano +17 Bell +42 Larson +35 Byron +27
Hamlin -27 Reddick -30 Blaney -47 Elliott -53
Sunday’s Straight Talk Wireless 400 Playoff race at Homestead-Miami Speedway will air at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC and the NBC Sports App. Radio coverage will be provided by MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
The starting lineup for the Straight Talk Wireless 400
CHASE BRISCOE Homestead Advance No. 14 Zep Ford Mustang Dark Horse
Event Overview
● Event: Straight Talk Wireless 400 (Round 34 of 36) ● Time/Date: 2:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Oct. 27 ● Location: Homestead-Miami Speedway ● Layout: 1.5-mile oval ● Laps/Miles: 267 laps/400.5 miles ● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 80 laps / Stage 2: 85 laps / Final Stage: 102 laps ● TV/Radio: NBC / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Notes of Interest
● If you took an informal poll among NASCAR Cup Series drivers and asked them what is their favorite racetrack, Homestead-Miami Speedway would be the most common answer. The 1.5-mile oval located 40 miles south of Miami’s famed South Beach features variable banking and worn asphalt, allowing drivers to run multiple grooves and really drive their racecars through the track’s corners, which go from 18 degrees at the apron to 20 degrees near the wall. It’s why Homestead is most often called a “driver’s track” by the very men who will turn 267 laps at nearly 170 mph for more than three hours this Sunday in the Straight Talk Wireless 400.
● Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 Zep Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Stewart-Haas Racing, will make his fourth NASCAR Cup Series start at Homestead when the green flag drops on Sunday. Seventeenth is his best Cup Series result at the track, earned last year.
● Briscoe’s NASCAR Cup Series stats at Homestead mask the 29-year-old’s true form at the track. In four NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Homestead, Briscoe earned an average finish of sixth. A 13th-place finish in his first Xfinity Series start at Homestead in 2018 was his worst result, as Briscoe knocked down finishes of third, seventh and first in his three starts that followed.
● Briscoe’s final two NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Homestead came during a doubleheader weekend in June 2020 amid the COVID pandemic. Adversity was the word of Saturday’s opening race, as Briscoe drove from nearly last in the 37-car field to finish seventh. He was forced to pit shortly after the green flag waved when a piece of equipment fell off his racecar on the pre-race pace lap. Five laps down to start the 167-lap race, Briscoe drove through the field twice in the first 70 laps and used pit strategy to get back onto the lead lap, allowing him to claw his way up to seventh when the checkered flag fell. Though his crew chief, Richard Boswell, was suspended for Sunday’s race as a result of the equipment issue on Saturday, Briscoe returned as strong as ever with Stewart-Haas chief competition officer Greg Zipadelli atop the pit box. Briscoe started ninth, led four times for 11 laps, and outdueled Brandon Jones in a two-lap dash to the finish to win by just .072 of a second.
● A prelude to that determined NASCAR Xfinity Series triumph came in 2017 when in his only NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series start at Homestead, Briscoe dominated. He won the pole, led four times for a race-high 81 laps, and handily scored the victory by 2.887 seconds over runner-up Christopher Bell. It was Briscoe’s first win in any of NASCAR’s top-three series – Cup, Xfinity and Truck – and it came in the last race of the season after a slew of near-misses where among Briscoe’s 10 top-five finishes, three were second-place results. The win elevated Briscoe to sixth in the final championship standings and helped him earn both Rookie-of-the-Year honors and the series’ Most Popular Driver award. The victory also sent the team Briscoe was driving for, Brad Keselowski Racing, out on a high note, as it was the organization’s final race, with the team ceasing operation days after Homestead.
● DYK? Briscoe is one of just four drivers who have won in both the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at Homestead, joining Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick and Kasey Kahne. If Briscoe can win Sunday’s Straight Talk Wireless 400 NASCAR Cup Series race, he will become only the third driver to win at Homestead across all three of NASCAR’s top series, joining Busch and Harvick.
● Briscoe carries the colors of Zep this weekend at Homestead. Zep is the go-to cleaning brand for professionals and its iconic blue-and-yellow palette adorns Briscoe’s No. 14 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for the Straight Talk Wireless 400. Zep is a leading innovator, producer and distributor of maintenance, cleaning and sanitation solutions for industrial and institutional, retail, and food and beverage customers. Briscoe’s partnership with Zep doesn’t stop on the track, whether in his garage at home or on the Chase Briscoe Racing sprint car hauler that travels to races across the country, Zep is always within reach. A few favorites include Zep’s engine degreaser, foaming glass cleaner, spray cleaner and polish, heavy-duty foaming degreaser, penetrating lubricant and brake cleaner. Said Briscoe: “Whether it’s at the track or at home, Zep is always close by. From its line of cleaning supplies to its car care products, you’ll find Zep inside my race hauler and inside my garage. Whether it’s my sprint car, my street car or my tractor, Zep helps me keep them looking right and running right.”
● Riding along with Briscoe this weekend at Homestead as part of the 50th anniversary of the Ronald McDonald House Charities is the Jett/Ellis Family. Their son, Ahmir, was born with spina bifida and schizencephaly in May. To stay close to their son during his prolonged NICU treatment in a hospital nearly two hours away from their home in Indianapolis, Ahmir’s parents relied on the Ronald McDonald House of Central Indiana. The family chose to be represented on Briscoe’s No. 14 Zep Ford Mustang Dark Horse as Briscoe is also a native Hoosier, hailing from Mitchell.
Chase Briscoe, Driver of the No. 14 Zep Ford Mustang Dark Horse
You had a mic-drop moment at Homestead in 2017. In your one and only NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series start at the track, you won the pole, led the most laps, and won the race, and it came in the season finale and in your final race with Brad Keselowski Racing (BKR), as that team shut down at the end of the year. Talk about that race, the emotion going into it, and the feelings you had after winning.
“That day in 2017 is certainly one I’ll never forget. Your first NASCAR win in any of the top-three series is a big deal, and that was one that I felt like was, obviously, going to be our last shot as a company to win a race since the team was shutting down after that. It’s definitely similar to what we’re going through now. We’d been so close that entire season. I think we ran second three times before and just never quite seemed to be able to jump the final hurdle. And Homestead was a racetrack I was super excited to get to because I felt like it was going to fit my driving style. We got there and just instantly had speed. We were able to sit on the pole, lead the most laps and win the race. It was bittersweet with it being the last race of the year, winning it and knowing that you could’ve been in the Championship 4 and, if you were, then you would’ve been the champion, but it just didn’t work out that way. But it was a really special night just to send BKR out literally on top. Its final race as a company was really, really cool. So, hopefully we can go to Homestead and win in SHR’s final race there because it’s been a really good track for the company.”
Are there some similar emotions going into this year’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Homestead, since it’s also the last year for Stewart-Haas Racing?
“A little bit, just with being in this same position where the team’s going to cease to exist at the end of the year. It’s definitely reminiscent of that. I would say just with how similar that feels and the emotions of the team and things like that, it’s going to be a little bit different since it’s not the very last race of the year, but it’s still one of the last races. So, it’ll feel pretty similar.”
You made four NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Homestead and won in your last start there. That was win No. 3 in your nine-win season. What was that race like and what was that season like, as it all happened amid the COVID pandemic?
“Homestead has always been a track that I’ve been pretty good at. I feel like it’s one of my better racetracks. 2020 was the last time I was able to win there, but that was a doubleheader with the Xfinity car. It was probably one of our strongest performances in the Xfinity car. The day before, it was a back-to-back deal. We went seven laps down and came back to finish seventh, and finish on the lead lap, and then the next day we were able to win the race. It’s a place I always look forward to going to. On the Cup side, I haven’t had as much success, but it’s still a place I feel like I definitely kind of know what I need and know what to look for and just understand how to make speed around that racetrack.”
Success at Homestead in the NASCAR Cup Series has been harder to obtain – three starts with a best finish of 17th, earned last year. What makes success at the Cup level more difficult, and why doesn’t prior success at a venue in another series translate to Cup?
“The first year I went to Homestead in Cup was with the old car, and going there with no practice, no qualifying, just jumping right in, was tough. And then it was one of those tracks where you run the wall, but with the old car you weren’t allowed to touch the fence all day long, and I was just trying to wrap my head around that and kind of struggling. In the Xfinity car, you can kind of beat and bang and hit the wall a couple of times and be OK. And then, in the NextGen era, I would say we’ve been way better than where we’ve finished. We’ve had good speed. In 2022, I remember crashing there and, even last year our car was way better than where we finished. I don’t remember what happened, but we’ve had good speed there, just haven’t been able to put together the finishes to go with it.”
Is there a track on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule that emulates some of the characteristics of Homestead? If so, do you have an indication of how you’ll perform this year at Homestead?
“I feel like Homestead is kind of its own unique animal, but if it relates to any track, I would say it would be Darlington, just with the tire fall off and how much you slip and slide around and how you’ve got to run by the wall.”
Drivers seem to universally praise Homestead. Why do you like racing there, and what are you able to do with a car at Homestead that you can’t do elsewhere?
“It’s just a track where, as a driver, you feel like you can make a huge difference, especially if you can run the wall better than somebody. And the car is changing so much throughout a run from lap one to lap 30, with about three seconds of fall off. As a driver, your car is never driving well, so you feel like you can make up for it. You can slip and slide the car around and just do a lot of different things behind the wheel. When you go to a place like Kansas or somewhere that’s a really high-speed, not-a-lot-of-fall-off track, it just puts it more in the driver’s hands. And I feel like Homestead is a track where you slip and slide around, and just being uncomfortable normally makes a little bit more of a difference. So, for sure, that’s why a lot of the drivers love it.”
The NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and Truck Series all travel to Homestead-Miami Speedway this weekend for the second race in the Playoffs Championship Round of 8. The intensity is rising with only two races remaining before the champions are crowned at Phoenix Raceway next month.
Team Penske’s Joey Logano is locked into the Cup Series Championship 4 Playoffs after winning last week at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger leads the Xfinity Series standings and CR7 Motorsports driver Grant Enfinger tops the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series standings after his win at Talladega Superspeedway.
NASCAR Press Pass will be available this weekend after Cup Series qualifying and after each Playoff race.
Cup Series Playoff Championship Standings:
Joey Logano +17 Christopher Bell +42 Kyle Larson +35 William Byron +27 Denny Hamlin -27 Tyler Reddick -30 Ryan Blaney -47 Chase Elliott -53
Xfinity Series Playoff Championship Standings
AJ Allmendinger +7 Justin Allgaier +32 Cole Custer +16 Chandler Smith +8 Austin Hill -8 Jesse Love -13 Sam Mayer -23 Sammy Smith -53
CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Playoff Championship Standings
Grant Enfinger +18 Corey Heim +30 Christian Eckes +29 Ty Majeski +5 Rajah Caruth -5 Taylor Gray -13 Nick Sanchez -20 Tyler Ankrum -23
Friday, Oct. 25
2:35 p.m.: Truck Series Practice – All entries, 20 minutes 3:05 p.m.: Truck Series Qualifying (Impound) 4:05 p.m.: Xfinity Series Practice Timed, 2 Groups, 15 minutes each 4:40 p.m.: Xfinity Series Qualifying Impound – All entries, single vehicle, 1 lap
Saturday, Oct. 26
9:05 a.m.: Cup Series Practice Groups A & B, 20 minutes each MRN/SiriusXM/NBC Sports App
9:50 a.m.: Cup Series Qualifying Impound – Groups A & B, Single Vehicle, 1 Lap, 2 Rounds MRN/SiriusXM/NBC Sports App
Noon: NASCAR Truck Series Baptist Health 200 Stages 30/60/134 Laps = 201 Miles FS!/MRN/SiriusXM
3:30 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series Credit One NASCAR Amex Credit 300 Stages 45/90/200 Laps = 300 Miles CW/MRN/SiriusXM
Sunday, Oct. 27
2:30 p.m.: NASCAR Cup Series Straight Talk Wireless 400 Stages 80/165/267 Laps = 400.5 Miles NBC/MRN/SiriusXM
NASCAR released the penalty report following this past weekend’s Xfinity-Cup Series Playoff events at Las Vegas Motor Speedway that occurred between October 19-20, 2024.
In the Cup Series, John Rosselli (front-tire changer) and Kellen Mills (jackman), both of whom work in the No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota Camry XSE team piloted by Erik Jones, have been issued a two-race suspension due to a right-front wheel that detached from Jones’ car towards Lap 70 of 267 during Sunday’s event. The incident occurred during the event’s first caution period that started on Lap 62, when the wheel detached from Jones’ entry on the track entering Turn 1 after the event’s first round of pit stops and after Jones had received the free pass to cycle back on the lead lap.
Following the incident in an event that was won by Playoff contender Joey Logano, Jones would finish in 25th place, a lap down, of the 37-car field.
With the suspensions, Rosselli and Mills will not be present for the upcoming Cup Series Playoff events at Homestead-Miami Speedway and at Martinsville Speedway, respectively.
In the Xfinity Series, three crew chiefs were each fined $5,000 apiece due to their respective entries having a single lug nut unsecured during the post-race inspection process following Saturday’s event.
The crew chiefs that were penalized include Kevin Johnson, crew chief for Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 38 RSS Racing Ford Mustang team; Jonathan Toney, crew chief for Playoff contender Cole Custer and the No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang team; and Shane Whitbeck, crew chief for Jeb Burton and the No. 27 Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet Camaro team.
During Saturday’s Xfinity Playoff event at Vegas that was won by Playoff contender AJ Allmendinger, Custer would finish the best of the trio in eighth place while DiBenedetto and Burton ended up 16th and 24th, respectively.
The NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series’ teams return to action alongside the Craftsman Truck Series’ teams this upcoming weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the second of three Round of 8 events for each of the three series. The Truck and Xfinity divisions host a doubleheader feature on Saturday, October 26, that will commence with the Trucks at noon ET on FS1 while the Xfinity division will follow suit at 3:30 p.m. on the CW Network. The Cup Series action at Homestead will occur the following day, October 27, and air at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
Online fan vote for award winner of $100,000 donation is live on NASCARfoundation.org now through November 18 at 6 p.m. ET
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (October 22, 2024) – Four inspiring NASCAR fans who are making a difference in children’s lives through local children’s organizations were announced today by The NASCAR Foundation as finalists for the 14th annual Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award. The announcement, which was made live on Speedway with Dave Moody on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, highlighted the volunteers’ commitment to improving the lives of children across the country.
Finalists Tammy Raulerson, Judy Simmons, Carlos Washington and Julie Wooldridge were surprised on-air with an appearance by defending NASCAR Cup Series Champion Ryan Blaney, who congratulated them for their volunteer accomplishments along with showing appreciation for their impacts on children in local communities.
“This year’s award finalists exemplify the generosity of our NASCAR community. Their volunteer efforts have significantly impacted the lives of children in our local racing communities, a passion for helping others which was championed by Betty Jane France,” said Mike Helton, The NASCAR Foundation Chairman. “Tammy, Judy, Carlos and Julie are inspirations to us all. We hope NASCAR fans everywhere will take time learn more about these incredible finalists’ stories and vote for this year’s award winner.”
The NASCAR Foundation’s Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award, named in honor of the foundation’s late founder and chairwoman Betty Jane France, recognizes NASCAR fans who volunteer for children’s causes in their local communities. Each finalist receives a minimum $25,000 donation for their organization with the overall winner receiving a $100,000 donation from The NASCAR Foundation to further their efforts.
The 14th annual Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award finalists include:
Tammy Raulerson of College Station, Texas, a volunteer who has spent more than ten years organizing and overseeing family camp weekends and providing families facing pediatric cancer with support, community, and joy through the Periwinkle Foundation.
Judy Simmons of Axton, Virginia, a volunteer who has been a member of the God’s Pit Crew disaster response team of more than 1,500 volunteers for six years. In her role, Judy leads volunteer teams to provide essential needs to families and children in their time of crisis.
Carlos Washington of Florence, South Carolina, a volunteer who has dedicated 20 years of service to Boys and Girls Clubs of the Pee Dee Area, which offers programs that promote the childhood development by instilling a sense of competence, usefulness, belonging, and influence.
Julie Wooldridge of Mooresville, North Carolina, who co-founded Hope of Mooresville six years ago to arrange temporary safe shelter and support services for local homeless women and children and to provide long-term solutions to homelessness while breaking the cycle for the next generation of families.
The overall winner will be determined by an online vote, which is open now. To view videos of the finalists, visit NASCARfoundaton.org/Award to watch clips about each finalist’s impact on children while voting once a day, every day through Nov. 18 at 6 p.m. ET for their favorite finalist.
The overall winner will be announced during the NASCAR Awards in Charlotte on Friday, Nov. 22.
To learn more about The NASCAR Foundation’s Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award and the 2024 finalists, visit NASCARfoundation.org/Award.
About The NASCAR Foundation
The NASCAR Foundation is a leading charity that works to improve the lives of children who need it most in NASCAR racing communities through the Speediatrics Children’s Fund and the Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award. The NASCAR Foundation, designated as a 4-Star Charity by Charity Navigator for its strong financial health and ongoing accountability and transparency, has contributed more than $46 Million to impact the lives of more than 1.7 million children across the country since 2006. For more information on The NASCAR Foundation, visit NASCARfoundation.org.
Two-time Cup Series champion Joey Logano won Sunday’s South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, punching his ticket into the series championship. This was Logano’s fourth NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) victory at Vegas, 35th career, and the driver of the No. 22 Pennzoil Ford Mustang is in Championship 4.
Logano finished eighth in Stage 1, remaining within the top five positions to finish fifth in Stage 2. Logano passed Daniel Suarez for the lead on lap 262 and held off a hard-charging Christopher Bell to score the victory.
“So proud of our race team all the way through. This group of guys they’re truly incredible. They’re good people, which is one of the things I’m most proud of, but they’re really smart. In the playoffs, they’re able to really be able to keep a level head and maximize the races no matter what’s dealt with them.” Logano said.
Bell’s No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota was the dominant car of the day, but Logano held him off by 0.662 seconds in the final few laps.
“Today, we had a solid car. We were not as good as the No. 20 team, but we were a top-five car. In the long run, we were probably the best car. When there’s an opportunity like that at the end of the race, where there’s a long run, you’re able to make good mileage, that’s one of our strengths that we have with the Ford, so there’s an opportunity there to run it long.” Logano added.
The NASCAR Cup Series standings and statistics after the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Pos.
No.
Driver
Make
Points
Behind
Starts
Wins
Top-5
Top-10
DNFs
Lap Led
Stage Wins
1
20
Christopher Bell
Toyota
4086 (242)
0
33
3
13
21
6
999
11
2
5
Kyle Larson
Chevrolet
4079 (296)
-7
32
6
13
16
5
1615
12
3
24
William Byron
Chevrolet
4071 (230)
-15
33
3
12
18
4
287
2
4
22
Joey Logano
Ford
4061 (177)
-25
33
3
6
11
6
307
2
5
11
Denny Hamlin
Toyota
4044 (263)
-42
33
3
10
16
4
922
6
6
45
Tyler Reddick
Toyota
4041 (216)
-45
33
2
11
19
3
500
5
7
12
Ryan Blaney
Ford
4024 (247)
-62
33
2
9
15
7
476
4
8
9
Chase Elliott
Chevrolet
4018 (209)
-68
33
1
9
16
2
214
1
Race Notes
Logano celebrates the South Point 400 win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway by Ron Olds
13 lead changes among ten drivers in the South Point 400 at Las Vegas.
Five caution flags for 32 laps.
The average speed of the race winner was 139.385 mph.
The South Point 400 at Las Vegas race lasted 2 Hrs, 52 Mins, and 24 Secs.
The margin of victory was 0.662 Seconds.
Christopher Bell led four times for 155 laps, the most laps led in the race.
Tyler Reddick won stage 1.
Bell won stage 2.
What went down behind Logano in the South Point 400 at Las Vegas
Polesitter Bell won the pole, led 155 of 267 laps, and finished second in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Rheem Toyota Camry XSE. With this second-place finish, Bell leads the overall NCS standings.
Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick, Ryan Blaney, and Chase Elliott are below the top-four cutline with two races remaining before the final take-all Championship 4 Nov. 10 at Phoenix Raceway.
Virginia native Hamlin moved up to fifth and is now 27 points out.
“Not a clean day. That certainly sums it up. You’ll have that. We did the best we could to get the best finish.” Hamlin said.
Reddick led nine laps and won the first stage before being involved in an early stage two incident. Reddick is sixth, 30 points below the cutline.
“You just have to be aggressive on restarts. It’s how the Next Gen racing has been from the beginning. I kind of saw them both have a moment, and I just had to split second to make a decision. You have to be aggressive on the restart. It is hard to pass after a while. Being myself on a mile and a half, being aggressive – by the time I realized I was in trouble, the 19 (Martin Truex Jr.) started sliding, and the 9 (Chase Elliott) was coming up, and I was pretty much already on their outside at that point, with nowhere to really go. I needed to make the decision earlier when I saw them sliding to be more conservative to avoid an incident – just not who I am, but it is unfortunate. It took us out of the race.” Reddick said.
Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Chevrolet team finished 33rd after a stage two accident with Reddick.
“The No. 45 was coming with a really big run on the top. I don’t think Martin knew that, and he was kind of running as if we were two-wide. Once I recognized that there wasn’t going to be enough room, I bailed, and there was just nowhere to bail.. it was too late. I need to sit down and take a look at it. I was, personally, just trying to get out of the situation, and it was just a little too late at that point.” Eliott said. “It sucks. Our No. 9 NAPA Chevy was really, really good there at the start. It was the best we’ve been out here in this new car, so it was just a bad day for that.”
Blaney finished 32nd.
“We’re still alive. It’s definitely not the best of days. It was just a rough weekend overall. I don’t know what to do about it, to be honest with you, running over something and having a hole in it in practice. And then just getting clipped by the 6 there. I thought I could get around him and didn’t know if he’d come up the racetrack, and then by the time he was kind of on the track it was too late. I got clipped and bent everything all to hell, so it was just a rough weekend. We still have two more weeks, so we’re definitely not out of it.” Blaney said.
What’s Next
The NASCAR Cup Series will head to Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, October 27, for the Round of 8 at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
1. Joey Logano: Logano used astute fuel strategy to lead the final six laps and win the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, punching his ticket to the championship round.
“I’m just lucky to still be in the Playoffs,” Logano said. “I am in, thanks to Alex Bowman, who was disqualified after the ROVAL race. Reportedly, Alex threw his phone into a swimming pool after learning the news. Reportedly, William Byron said the phone hit Jerry Falwell, Jr.’s pool boy.”
2. William Byron: Byron finished fourth at Las Vegas.
“Sunday’s race went head to head with the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas,” Byron said. “But let’s face it, you can see things in NASCAR that you’d never see in F1, like toilet paper advertised on a car.”
3. Christopher Bell: Bell started on the pole at Las Vegas and led the most laps, but finished second to Joey Logano.
“I’ve started on pole in 13 races in my career,” Bell said, “and I have yet to win one of those races. I guess I take the saying ‘It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish’ a little too literally.”
4. Alex Bowman: Bowman finished fifth in the South Point 400.
“First there were 16,” Bowman said. “Then there were 12. Then there were 8. I was a part of each of those groups until I had my membership revoked from the last one.”
5. Kyle Larson: Larson finished 11th in the South Point 400.
“Congratulations to Joey Logano,” Larson said. “The No. 22 team and crew chief Paul Wolfe made the perfect calls all day. With this being Las Vegas, I guess you would call Wolfe the ‘Pit Boss.’”
6. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin finished eight at Las Vegas.
“My car featured the ‘Yahoo’ paint scheme,” Hamlin said. “Obviously, that meant my No. 11 Toyota was powered by a ‘search engine.’”
7. Ryan Blaney: Blaney’s tough weekend at Las Vegas started with a crash in Saturday’s practice, and ended with a 32nd place finish.
“Things were going okay until I was caught in the accident that saw Tyler Reddick flip once,” Blaney said. “However, I refuse to ‘roll over’ and die.”
8. Ross Chastain: Chastain started seventh and finished seventh at Las Vegas, posting his 13th top 10 of the season.
“I really wanted to win in Vegas,” Chastain said. “Who wouldn’t want to smash a watermelon in Vegas? I guess the better question is ‘Who would want to smash a watermelon in Vegas?’”
9. Martin Truex, Jr.: Truex finished sixth in the South Point 400, posting his 11th top-10 result of the season.
“I think I’ve left my mark in this sport,” Truex said. “I think Tyler Reddick has as well after his day at Darlington when he left a skid mark.”
10. Chase Elliott: Elliott was caught up in a multi-car accident on Lap 89 that resulted in Tyler Reddick’s No. 45 Toyota rolling over. Elliott was able to continue, but his suspension was compromised and he finished 33rd.
“I’m in last place in the standings,” Elliott said. “I’m not worried at all. I’ve been in worse places. Heck, I was born in Dawsonville, Georgia.”
The NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 8 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway did not disappoint and proved the adage true; it’s not over till it’s over. Or, in a NASCAR race, it’s not over until the checkered flag flies.
Joey Logano only led six laps of the South Point 400 Sunday afternoon, but they were the ones that mattered. It was his third regular-season win this year, his 35th Cup Series victory and it was also Team Penske’s 99th series win with Ford.
It was particularly meaningful as Logano only became eligible for the Round of 8 after the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, driven by Alex Bowman, was disqualified in the Round of 12 elimination race when his car did not meet minimum weight post-race. Logano advanced to the Playoffs as a result of the disqualification. He was previously 4 points short of transferring to the Round of 8.
After the race, an ecstatic Logano, said, “Oh my gosh. It’s an incredible turn of events coming from what was at the end of last weekend and what it was like Sunday night after a couple hours after the race and to this Sunday. This sport is just incredible.
“Things change, but what a team I’ve got. I stood out there at the start-finish line and it takes a total effort. Obviously, the car had to be pretty good. It was solid, but when you think about what it takes to win a fuel mileage race, you’ve got to have a good engine. You’ve got to have good engineers calculating stuff. You’ve got to have good communication communicating what they see and being able to make sure that I only gave up the right amount of spots on the racetrack and trying to get to the 99 in front and keep the 20 behind. Coleman, Paul, Joe, Nick Hensley, our gas man making sure it’s full. It takes everybody to do it, so we’re in the Championship 4 again.
“I’m so proud of this team. We just find a way and that’s what I’m most proud of. I said it as we entered this thing this week that we may be the underdogs, but I don’t think so anymore.”
Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota – Finished second
Christopher Bell won the pole starting position and led 155 of 267 laps but came up short, finishing second.
Bell was almost at a loss for words, saying, “I don’t know. I don’t know, and I don’t think I’ve come to terms with it yet. Just a bummer. Everyone on this team did everything perfect today. This thing was obviously on rails, the pit crew did an amazing job, Adam (Stevens, crew chief) called an amazing race. We did everything we needed to put the Rheem Camry into victory lane, and unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be today.”
Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet – Finished 11th
Larson described the race as “a messy, messy day. None of the first races in the rounds have been clean, at all, for us. But this was a long, hard-fought 11th-place finish. We just had a lot of unfortunate things happen with the debris that got stuck on our nose. He added, that the team was “able to overcome that and I thought we were going to be fine. We had a strong finish in the second stage, and then we had the issues on the pit stop and just had to fight from there.
“We got the most we could out of the rest of the day. I’m proud of this No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevy team for the rebound and having a clean rest of the race.”
William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet – Finished: 4th
Byron was disappointed he wasn’t able to capture the win but was pleased with how he and the team progressed throughout the race.
“Yeah, we really improved a lot as the day progressed. That was a lot to be said about this No. 24 RaptorTough.com Chevy team, and our ability to get the balance close and get the speed once we had the balance close. We just started the race a little bit off, but I’m really, really happy with how we came on. I thought we were going to have a shot to compete for a win there in the final stage, but it turned into a fuel mileage race.
“Just sucks. It’s going to take a win, I feel like, so we have to keep working for it and keep running up front. If we run up front, it will do two things – we’ll be able to compete for a win and score a lot of points. We just have to keep running like this.”
Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota – Finished 8th
Hamlin was frustrated with the finish but determined to make adjustments moving forward.
“Not a clean day,” he said. “That certainly sums it up. You’ll have that. We did the best we could to get the best finish. I thought Chris (Gabehart, crew chief) did a great job to get some sort of finish. Once we lost the track position early, he was doing the best he could to try to get it back through strategy, and then it goes long there, and we fall to the back. Just part of it.”
“I don’t know where we are at, but certainly, we are not running quite as strong as we were earlier in the year, and we are definitely not as clean, execution-wise, as we were. We will just have to clean it up and go to Homestead and try to win it.”
Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota – Finished 35th
Reddick had a strong start, led nine laps and won the first stage but he was caught up in an accident with Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott during Stage 2 of the race.
“You just have to be aggressive on restarts,” he explained. “It’s how the Next Gen racing has been from the beginning. I kind of saw them both have a moment, and I just had to split-second make a decision. You have to be aggressive on the restart. It is hard to pass after a while. Being myself on a mile and a half, being aggressive – by the time I realized I was in trouble, the 19 (Martin Truex Jr.) started sliding and the 9 (Chase Elliott) was coming up and I was pretty much already on their outside at that point, with nowhere to really go.
“I needed to make the decision earlier when I saw them sliding to be more conservative to avoid an incident – just not who I am, but it is unfortunate. It took us out of the race. We had a really, really fast Jordan Brand Toyota Camry, probably would have been in the mix all race long, but we will go to Homestead – a place where I have had to get it done before and go for it there.”
Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford – Finished 32nd
Blaney’s weekend went from bad to worse. He had a flat tire during Saturday’s practice session, hit the wall and he had to go to a backup car. He started Sunday’s race at the rear of the field. Furthermore, things didn’t improve as he got caught up in an accident along with Reddick and Chase Elliott, finishing 32nd.
“We’re still alive,” Blaney said. “It’s definitely not the best of days. It was just a rough weekend overall. I don’t know what to do about it, to be honest with you, running over something and having a hole in it in practice. And then just getting clipped by the 6 there. I thought I could get around him and didn’t know if he’d come up the racetrack and then by the time he was kind of on the track it was too late. I got clipped and bent everything all to hell, so it was just a rough weekend. We still have two more weeks, so we’re definitely not out of it.”
Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet – Finished: 33rd
Elliott was caught up in the wreck with Reddick and Blaney and is in last place (-53 points) in the Round of 8. He will need a win to advance to the Round of 4 and compete for the championship.”
“The No. 45 (Tyler Reddick) was coming with a really big run on the top. I don’t think Martin (Truex Jr.) knew that, and he was kind of running as if we were two-wide. Once I recognized that there wasn’t going to be enough room, I bailed and there was just nowhere to bail, it was too late. I need to sit down and take a look at it. I was, personally, just trying to get out of the situation and it was just a little too late at that point.
“It sucks,” Elliott said. “Our No. 9 NAPA Chevy was really, really good there at the start. It was the best we’ve been out here in this new car, so it was just a bad day for that.”
Up Next
Next weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series travels to Homestead-Miami Speedway for the final race in the Round of 8.
