NASCAR Notebook: Logano Advances In Chase With Win

Joey Logano celebrates with a burnout after scoring the win last week's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway.  Photo by Robert Laberge/NASCAR via Getty Images

Joey Logano celebrates with a burnout after scoring the win last week’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway. Photo by Robert Laberge/NASCAR via Getty Images

CONCORD, NC – Joey Logano continued to dominate the pressure-filled Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, punching his ticket to the Eliminator Round by winning at Kansas on Sunday. The 24-year-old led 122-of-267 laps (45.7%) and registered a 144.7 driver rating on his way to Victory Lane.

“On fire” is the only way to describe Logano since the Chase started. In four Chase races, he boasts two wins and a series-best average finish of 2.5.

While he is starting to gain attention as a serious championship contender now, Logano’s mega success pre-dates the Chase. Since finishing 40th at New Hampshire in July, Logano has failed to log a top 10 in just one out of 11 races – a 14th-place showing at Atlanta where he was running sixth before wrecking on a restart with five laps left. During his stretch of top 10s, Logano owns eight top-five finishes.

The No. 22 Ford Fusion driver ranks tied with Team Penske shop mate Brad Keselowski for the series lead with five wins – two more than his career total in five full-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series seasons entering this year.

With two races left in the Contender Round, Logano can do himself a big favor by continuing to win, even though he has already qualified for the eight-driver Eliminator Round. By finishing first he can potentially keep pre-Chase favorites Keselowski, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. from advancing – which would certainly help his championship cause. Keselowski (1) and Johnson (6) have accounted for seven of the last eight NSCS championships, while Earnhardt showed major speed at Kansas, leading 45 laps before hitting the wall.

Logano next hits the track in the Bank of America 500 on Saturday at Charlotte Motor Speedway. In 11 Queen City starts, he has claimed three top-five and six top-10 finishes.

On a related note, Charlotte could prove to be a panacea for Keselowski, as he looks to get back on track after a 36th-place finish at Kansas. The No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion driver took the checkered flag in last October’s Bank of America 500.

NASCAR Nationwide Series: Rookie Elliott’s Title Pursuit Is History In the Making

The NASCAR Nationwide Series is on the verge of history, as current standings leader and JR Motorsport’s driver Chase Elliott can possibly etch his name in the records books by becoming the first Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate to win the NASCAR Nationwide Series championship. Despite his competition, Elliott can clinch the title if he finishes fifth or better in the final four races of the season.

The closest a rookie has come to winning the series title prior to this season was Kyle Busch in 2004, when he finished runner-up to Martin Truex, Jr. in the final standings.

Elliott is currently 38 points ahead of his teammate Regan Smith in second and 40 points ahead of Richard Childress Racing’s driver Ty Dillon in third.

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If Elliott locks the title down this will be team owner Dale Earnhardt, Jr.’s first as owner of JR Motorsport. The team’s previous best standings finish was third – twice (Brad Keselowski, 2008 and Regan Smith, 2013).

Earnhardt has given many of the sport’s brightest stars a chance in the NASCAR Nationwide Series at JR Motorsports, names like Brad Keselowski, Danica Patrick and Aric Almirola to name a few. This weekend JR Motorsports will welcome Alex Bowman to the squad. He will be piloting the No. 5 Chevrolet this weekend joining Elliott and Smith on the grid.

NASCAR Camping World Trucks: Talladega Key For Championship Redemption

Most drivers fear Talladega Superspeedway.

Not Johnny Sauter.

Last year, he survived 94 laps at the tumultuous track to claim his ninth career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win. The No. 98 driver’s Talladega triumph was not an anomaly. In five starts at the tri-oval, he also claims a runner-up effort, a third-place showing and an average finish of 7.0.

Sauter returns to Talladega for the Fred’s 250 Powered by Coca-Cola on Oct. 18 with more on the line than simply defending his victory. He has a series championship to fight for.

Only 19 points separate Sauter from current standings leader and ThorSport teammate Matt Crafton, who has been unable to tame Talladega. Crafton has three top 10s in eight starts at the Alabama track, but he finished lower than 15th in his other five runs. Sauter’s success at Talladega and the superspeedway’s history of treachery could prove to be the perfect storm for brewing his first championship title.

Even Crafton noted he would have to get through Talladega before he thinks about the championship.

“I’m not even going to worry about it to be honest,” he said. “I’m going to go into each and every race to just go to win. We get through Talladega and then I’ll feel a lot better at that point.”

 

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