Who… should you be talking about after the race?
He never saw the lead until lap 257, but Joey Logano saw the checkers first at Atlanta Motor Speedway, wining the Quaker State 400 to open the playoffs.
Logano had a good car and he was solid all day, working with Team Penske teammates Austin Cindric and Ryan Blaney, who combined to lead 125 laps on Sunday (Sept. 8). He was consistently able to pass cars throughout the afternoon, and a push from Blaney was the difference as Logano took over on an overtime restart to fire the first playoff shot, locking himself into the Round of 12.
Logano’s playoff stealth shouldn’t be a surprise. He has two titles because he’s consistent in the regular season and wins when he needs to in the playoffs. He’s figured out how the postseason works for him.
And don’t forget Kyle Busch.
Busch isn’t racing for stage points or playoff points. He’s only in it to win, and he’s looked closer to that every week lately. He led twice for 24 laps on Sunday and had a late run foiled by cautions. A shuffle on the last restart left him seventh after rubber-up finishes the previous two weeks. His bid for a 20th straight season with a win isn’t over.
What… is the big question leaving this race in the rearview?
The biggest news of the weekend came off the track, when it was revealed that, given a hard deadline on Friday, all but two teams have finally agreed on a new charter deal with NASCAR. No details of the agreement have been released. The holdouts were Front Row Motorsports and 23XI Racing. 23XI co-owner Denny Hamlin has been vocal about the agreement needing to be more favorable to teams.
With some reports of teams being given just hours to sign NASCAR’s latest offering under threat of losing their charters altogether, and with no viable alternative racing series in sight, most teams capitulated.
The question now is how NASCAR will react to the holdouts.
With the deal signed by the majority, there’s no more room for negotiation; they aren’t getting a different deal. 23XI, in particular, has some clout thanks to superstar co-owner Michael Jordan, but while Hamlin has been vocal about NASCAR needing the teams, the truth is that the teams also need NASCAR.
There is no viable alternative right now for owners. NASCAR knows that. Starting a racing series that could truly rival NASCAR in popularity and revenue isn’t something that can happen in the…
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