Joey Logano Holds Off Ryan Blaney To Win 3rd Cup Championship

Joey Logano fended off a charge from Team Penske teammate Ryan Blaney to win Sunday’s (Nov. 10) NASCAR Cup Series championship race at Phoenix Raceway, earning his third series championship.

Logano took the lead away from fellow Championship 4 contender Wiliam Byron on the lap 259 restart, going from fifth to first to take the top spot.

While Logano held serve up front, it was Blaney mounting a late-race charge, first passing Kyle Larson before getting around Byron for second with 23 laps to go.

Blaney chopped a previous 3.3-second deficit down to just car lengths in the closing laps but was unable to find away around his Penske teammate.

The championship is the third in a row for Penske.

Logano’s fellow championship competitors Blaney, Byron and Tyler Reddick finished second, third and sixth, respectively.

Blaney, Byron, Larson, Christopher Bell, Reddick, Bubba Wallace, Chase Elliott, Chris Buescher and Daniel Suarez rounded out the top 10.

Ty Gibbs‘ second Cup season ended on a sour note, as a hard hit into the outside wall on lap 3 put the No. 54 out of the race.

Logano was the first Championship 4 driver to lead, taking the top spot from Truex on the lap 10 restart.

Logano won stage one, with Byron finishing the stage fourth, Blaney sixth and Reddick seventh.

A poor stop by Logano’s pit crew gave Blaney the advantage over his Penske teammate for the championship lead, with Elliott winning the race off pit road. A red flag was thrown during the caution period due to the pace car hitting the sand barrels while pulling off the track.

The first round of green-flag pit stops saw Bell keep the lead over Blaney, who continued to lead the championship. However, Blaney took the lead back with six laps to go, winning stage two after a fierce side-by-side battle.

The Cup Series returns next year with the Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium on Feb. 2, 2025, followed by the Daytona 500 on Feb. 16.