Usually when a race is determined in terms of fuel consumption, many consider it a disappointment.
One driver – Christopher Bell in this case – dominates from qualifying for most of the race, only to lose due to another driver’s ability to feather the throttle and provide a tank of gas to the controllers.
The fuel strategy has been part of the race since men traded horses for cockpits. But a “quick winner” has always been sexier than a winner who uses fuel finesse.
This time, however, the main storyline makes Joey Logano’s Las Vegas gamble so intriguing. A week earlier, his playoffs were over. But Alex Bowman’s DQ moved Logano from ninth to eighth, and look what happened next.
Let’s review the gears.
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First Gear: Making the Most of a Mulligan
Logano’s victory in the round of 16 ensures he has a chance to win a championship when the Phoenix final arrives in three weeks. And if that sounds familiar, it should.
Logano has won two championships – in 2018 and 2022. Each time, he won the first race of the round of 16 – at Martinsville in ’18 and at Vegas in ’22.
Before Vegas, among the eight surviving playoff runners, Logano was at the bottom of the championship odds chart, at +1200, with Kyle Larson the favorite at +350.
A day after Logano’s victory, Larson was still atop the championship odds pylon at +260, but Logano is now second at +300. And that makes sense, of course, since he’s the only driver guaranteed a chance at Phoenix.
Second gear: Bell is disappointed
Since an accident in Michigan in mid-August, Christopher Bell has been carrying the mail, as some would say. On track, as others, including Bell, might suggest.
Not just eight top 10s in the nine races since Michigan, but most of them finishing comfortably in that top 10: six of them were in the top 5, with back-to-back second-place finishes over the last two weeks.
Sunday’s second place seemed to hurt more, considering how he won the Vegas pole and then led most of the laps – 155 of 267. Rarely is a driver as sincerely disappointed as Bell is. was during his post-race TV hit.
“I don’t know, and I don’t think I’ve accepted that yet. It’s just a shame, everyone on this team did everything perfectly today. This thing was obviously on track, the pit crew did an incredible job.
“We did everything we needed to…and unfortunately, it wasn’t supposed to happen today.”
We’ll explain his disappointed attitude a little later here.
Third Gear: Kyle Larson’s weird trend continues
Kyle Larson’s strange post-victory habit continued in Las Vegas.
After his fifth win of the season last month at Bristol, some of us noticed how much Larson struggles the week after a win. Then he started again.
During stage 2 in Las Vegas, @KyleLarsonRacinThe No. 5 team froze on pit road after realizing there was a problem on the right side. Ultimately, the left rear tire was not changed and Larson had to pit again under the green. Larson rallied to finish 11th.https://t.co/Idgap5mQpA
– Dustin Albino (@DustinAlbino) October 21, 2024
And then he won again last week in Charlotte, bringing his victory total to six this year. And yes, he still struggled following this victory.
An 11th place finish in Vegas was better than most of his previous wins this year: 14th, 34th, 34th, 7th, 26th. But it was hard-won, due to an error in the pits that forced him to return quickly to repair the left rear. It could have been better, but it could have been even worse.
I repeat it. If Kyle is in the Phoenix championship race and has a chance to win Martinsville the previous Sunday, he may want to step up and take second. It seems silly, but the trend is strong, and besides, it is not relegated to this year.
Last year, three of Kyle’s four victories came with 33rd, 34th and 35th place finishes. Yeah.
Fourth gear: Homestead will be busy
NASCAR’s three largest touring divisions will all run laps next weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The Cup and Xfinity Series will continue their Round of 16 segment, while the Truck Series returns after two weeks off.
The Trucks and Xfinity race Saturday at Homestead, the Cup Series Sunday.
In fact, all three series will be together for each of the final three NASCAR weekends of 2024. Martinsville and Phoenix follow Homestead.
Let’s finish with the updated Cup Playoff standings: 1. Joey Logano (Round of 16 winner), 2. Christopher Bell (+42 above the cut line), 3. Kyle Larson (+35 ), 4. William Byron (+27), 5. Denny Hamlin (-27), 6. Tyler Reddick (-30), 7. Ryan Blaney (-47), 8. Chase Elliott (-53).
Bell looks secure in second place with that 42-point cushion. But he’s only seven points ahead of Larson and 15 over Byron, and he knows that if the next two races are won by drivers in the bottom four above, fourth place in the championship comes down to points and he might end up really lamenting the missed shot in Las Vegas.
This explains his Sunday blues.
— Email Ken Willis at [email protected]
This article originally appeared in the Daytona Beach News-Journal: NASCAR playoff race in Vegas. Joey Logano has gas. Ranking update.
