AVONDALE, Ariz. — Joey Logano has delivered yet again for Team Penske by winning the Cup Series championship for the third time.
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Logano, who said before Sunday's season finale that he needed to put his foot on the throats of his competition, had the strongest car when it mattered most. Teammate Ryan Blaney had the long-run speed, but Logano's No. 22 was better on the short run.
Once Logano grabbed the lead from his competitors, he was able to hold them off with aggressive blocks. This is what he had to do in the closing laps after Blaney erased a 2.2-second deficit and began pressuring him for the lead.
Blaney makes a charge, but it's not enough! @joeylogano is the champion in 2024! #Championship4 pic.twitter.com/HHFZV7GfkG
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) November 10, 2024
Blaney tried to go high, he tried to go low. Nothing worked. Logano is one of the best blockers in NASCAR, especially in the Gen 7 era, and he showed it when it mattered most. Blaney had to settle for second as Logano won his 36th career race and his third championship.
"I love the playoffs. I love it, man," Logano told NBC Sports. "What a race! What a Team Penske battle there at the end. Had a good restart and was able to get in front of the 12. And he had a lot of long run speed there, and it was all I had there to hold him off.
"Man, three of them, that's really special to get that. What a team. To fight through today, we went through a little bit of adversity throughout the race. I can't thank Ford enough and Shell and Pennzoil and Hunt Brothers Pizza, Paul Wolfe. What a crew chief do I have?
"I've got the best team. I don't know if I'm the best driver, but I've got the best team, and together we're very well-rounded and can show up when it matters the most. We've got a mentally tough team that can make things happen when it matters."
This third championship puts Logano in elite company. He is one of six drivers with three titles on the resume. He joins Lee Petty (1954, 1958, 1959), David Pearson (1966, 1968, 1969), Cale Yarborough (1976, 1977, 1978), Darrell Waltrip (1981, 1982, 1985), and Tony Stewart (2002, 2005, 2011).
The only drivers with more than three titles are Jeff Gordon (four), Jimmie Johnson (seven), Dale Earnhardt (seven), and Richard Petty (seven).
"Joey's a fantastic race car driver," Blaney said. "Obviously, a three-time champion, and he did what he needed to do to win the race."
