Playoff Pulse: Another gamble from Logano at Vegas secures Champ 4 berth

Las Vegas Motor Speedway left a huge mark to open the Round of 8 in the 2024 Cup Series Playoffs. Five of the eight remaining title-eligible drivers had issues in Sunday’s showdown in the high desert while Christopher Bell, William Byron and Joey Logano kept their cars clean to maximize their day and take advantage of their competitors’ struggles. See who the winners and losers were from Las Vegas before the Round of 8 shifts to Homestead-Miami Speedway.

WINNER

Even-year Joey Logano continues to be inevitable and another clutch win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway netted the No. 22 his sixth career Championship 4 ticket. Logano gambled on the final 69-lap green flag to not pit for tires and it paid off as the two-time series champion held off the hard-charging Christopher Bell by 0.662 seconds to advance to Phoenix after originally being eliminated in the Round of 12 before Alex Bowman’s disqualification.

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WHO’S HOT?

Christopher Bell. Vegas is going to be a heartbreaker for the No. 20 driver regardless of the runner-up result as it’s the 13th time Bell has won the Cup pole and failed to win the race. It’s the second Vegas playoff race in a row Bell has been the bridesmaid. However, the result is Bell’s fifth top 10 in seven playoff races this season and sits a comfortable 42 points above the elimination race heading to Homestead.

William Byron. The No. 24 continues his hot streak of finishes with his fourth consecutive top-1o result after finishing second and third (twice) in the Round of 12. A fourth-place result will do for Byron as he’s currently ranked fourth in the postseason standings, 27 points ahead of Denny Hamlin on the elimination line.

WHO’S NOT?

Tyler Reddick, Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott. After starting on the front row and winning Stage 1, Reddick was in prime position to be the first driver to punch his ticket to the Championship 4, but that was all wiped out on Lap 89 as the No. 45 driver was collected in a multicar incident early in Stage 2. Fellow playoff drivers Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney were also involved as Reddick, Elliott and Martin Truex Jr. squeezed into each other off Turn 4, catalyzing the incident. Reddick was scored with a 35th-place result. Elliott and Blaney continued in Sunday’s event, but both finished outside the top 30 and now will be in virtual must-win situations for the remainder of the Round of 8.

Kyle Larson. Opening races of each round in this year’s playoffs continue to cause nightmares for the No. 5 team as a brutal pit-stop sequence in Stage 2 put Larson multiple laps down. Larson’s pit crew had issues on the right side, causing a slow stop and was immediately followed by crew chief Cliff Daniels calling the No.5 back to pit road to look at the left side under green flag. After getting back on the lead lap, the No. 5 managed to recover and finished 11th.

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