Joey Logano Wins at Phoenix and Grabs the 2022 NASCAR Cup Championship

AP Photo/ Rick Scuteri

AVONDALE, AZ – RIS – Joey Logano won four times t5his year, but this last one made him the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series champion for 2022.  Logano won the pole and  the first stage while winning the season’s final race at Phoenix Raceway.  It was the second time Logano had accomplished this feat, having won first in 2018.

“I knew going into this thing that we’re going to win the championship. I told the guys we were the favorite from Daytona, and we truly believed it, and that’s the difference,” Logano said. “I had a good team with a bunch of confidence, and we had all the reason in the world to be confident. I’ve never been truly this ready for a championship race, and yeah, we did it, man. I can’t believe it."

Will Power deposited the IndyCar championship to the Team Penske trophy case in September Logano's dominating run Sunday marked the first time Penske has won both the NASCAR and IndyCar championship in the same season. 

Logano, who opened the year with a January win in an exhibition race at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in the debut of NASCAR's new Next Gen car. Less than a month later, rookie teammate Austin Cindric won the Daytona 500 on Penske's 85th birthday.

It was truly a dominating win for the driver of the No.22 Ford.  He won the pole and led five times for a total of 175 of the 312 laps. He won the first stage, finished second in the second stage, and won the race with teammate Ryan Blaney following in second place.

Logano took his final lead with 29 laps remaining and held off his Team Penske teammate Ryan Blaney for the race win and his second championship in four years. Though Logano did not have to win the race to win the championship — he only needed to finish ahead of the other Championship 4 contenders — just like with his 2018 championship, Logano was able to enjoy a double celebration.

Though he faced challenges from fellow Championship 4 drivers Christopher Bell, Ross Chastain and Chase Elliott throughout the race, as well as Team Penske stablemate Blaney, Logano managed a half-second gap over the No. 12 the final few laps to claim the victory and the championship.

“We did it!” Logano yelled to start his post-race interview. “We’re champions again! Yes! Oh my god, I’m so excited. Thank you to everybody — my team, you guys are amazing, gave me a good race car, good pit stop there at the end to get us up to the front. Boy, that was intense there at the end. It’s all about championships, that’s what it’s all about. We worked so hard the last couple of weeks trying to put ourselves in position.

“Everything that happened in 2020, I knew we just wanted to have a solid run and do this today. I can’t thank Ford and Shell/Pennzoil enough for supporting me over the last 10 years, getting us a couple of championships together, all our partners at Team Penske, everybody that works on these cars. It’s such a big deal to win these championships, impacts so many people’s lives.”

During his victory lane interview, Logano, who stated his career with JGR, Paid his respects to the Gibbs family because of the death of JGR COO Coy Gibbs, father of Xfinity driver Ty Gibbs.

“Obviously, the news this morning with Coy, too,” he said. “I don’t know what to think, but obviously my condolences go to the Gibbs family. Just the incredible day for us. Kind of mixed emotions at the moment.”

Chastain finished third, unable to close the gap after the final restart, while Bell came home 10th after a slow final pit stop dropped him back through the field.  Chase Elliott crashed with Chastain and wasn't a factor later on in the race.

Unofficial Results: 35th Annual NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race, November 6, 2022 - Phoenix Raceway
Fin, Str, Driver, Car, Laps , St1, St2, Tms Led, Laps Led, Playoff Pts, Pts, Status
1) 1, Joey Logano (P), No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, 312, 1, 2, 5, 187, 6, 40, Running
2) 2, Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Menards/Dutch Boy Ford, 312, 2, 1, 3, 109, 1, 54, Running
3) 25, Ross Chastain (P), No. 1 Worldwide Express/Advent Health Chevrolet, 312, , , , , , 34, Running
4) 3, Chase Briscoe, No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford, 312, 3, 4, 1, 11, , 48, Running
5) 7, Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Busch Light Ford, 312, 8, 5, , , , 41, Running
6) 8, William Byron, No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet, 312, 7, 7, , , , 39, Running
7) 22, Kyle Busch, No. 18 M&M's Thank You Fans! Toyota, 312, , , , , , 30, Running
8) 21, Denny Hamlin, No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota, 312, , , , , , 29, Running
9) 4, Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, 312, 4, 8, , , , 38, Running
10) 17, Christopher Bell (P), No. 20 DeWalt Toyota, 312, , 6, , , , 27, Running
11) 14, Austin Cindric #, No. 2 Discount Tire Ford, 312, 10, 10, , , , 28, Running
12) 16, AJ Allmendinger(i), No. 16 Celsius Chevrolet, 312, , , 1, 1, , 0, Running
13) 15, Austin Dillon, No. 3 Get Bioethanol Chevrolet, 312, , , , , , 24, Running
14) 30, Erik Jones, No. 43 FOCUSfactor Chevrolet, 312, , , , , , 23, Running
15) 12, Martin Truex Jr., No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota, 312, 5, 3, , , , 36, Running
16) 9, Cole Custer, No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford, 312, , , 1, 3, , 21, Running
17) 10, Daniel Hemric(i), No. 23 Monster Energy Toyota, 312, , , , , , 0, Running
18) 27, Corey LaJoie, No. 7 Schluter Systems Chevrolet, 312, , , , , , 19, Running
19) 6, Harrison Burton #, No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford, 312, , , , , , 18, Running
20) 13, Aric Almirola, No. 10 Smithfield Ford, 312, , , , , , 17, Running
21) 19, Chris Buescher, No. 17 Fastenal Ford, 312, , , , , , 16, Running
22) 23, Bubba Wallace, No. 45 McDonald's Toyota, 311, , , , , , 15, Running
23) 11, Tyler Reddick, No. 8 Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet, 311, 9, 9, , , , 18, Running
24) 28, Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Freeway Insurance/CommScope Chevrolet, 311, , , , , , 13, Running
25) 20, Michael McDowell, No. 34 Love's Travel Stops Ford, 311, , , , , , 12, Running
26) 32, Ty Dillon, No. 42 Black Rifle Coffee Company Chevrolet, 311, , , , , , 11, Running
27) 26, Justin Haley, No. 31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet, 311, , , , , , 10, Running
28) 5, Chase Elliott (P), No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, 310, 6, , , , , 9, Running
29) 31, Todd Gilliland #, No. 38 Boot Barn Ford, 309, , , , , , 8, Running
30) 34, Cody Ware, No. 51 Nurtec ODT (Rimegepant) Ford, 308, , , , , , 7, Running
31) 33, BJ McLeod(i), No. 78 Pala Casino Ford, 307, , , , , , 0, Running
32) 29, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Fry's/Nature Valley Chevrolet, 307, , , , , , 5, Running
33) 35, Garrett Smithley(i), No. 15 Jacob Companies Ford, 304, , , , , , 0, Running
34) 24, Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Chevrolet, 304, , , 1, 1, , 3, Running
35) 18, Brad Keselowski, No. 6 Kohler Generators Ford, 270, , , , , , 2, Electrical
36) 36, Landon Cassill(i), No. 77 Mutoh/General Formulations Chevrolet, 84, , , , , , 0, Accident
(i) Ineligible for driver points in this series, (#) Rookie, (P) Playoffs

Race Length: 312 Laps - 312. Miles
Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 58 Mins, 42 Secs.
Average Speed: 104.757 MPH
Margin of Victory: 0.301 Seconds

Stage 1 Top 10: 22, 12, 14, 5, 19, 9, 24, 4, 8, 2
Stage 2 Top 10: 12, 22, 19, 14, 4, 20, 24, 5, 8, 2

Comments: Joey Logano has won the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway, his 31st career victory in the NASCAR Cup Series.

Cautions: 6 for 39 laps;
Laps: 62-68 (Stage 1 Conclusion [47]);
86-90 (#47, 77 Incident Turn 2 [42]);
187-192 (Stage 2 Conclusion [48]);
194-199 (#8, 23, 34, 43 Incident Turn 4 [41]);
201-204 ( #1, 9 Incident Frontstretch [7]);
269-279 (#34, 48 Incident Backstretch [45]).

Lead Changes: 11 among 6 drivers;
J. Logano (P) 1-87;
C. Custer 88-90;
J. Logano (P) 91-158;
R. Blaney 159-187;
J. Logano (P) 188;
R. Blaney 189-251;
A. Allmendinger(i) 252;
A. Bowman 253;
R. Blaney 254-270;
J. Logano (P) 271;
C. Briscoe 272-282;
J. Logano (P) 283-312.

Unofficial Points: 35th Annual NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race - Phoenix Raceway
Rank, Driver, Car, Starts, GL, Points, Ldr, Nxt, Race Wins, Stage Wins, Playoff Pts
1) Joey Logano (P), 22, 36, 0, 5040, 0, 0, 4, 7, 26
2) Ross Chastain (P), 1, 36, 1, 5034, -6, 6, 2, 6, 21
3) Christopher Bell (P), 20, 36, -1, 5027, -13, 7, 3, 4, 18
4) Chase Elliott (P), 9, 36, 0, 5009, -31, 18, 5, 6, 46
5) Denny Hamlin, 11, 36, 0, 2379, -2661, 2630, 2, 5, 13
6) William Byron, 24, 36, 0, 2378, -2662, 1, 2, 4, 15
7) Kyle Larson, 5, 36, 0, 2354, -2686, 24, 3, 6, 20
8) Ryan Blaney, 12, 36, 0, 2354, -2686, 0, 0, 9, 15
9) Chase Briscoe, 14, 36, 1, 2292, -2748, 62, 1, 4, 9
10) Daniel Suarez, 99, 36, -1, 2272, -2768, 20, 1, 2, 7
11) Austin Dillon, 3, 36, 0, 2228, -2812, 44, 1, 0, 5
12) Austin Cindric #, 2, 36, 0, 2226, -2814, 2, 1, 1, 6
13) Kyle Busch, 18, 36, 1, 2224, -2816, 2, 1, 3, 10
14) Tyler Reddick, 8, 36, -1, 2215, -2825, 9, 3, 2, 17
15) Kevin Harvick, 4, 36, 1, 2126, -2914, 89, 2, 0, 12
16) Alex Bowman, 48, 31, -1, 2107, -2933, 19, 1, 2, 7
17) Martin Truex Jr, 19, 36, 0, 1037, -4003, 1070, 0, 7, 0
18) Erik Jones, 43, 36, 0, 831, -4209, 206, 1, 0, 5
19) Bubba Wallace, 45, 35, 0, 764, -4276, 67, 1, 2, 5
20) Aric Almirola, 10, 36, 0, 760, -4280, 4, 0, 0, 0
21) Chris Buescher, 17, 35, 0, 727, -4313, 33, 1, 0, 5
22) Justin Haley, 31, 36, 0, 699, -4341, 28, 0, 0, 0
23) Michael McDowell, 34, 36, 0, 663, -4377, 36, 0, 0, 0
24) Brad Keselowski, 6, 36, 0, 629, -4411, 34, 0, 1, 1
25) Cole Custer, 41, 36, 1, 589, -4451, 40, 0, 0, 0
26) Ricky Stenhouse Jr, 47, 36, -1, 580, -4460, 9, 0, 0, 0
27) Harrison Burton #, 21, 36, 0, 573, -4467, 7, 0, 0, 0
28) Todd Gilliland #, 38, 36, 0, 531, -4509, 42, 0, 0, 0
29) Ty Dillon, 42, 36, 0, 518, -4522, 13, 0, 0, 0
30) Kurt Busch, , 20, 0, 485, -4555, 33, 1, 2, 0
31) Corey LaJoie, 7, 36, 0, 466, -4574, 19, 0, 0, 0
32) Cody Ware, 51, 35, 0, 305, -4735, 161, 0, 0, 0
33) David Ragan, , 4, 0, 89, -4951, 216, 0, 0, 0
34) Joey Hand, , 6, 0, 64, -4976, 25, 0, 0, 0
35) Greg Biffle, , 5, 0, 24, -5016, 40, 0, 0, 0
36) Jacques Villeneuve, , 1, 0, 15, -5025, 9, 0, 0, 0
37) Mike Rockenfeller, , 2, 0, 15, -5025, 0, 0, 0, 0
38) Boris Said, , 1, 0, 11, -5029, 4, 0, 0, 0
39) Kyle Tilley, , 2, 0, 8, -5032, 3, 0, 0, 0
40) Conor Daly, , 1, 0, 3, -5037, 5, 0, 0, 0
41) Kimi Raikkonen, , 1, 0, 1, -5039, 2, 0, 0, 0
42) AJ Allmendinger(i), 16, 18, 0, 0, -5040, 1, 0, 0, 0
43) Landon Cassill(i), 77, 17, 0, 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
44) Noah Gragson(i), , 18, 0, 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
45) BJ McLeod(i), 78, 29, 0, 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
46) Daniel Hemric(i), 23, 9, 0, 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
47) Ty Gibbs(i), , 15, 0, 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
48) Josh Bilicki(i), , 16, 0, 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
49) Zane Smith(i), , 1, 0, 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
50) Austin Hill(i), , 1, 0, 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
51) Garrett Smithley(i), 15, 6, 0, 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
52) Jj Yeley(i), , 19, 0, 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
53) Kaz Grala(i), , 3, 0, 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
54) Josh Williams(i), , 3, 0, 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
55) Ryan Preece(i), , 2, 0, 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
56) John Hunter Nemechek(i), , 1, 0, 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
57) Justin Allgaier(i), , 2, 0, 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
58) Parker Kligerman(i), , 1, 0, 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
59) Loris Hezemans(i), , 5, 0, 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
60) Scott Heckert(i), , 1, 0, 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
61) Daniil Kvyat, , 3, 0, 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
62) Andy Lally(i), , 1, 0, 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
63) Timmy Hill(i), , 0, 0, 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
-Ldr/-Nxt = Points behind Leader/Next higher, (i) Ineligible for driver points in this series