Joey Logano snags a NASCAR Cup Series victory in a record five overtimes at Nashville Superspeedway on Sunday in the Ally 400.
LEBANON, Tenn. – It took a record five overtime restarts to settle Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway. But two-time series champion Joey Logano finally emerged as the race winner, securing his first win of the season and a bid into the 2024 Playoffs in dramatic fashion.
Joey Logano Snags a NASCAR Cup Series Victory in a Record Five Overtimes at Nashville
With race leaders falling out of contention with each late-race restart – 31 extra laps and 15 total cautions on the day – Logano and his Team Penske team gambled that his No. 22 Ford Mustang had enough fuel for a final push to the checkered flag. Logano’s Mustang turned an incredible 110 laps extending the limits of his last pit stop for fuel.
The reward was the trip to Victory Lane Sunday – the first for Ford at the 1.333-mile Nashville track – and a coveted ticket to the Playoffs for Logano and the team.
The Ally 400 Results
Logano finished 0.068 seconds ahead of Spire Motorsports rookie Zane Smith. It was the best career showing for the former NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series champion. 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick was third, followed by Stewart-Haas Racing’s Ryan Preece and RFK Racing’s Chris Buescher.
The 34-year-old Logano said he wasn’t sure how much fuel was left or if he would make it to the checkered, “I know into [turn] three, my fuel light came on and it stumbled across the line, so that was definitely all of it.
’We’ve got to give a lot of credit to Roush Yates, not only building horsepower but building fuel milage – that’s what won today,’’ said Logano, who still had enough fuel to do a brief victory burnout in front of the sold-out Nashville crowd that stayed to the epic end, despite a one hour, 21-minute red flag for rain only 136 laps into the 331-lap race.
“So proud of this team. It’s been a stressful few weeks trying to get in the Playoffs so being able to win here is huge for our season. Felt great to get that. It feels good for our team.
“So much pressure. Trying to make the Playoffs is not easy these days in these Next Gen cars and everyone is so evenly matched,’’ he added. “I made a lot of mistakes, even some tonight and it’s nice to be able to overcome. .. This is a much-needed win for sure.’’
The No. 22 Ford Mustang Crosses the Finish Line on Fumes
His crew chief Paul Wolfe confirmed Logano’s Mustang did run out of gas.
“We just got to the point. .. we’ve gotten this far, let’s just stick with it,’’ Wolfe said of the team staying out instead of pitting for fuel. “Fortunately it was enough, but he did run out on the last lap.’’
Pole-sitter Denny Hamlin versus Defending Nashville Winner, Ross Chastain
Even before all the extra laps, the race’s scheduled ending featured an amazing duel between pole-winner Denny Hamlin and the 2023 Nashville winner Ross Chastain. Hamlin was racing for what would have been a series-best fourth victory, and Chastain was racing for his first win of the season. For 30 laps they battled in front of the field with Hamlin cutting into Chastain’s lead before finally overtaking him with seven laps remaining in the originally scheduled 300-lap race.
But just as Hamlin and Chastain were seemingly settling the trophy, Logano’s teammate Austin Cindric spun out with four laps remaining, forcing the first overtime.
Hamlin and Chastain restarted next to one another in the first overtime. Chastain was hit from behind by Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson. Larson’s No. 5 Chevrolet splitter hit the apron and unintentionally moved into Chastain’s car. The accident eliminated Chastain leaving Hamlin to hold off the field in two subsequent overtimes. Then, Hamlin found himself pitting for fuel – a decision the team struggled to make, but ultimately were forced to do.
Joey Logano versus Chase Briscoe versus Zane Smith
That left Logano and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Chase Briscoe on the front row for the fourth overtime restart. Smith had moved into second place around Briscoe when the final caution came out for SHR’s Josh Berry.
Only one (Reddick) of the top-11 cars lined up for the fifth overtime restart had won a race this season. A highly motivated Logano got a stellar jump on the field at the drop of the flag and successfully kept the challengers behind with other incidents happening as the checkered flag flew.
Zane Smith is Frustrated with Second Place After Doing His Best
“The winning side of me is pissed with the second place, especially after hearing the 22 [Logano] was going to run out for the past ten laps, I don’t know how many restarts,’’ Smith said of his runner-up showing.
“But no, I wouldn’t have done anything different. I felt like I chose the right lane and it’s crazy how much different these cars drive with cleaner air. Just proud of our strategy there.’’
Logano’s Team Penske teammate and reigning series champ Blaney finished sixth, followed by 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace, Larson, Kaulig Racing’s Daniel Hemric, and SHR’s Noah Gragson.
There were nine race leaders and 20 lead changes on the day.
Christopher Bell’s Stellar Day Turns Sour
For much of the early day, last week’s winner Christopher Bell looked like he was positioned to earn the first back-to-back victories of his career. But pit strategy put Bell’s No. 20 JGR Toyota the farthest back in the field. He spun out alone in the second turn, racing in 15th place on the restart with 74 laps remaining.
Bell swept the opening two stage wins to lead the series with nine stage victories and was out front a race-best 131 of the first 229 laps. At that point, it was more than twice as many laps as any other driver in the field.
‘Just put myself in a bad spot, lost my cool, got back in traffic with all those yellow flags, and put myself in a really bad spot going into [turn] one,’’ Bell said.
The NASCAR Cup Series Point Standings
Larson’s eighth-place showing was good enough to keep the NASCAR Cup Series championship lead by 20 points over his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott, who was among those who had an incident on the race’s final lap. Hamlin is 43 points back with eight races remaining to decide the regular season champion.
Next Up
The NASCAR Cup Series returns to the Chicago Street Course for the Grant Park 165 next Sunday at 4:30 p.m. ET. Coverage is available on NBC, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. New Zealander Shane van Gisbergen is the defending race winner – claiming the trophy in his first-ever series start.