Within the 10 years of the NASCAR playoff elimination format, one Cup Sequence group has seemingly cracked the code on find out how to hoist the Invoice France Cup on the finish of every season.
With Joey Logano’s third championship in 2024, Staff Penske has now gained three consecutive titles and are titleholders in 4 of the final seven seasons. Ryan Blaney was the person to knock off a possible Logano dynasty in 2023 because the No. 12 driver grabbed his first championship.
An ideal 3-0 within the Technology 7 period that’s constructed for parity, the Staff Penske group and its drivers have perfected the trail to successful a title.
Right here’s how they’ve executed so.
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2018: ‘THE BIG THREE AND ME’
The 2018 Cup Sequence season was dominated by the trio of Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. They mixed to win 20 of the 36 races that yr and have been sure for an epic three-way showdown within the championship race.
Logano was no slouch that season, however after he gained his first race of the yr at Talladega Superspeedway, the “huge three” had already gained seven of the primary 9 occasions.
With Chase Elliott successful his first profession Cup races and Kurt Busch gaining momentum getting into the postseason, it appeared as if the No. 22 driver was an outsider to make it to Homestead.
This was the primary yr Logano started the tendency to capitalize on others’ misfortunes within the postseason.
On the opening playoff race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Logano completed fourth. The primary-ever Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval occasion stuffed with dramatics? Logano completed tenth. He then went on to attain high 10s in all three races of the Spherical of 12 to maneuver him onto the Spherical of 8.
As the sphere was set to find out the Champ 4, it was clear Busch, Truex and Harvick have been locks, and the one factor to be determined was the fourth driver that may be a heavy underdog to these three.
At Martinsville Speedway, it was all the way down to Truex and Logano for the victory, and whereas Truex labored his manner across the No. 22 with out a lot contact, Logano knew he wanted to get his arms soiled to safe his berth … and that’s precisely what he did. Coming into Flip 3 on the ultimate lap, Logano put the bumper to Truex, moved him up the monitor, and Logano was forward in the beginning/end line as the 2 have been in a drag race to the checkered.
A pissed off Truex stated he wasn’t going to let Logano “win the warfare,” and the championship battle was set.
All through the 400-mile occasion at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Truex seemed to be in command to seize his second consecutive title as he had the long-run tempo Logano didn’t have. Nonetheless, a warning with 21 laps to go flipped the ball recreation as Logano had the most effective automotive on quick runs.
On the ultimate restart, Truex set sail for the lead, however Logano rapidly caught and handed Truex for the result in rating his maiden championship.
2022: SURVIVE AND ADVANCE
Logano’s second run to the championship was arguably the largest problem of his profession.
Finishes of Twenty seventh (Bristol) and 18th (Roval) in elimination races would finish a driver’s playoff run in another yr in the event that they hadn’t gained to advance … however not for Logano.
The primary yr of the Subsequent Gen automotive was stuffed with loopy moments, and Logano was in a position to take top-five finishes at Darlington Raceway and Texas Motor Speedway to open the primary two rounds and carry these by to the Spherical of 8 regardless of these being his solely high 10s within the postseason earlier than the semi-final spherical.
Of all of the tracks within the first six races of the playoffs in 2022, Talladega was the one monitor the place a number of playoff drivers didn’t end thirtieth or worse. Satirically, Logano was the worst playoff finisher at ‘Dega with a Twenty seventh-place outcome.
Logano as soon as once more turned the afterburners on within the opening Spherical of 8 race at Las Vegas. This time, outdueling Ross Chastain within the closing laps to seize the checkered flag and punch his ticket to Phoenix.
At Phoenix, it was pure Logano dominance. Main a whopping 187 of 312 laps, the No. 22 was the category of the sphere and joined Kyle Busch as the one energetic multi-time champions at NASCAR’s high degree.
2023: A NEW HOPE
A down yr for Logano meant it was time for a brand new title contender to emerge — enter Ryan Blaney.
Blaney had been the combination over time, making the Spherical of 8 3 times prior however by no means rising as a driver who may win the championship.
That every one modified as Blaney took a web page from Logano’s guide to money in alternatives to advance and ultimately seize his maiden Cup title at Phoenix.
A symbolic passing of the torch for 2023 at the least, Logano’s pitfalls at Bristol Motor Speedway within the Spherical of 16 elimination grace was a saving grace for Blaney as he and Bubba Wallace scraped into the Spherical of 12 on factors.
From there, Blaney would win in a photograph end towards William Byron at Talladega and hit a walk-off within the penultimate race at Martinsville to place himself within the Championship 4 for the primary time.
Regardless of run-ins with Chastain attempting to battle for the win within the desert, the No. 12 crew ultimately received Blaney to again off the No. 1 understanding what the last word objective was. After title hopeful Christopher Bell went out early within the race with a brake failure, it was all the way down to Blaney and two Hendrick Motorsports teammates in Kyle Larson and William Byron.
With the quickest automotive on a last 30-lap green-flag run, Blaney slipped by Larson with 20 laps to go to complete the best of the Champ 4 and win his first title.
2024: PERFECTION, PERSONIFIED
Six race wins for Larson, a Common-Season Champion in Tyler Reddick and a driver on the verge of his third consecutive Championship 4 in Christopher Bell.
2024 was formed to be the yr one of many above three was going to interrupt Penske’s streak at Phoenix.
Nonetheless, if anybody was going to drag off an underdog run to the championship, it was going to be Logano in an excellent yr.
After initially being eradicated on the Roval, Logano was given second life as a result of Alex Bowman’s DQ and the writing was on the wall for Logano’s path to a 3rd title.
Logano and Staff Penske’s playoff experience got here to full fruition this season and the numbers shouldn’t shock anybody as to how Logano rose to the highest as soon as once more.
Reddick was the most effective within the first 26 races of the season. His common end on this yr’s playoffs? 18.5.
Larson snagged two playoff wins in elimination races however in all three opening-round races, on-track errors value the No. 5 workforce factors and victories. Guessed who took benefit of Larson’s errors at Vegas to win their manner again to the Champ 4? Joey Logano.
From Reddick occurring his roof, Larson’s pit-road errors to Elliott crashing, Logano would stretch his gas tank to the restrict within the last green-flag run to carry off the dominant automotive of the day in Bell to advance to his sixth Championship 4.
As Logano and Reddick gained their manner into Phoenix, Bell and Larson have been in dire conditions getting into Martinsville. Larson had an honest automotive however wanted a victory to maneuver on whereas Bell had his worst race of the playoffs and was eradicated after being penalized for a security violation on the ultimate lap, permitting for Byron to seize the ultimate spot whereas Blaney outdueled each Larson and Elliott to safe his second Champ 4, eliminating the Hendrick duo.
One of the best two vehicles at Phoenix have been the teammate tandem of Blaney and Logano and regardless of a technique gamble from Byron forward of the ultimate restart, it was no match to carry off both of the Penske duo as Logano surged from fifth to first on the restart whereas Blaney chipped away to maneuver into second.
Logano and Blaney scored a 1-2 end to cement Logano’s third title and to kick off a Staff Penske dynasty within the championship race.
Within the final three seasons, Penske has gained essentially the most playoff races of any group, doubling Joe Gibbs Racing (4) and beating out Hendrick Motorsports (seven).
The playoffs reward successful and that’s precisely what Staff Penske does to achieve of the height of the Cup Sequence yr after yr.
