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NASCAR has a new points leader after Las Vegas, and it’s not Joey Logano

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NASCAR has a new points leader after Las Vegas, and it's not Joey Logano

As a dedicated NASCAR enthusiast with over three decades of fervent following under my belt, I must say that this year’s playoffs have been nothing short of thrilling! The rollercoaster ride we’ve experienced with Kyle Larson has been a nail-biting spectacle. Despite his consistent lead in the points, it seems like Lady Luck has other plans for him this season.

Kyle Larson from Hendrick Motorsports has been the top-ranked driver at the start of every playoff round during the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series, primarily due to the point resets that take place before each round and his leading position in playoff points for this season.

Despite underwhelming performances in the first matches of the round of 16, round of 12, and now the quarterfinals, the driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet has surrendered the points lead on every occasion.

Larson finished in an underwhelming 11th place and scored just a single stage point in Sunday afternoon’s 267-lap South Point 400 around the four-turn, 1.5-mile (2.414-kilometer) Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but his lead over the Championship 4 cut line actually grew from 33 points to 35 points.

However, a 20-point lead in the standings has become a seven-point deficit.

Christopher Bell from Joe Gibbs Racing, who finished second recently, now takes the lead in the points standings as we approach this weekend’s race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Interestingly, he was the winner at this same track last year, making him the unique driver to qualify for the Championship 4 races in both 2022 and 2023. He currently enjoys a 42-point advantage over the qualifying line.

Joey Logano from Team Penske, starting as the eighth among the eight title hopefuls for Sunday’s race, managed to conserve fuel and maintain a swift speed, ultimately securing the victory and earning his place in the Championship 4. He triumphed over Bell by an extremely narrow margin of 0.662 seconds.

With his victory, Logano climbed up to fourth position in the season rankings. However, he has effectively assumed a dominant role in the playoffs, as he has already qualified for the climactic showdown at Phoenix Raceway, where the ultimate champion will be determined.

In this final round, the points for the top four Championship drivers don’t matter anymore; they all begin with 5,000 points each, regardless of their playoff point accumulations. Moreover, none of them can earn stage points during this event. Essentially, the driver who finishes highest among the four in the season finale will be crowned as the champion.

In simpler terms, the playoff qualification point is held by the third to fifth place drivers in points, as William Byron from Hendrick Motorsports, who is technically in the fourth position, holds a 27-point lead over Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing. This means that Byron, with his current standings, would be the last driver above the cut line for the playoffs.

The Homestead-Miami Speedway will be hosting the Straight Talk Wireless 400, the middle race of the round of 8, this coming Sunday, October 27th. Live broadcasting of the event will begin at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC. Why not sign up for a free trial with FuboTV and catch all the action live?

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2024-10-21 16:02

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