Joey Logano just turned the entire playoff picture around with his win at Las Vegas. Although he didn’t have the fastest car on the weekend, he used his experience as a 2-time champion to navigate his way to win the race. However, this did not come to be without a little help from the stronger drivers and a little help from his teammate.

Ryan Blaney already knew his weekend was tough after he crashed during the practice session. A sudden flat tire threw him off balance, which ended up with him landing on the wall, and with an impact of 55G, he was rushed to the medical care. Luckily, he walked out of the incident without any major injuries, but the thing that bothered him the most was starting at the back of the grid in a backup car. But Blaney did not let his result bring down the team, as he ultimately became the one to push Logano’s car into victory lane. However, that was not the only reason the No. 22 driver won,, and Kevin Harvick pointed out what exactly went down in Vegas in his latest podcast episode.

Kevin Harvick’s analysis of Joey Logano’s Las Vegas Playoff victory

Joey Logano expertly optimized his fuel mileage to secure his place in the championship round. Just a week earlier, he had been briefly eliminated from the NASCAR Cup playoffs. Logano showed resilience by running the final 72 laps on a single tank of fuel. He held off pole-sitter Christopher Bell by a slim 0.662 seconds, and the race marked his 35th win of his career.

All of this happened after he was eliminated from Roval, only to get back in the game when Alex Bowman was eliminated for being under the minimum requirement for the car weight. Now that he had a second chance, Logano did not waste time booking himself a place in the finals, but according to Kevin Harvick, it wouldn’t have been possible if it hadn’t been for other drivers messing up.

In the latest episode of Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour, Harvick shared his thoughts on Joey Logano’s victory at Las Vegas, and he was genuinely intrigued by the emotions Logano had been feeling in the lead-up to the race. Harvick said, “I was just very curious as to all of his emotions and everything that he’s gone through over the last week.” He recognized that Logano had documented his journey leading up to the race, but winning with a car that wasn’t exactly the best on the track was significant.

Kevin Harvick noted, “You’ve won with a fifth-to-tenth-place car. I feel like fifth is generous—probably more like a sixth to tenth or twelfth-place car.” He explained that sometimes all it takes is putting yourself in the right position to capitalize on opportunities, especially when others make mistakes. “The moments were just circumstances happening—people shooting themselves in the foot with mistakes,” he observed, explaining how that’s been a consistent theme throughout the season.

He praised Joey Logano’s No. 22 team for their strategy, stating, “They put themselves in a position to make a charge at the end from a fuel mileage standpoint.” Looking back at the first Phoenix race, Harvick reflected that the team had learned valuable lessons and wouldn’t face the same struggles again. He pointed out that with the experience of Logano and crew chief Paul Wolfe, they were ready for the next challenge.

How did Alex Bowman’s disqualification revive Joey Logano’s chance at the title?

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Hendrick Motorsports might have gotten 3 drivers into the top 8, but the original plan was to have all in. Bowman finished the Roval 18th, but in the post-race inspection, his car was found to be 17 pounds underweight. Joey Logano finished 8th at Roval; however, the point deficit was way too high for him to make it to the next round. However, when Alex Bowman was disqualified, Logano happened to not have enough points to clear into the top 8.

With the win at Vegas, Logano has made himself comfortable by being the first driver to confirm his spot in the finals. That wouldn’t be possible if he was eliminated in the top 12, and because of Bowman’s unfortunate incident, Team Penske, who was looking weaker than the other teams in the playoffs, now has a champion fighting for the title. Ryan Blaney did not have a similar outcome though. As of now, Blaney is in a tough position, being 47 points below the cutoff.

Joey Logano is in the finals and Team Penske still have a chance to defend the title, but now the question is, will Ryan Blaney join in the top 4 to defend his title? Share your thoughts in the comments below.