Logano’s recent victory at the Vegas Speedway came as a shocker for many. After all, who had thought that even after getting eliminated after the Roval, a penalty and DQ for Alex Bowman would lead to his entry and a golden ticket to Championship 4? Further, the strategy Joey Logano adopted in the South Point 400 also raised quite a few eyebrows as to how it could outpace the ultimate speed king on track, Christopher Bell.

NASCAR insiders reveal technical details about how the No. 20 and No. 22 cars performed on tracks. While it seemed that Bell dominated the tracks for the most part, it was a stellar move by Logano that sealed the deal!

Did Joey Logano just win with a fuel-saving strategy?

At the Las Vegas Speedway, Christopher Bell’s No. 20 car dominated most of the race, leading 155 of the 267 laps. However, Joey Logano’s No. 22 car triumphed, leading just the final six laps and securing a victory by 0.662 seconds—leaving fans in disbelief.

Despite Bell’s strong performance, it was Logano’s smart fuel strategy, devised by him and crew chief Paul Wolfe, that proved decisive. Bell’s pit stop during Stage 3, 35 laps after Logano’s, should have given him a shot at closing the gap, but he got stuck in lap traffic, which disrupted his momentum due to dirty air. This tactical breakdown was further explored by NASCAR insiders, the crew chiefs Luke Lambert and Travis Peterson, who analyzed how Logano’s strategic timing and fuel management secured his win.

On that specific lap, he lost 0.4 seconds, followed by 0.2 seconds and 0.10 seconds on the next laps, ultimately preventing him from making up significant ground. This is exactly what worked for Joey Logano as Lambert and Peterson mentioned, “The No. 20 had to lift big and give up 0.4 on the specific lap. Then, as you look forward, he has to get past him all the way down the next straightaway to pass him clearly through 3 and 4 and then he gets three guys in front of him again and that kind of stuff is what makes coming back through the track risky. Because you have to pick these guys off without losing any time. He finished 0.6 behind the leader. Every 0.2 lap, every 0.10 lap adds up and this ends with what we saw.”

Reacting to his victory, Logano also mentioned, “Great fuel mileage, great calls by Paul, Nick Hensley, our gas man, making sure she’s full, giving me the info to keep the lead that we needed to. We’re going racing again. What an incredible situation, man. I’m so blessed.”

NASCAR’s popular insider accords ‘Dark Horse’ title to Logano

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Logano’s almost elimination from the playoffs until securing a confirmed spot at the top 4 even before Martinsville is nothing less than a fairytale. He has always been that one driver who will surprise you just when you think there is not much left for him to offer.

Mamba Smith, in an episode of the Happy Hour podcast, posed a question for FOX Sports journalist Bob Pockrass, where he wanted to know who is the ‘dark horse’ in this season, according to Pockrass. This is when the popular insider without any inhibitions accorded Logano the title.

He said, “I would say it’s Logano because, you know, he—I mean, he was out, right? And now he got in. And, I mean, he’s a two-time champ, so he knows how to—he’s used to these pressure situations.” The answer seems to be a clear fit, as Joey Logano is the only driver to win both the 2018 and 2022 championships without making it to the victory for a single race until the Top 8.

Logano’s moves have always made it evident that he is never really out of the race until the checkered flag waves. Will he be able to show the same resilience at the Phoenix Speedway and mark his third championship win?