Joey Logano wins 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Championship; top moments
The 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs came to a close Sunday with Joey Logano topping Christopher Bell, Chase Elliott and Ross Chastain in the highly anticipated NASCAR Cup Series Championship.
Logano was the first of four drivers to clinch a spot in the Championship 4, winning the first race of the Round of 8 at Las Vegas, and he was the last one standing after dominating the field in Sunday's 312-mile race — the 10th and final race of a 10-week stretch of lively competition.
Sunday's victory marks Logano's fourth win of the season and his second NASCAR Cup Series championship.
Here are the top moments from Phoenix Raceway:
Green!
Logano opened a half-second lead on Ryan Blaney in the first six laps, while Chastain was quickly moving up through the field.
Opening stage
Blaney continued to challenge Logano for the lead as the opening stage came to a close, but he wasn't able to overcome him completely.
Logano used the No. 1 pit stall to his advantage to keep the lead off pit road and claim the Stage 1 win.
Heating up
The green flag was back out at Lap 69. Logano led the inside line and extended his lead, while Bell and Chastain gained spots on pit road to move up into the top 10.
Elsewhere, Kyle Larson and Chase Briscoe battled for second.
Trouble on the backstretch!
In the second stage, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. collided with Landon Cassill, who finished fourth in Saturday's Xfinity race, to bring out the second caution of the race.
Lead change
Cole Custer became the new race leader after staying out under that caution. Erik Jones moved into the second spot on two tires, wile Logano became the first car on four fresh tires after a quick stop.
Follow the leader
The green flag returned at Lap 91, and Logano and his new tires wasted no time regaining the lead.
Meanwhile, Elliott collided with Bell as three of the Championship 4 drivers were racing three-wide for eighth. After the commotion, it was Chastain who prevailed, as Bell was sent sideways in Turn 4.
Neck and neck
Blaney and Logano continued to race each other hard as the second stage unfolded. Blaney got into Logano's rear bumper multiple times Sunday but was never able to pass him until …
… late in Stage 2, when Blaney finally overtook his Team Penske teammate.
Stage 2 in the books
Elliott, who had driven past Blaney for the lead, came up big in the second stage, especially after Blaney's car stumbled on the final lap of the second stage. However, Blaney was able to regroup and go on to win Stage 2.
No quit
Blaney also won the race off pit road, but Elliott was able to make a big move and gain six spots since he didn't need to wait to load up on fuel like the rest of the field.
Crash on the front straightaway!
The green flag was back out for the stretch run at Lap 193, but it was short-lived.
Tyler Reddick and Michael McDowell went around in the final stage while Elliott and Logano were racing side-by-side for the top Championship 4 spot. That brought out a quick caution after the restart.
Another one!
The green flag was back out at Lap 200, but once again, it didn't stay out for long. This time, Elliott got turned around and hit the inside wall hard, drawing another caution.
He appeared to have serious suspension issues and a possible broken toe link.
Picking up the pieces
Elliott made it back out on track after his team got his steering back under control, but he lost a lap in the process. Just like that, the green flag was back out again with 108 laps to go.
Back on track
Blaney continued to lead over Briscoe, while Logano got up to third. Chastain and Bell were racing fifth and sixth, respectively. Elsewhere, Elliott was running 30th.
Home stretch
In the final stage, Brad Keselowski added another lap to this caution, but things were green with 33 laps to go. Logano was running third, Chastain was seventh and Bell had dropped all the way back to 15th overall.
Things got heated toward the end, but Logano kept his composure and jetted to the front of the field.
Sealing the deal
Logano built a 1.5-second advantage over Blaney, who was focusing on passing Briscoe.
He held onto the lead until the end and claimed his second career NASCAR Cup Series title!
