Joey Logano Wins at Kansas, Chase Favorites Falter

Originally written for CLNS Radio.

Joey Logano clinched a spot in the Eliminator Round of the Chase following his victory at Kansas Speedway on Sunday.

Photo courtesy Jared Tilton/Getty Images

Logano had to hold off rookie Kyle Larson, who is still looking for his first victory of the season.  Logano said both cars were extremely fast, and that the race was won on the final restart.

“I felt like whoever was up front was going to win the race there,” Logano said.  “I was able to get a good start to get the lead and get in front of him to take his air away.”

Logano is the first Chase driver to punch his ticket to the Eliminator Round of the Chase, which means he will not have to worry about making the next round of the Chase at Talladega in two weeks.  Logano said he was relieved to not have to worry about it.

“We have a real shot to win this championship, and I feel like we’re one of the teams to beat.”

While Logano was busy celebrating his spot in the Eliminator Round, a few Championship favorites were left worrying about their Chase hopes.  

Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Brad Keselowski all had problems throughout the race; Johnson was spun by Greg Biffle early in the race and he hit the inside wall, while Earnhardt and Keselowski hit the wall after cutting down right-front tires.  

All three drivers are now on the outside looking in as the Cup Series heads to Charlotte Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway, with Jeff Gordon, another favorite, sitting on the bubble, just eight points away from elimination.

Unofficial results:

1. Joey Logano

2. Kyle Larson

3. Kyle Busch

4. Martin Truex Jr.

5. Carl Edwards

6. Ryan Newman

7. Denny Hamlin

8. Austin Dillon

9. Paul Menard

10. Brian Vickers

11. AJ Allmendinger

12. Kevin Harvick

13. Matt Kenseth

14. Jeff Gordon

15. Greg Biffle

16. Danica Patrick

17. Tony Stewart

18. Clint Bowyer

19. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

20. Marcos Ambrose

21. Landon Cassill

22. Kasey Kahne

23. Cole Whitt

24. Michael Annett

25. Jamie McMurray

26. Reed Sorenson

27. David Ragan

28. Casey Mears

29. J.J. Yeley

30. David Gilliland

31. Aric Almirola

32. Alex Bowman

33. Timmy Hill

34. Mike Wallace

35. Michael McDowell

36. Brad Keselowski

37. Joey Gase

38. Josh Wise

39. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

40. Jimmie Johnson

41. Justin Allgaier

42. Kurt Busch

43. Mike Bliss

Next week, the Sprint Cup Series heads to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the only night race of the Chase.  The Bank of America 500 can be seen Saturday at 7:30 p.m. EST on ABC.

Photo courtesy Robert Laberge/Getty Images