Joey Logano has been on the wrong end of some thrilling finishes this season.
The No. 22 car won his only points race of the season at Nashville in late June, and he should have won another before Austin Dillon wrecked Logano and Denny Hamlin to win the Cook Out 400.
On Sunday, the two-time NASCAR champion was finally the recipient of some good fortune on the track – by way of a falling Walmart sign that set up a thrilling finish in the Quaker State 400.
Late caution helps Logano steal victory at Atlanta
Typically, cautions are reserved for crashes or other significant damage to the course itself. That was the case for nearly all of the cautions in Sunday’s race.
But with less than 10 laps to go, the yellow flag came out after a Walmart sign fell directly onto the track.
At that point, Daniel Suarez – who won the first race at Atlanta back in February – was leading the race, and Logano had yet to lead the field around the track.
But the ensuing restart gave the longtime NASCAR driver the opportunity he needed to force his way to the front of the pack two laps later.
Even with another caution just before the final lap, Logano survived that and another pile-up around the final turn to win the first race of the NASCAR postseason.
Logano advances to Round of 12
Without the assist from Walmart, Logano could be staring at his second straight exit in the Round of 16.
Only the top 12 drivers in playoff points advance after the first three races of the postseason, and Logano entered the weekend just two points above the cut line. A win secures a spot in the next round and gives drivers much-needed playoff points to advance even further.
Logano would have had more security if not for Dillon spinning him out at Richmond, but he finally got that long-awaited second win at a track where he grew up racing.
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Now, the No. 22 is guaranteed safe passage to the second round of the playoffs and can drive stress-free in the next two races in the Round of 12.
Logano could even give himself a leg up to advance further in the postseason and capture his third Cup Series championship. He’s won before at Watkins Glen (2015) and has two career wins at Bristol (2014, 2015), so expect an aggressive approach from the former champion over the next two weeks.