Joey Logano was eliminated from the 2024 NASCAR playoffs and not set to make the Round of 8 for Team Penske.
However, Alex Bowman’s surprise disqualification as a result of being underweight in Charlotte saw him lifted back inside the top eight.
He seized the opportunity with both hands by taking a bold strategy risk which paid off – handing him a massive win in the South Point 400.
The American driver now has an opportunity to become the first three-time champion in the history of the modern Cup Series.
Team Penske were not the ‘fastest’ in Las Vegas
Logano, who is now fourth in the Cup Series standings has thrust himself back into true contention following his win.
It feels like the most unlikely of turnarounds for a man whose season looked all but finished last weekend.
Speaking to Motorsport.com after the race, he revealed that he doesn’t think that he had the fastest car in Vegas.
“Everybody does a good job feeding me the info I needed. You have to go the right pace to make sure you get in front of the No. 99 [Suarez] but not get to where the No. 20 [Bell] was going to catch me.
“Just an incredible day. It takes the whole team to do the fuel mileage stuff. It’s not just the engineer, or the driver, or the spotter — it takes all of us together to do it. Total team win.
“We may not have been the fastest car today, but we were a solid top-five car and were able to maximize it at the end.”
How Logano can still triumph in the championship race
Judging that Kyle Larson managed to lose 27 points to his nearest championship rival in Vegas, it means that it’s entirely possible that Logano could lead the way after the next race in Miami.
Logano trails new standings leader Christopher Bell by 25 points, so a chaotic race could make a big difference again.
He now has the second-most victories of any driver so far this season, showing that he has the capability to steal an unlikely trophy.
READ MORE: Joey Logano shares ‘proud’ Roval 400 moment after advancing to NASCAR’s Round of 8
It would be historic if a driver that was eliminated from playoff contention for minutes after a race, managed to turn things around and win it all.
It would be even better considering that he’s the lone car from his team left, and has no backup from any championship contending teammates.