NASCAR: Joey Logano wins wild Bristol night race as late-race chaos erupts
BRISTOL, Tenn. — Joey Logano emerged from a chaotic Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway with his 40th career NASCAR Cup Series victory, but his dramatic win was nearly overshadowed by a post-race brawl between Ryan Blaney and Carson Hocevar.
Logano charged through traffic in the closing laps of the Bass Pro Shops Night Race, passing Hocevar and Ty Gibbs during a frantic battle for the lead before pulling away to win the 500-lap, 266.5-mile race. The victory was Logano’s third of the 2026 season and his third at Bristol.
The Team Penske driver led 93 laps and won by 1.248 seconds over Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson. Hocevar finished third, followed by Christopher Bell and Gibbs.
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A gift in the closing laps
For much of the night, the race appeared to belong to Gibbs. Driving a No. 54 Toyota carrying a special paint scheme honoring the late Kyle Busch, Gibbs led 120 laps and battled Hocevar repeatedly for the top position. Hocevar and Gibbs exchanged the lead four times during the final 100 laps.
The decisive sequence came after a restart with nine laps remaining.
Gibbs and Hocevar battled side-by-side for the lead while Larson followed closely behind. Logano, who had moved into the picture after starting the final run farther back, found an opening on the lower line and drove past the leaders. He took the lead on Lap 494 and held it for the final seven laps.
“I thought there for a minute, I was like, ‘OK, I might just finish third or fourth here tonight,'” Logano said after the race. “Well, Merry Christmas to me. I got a gift there.”
The win moved Logano to 40 career Cup victories, tying NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin for 20th on the all-time list. It also made Logano the winningest driver in Team Penske history. Logano climbed four positions in the Chase standings and now sits third, 16 points behind Larson.
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Larson leaves Bristol on top
While Logano celebrated, Larson quietly made one of the night’s most important championship moves. Larson finished second after edging Hocevar in a remarkably close battle for the position. That result gave Larson enough points to move ahead of Denny Hamlin by one point in the Chase standings.
Larson entered Bristol trailing Hamlin but has now become the third different driver to hold the points lead during the 2026 season.
The defending Cup champion has also been remarkably consistent during the opening three races of the Chase, recording a fifth-place finish at Darlington, a victory at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway and Saturday night’s runner-up finish at Bristol.
With seven Chase races remaining, Larson leads Hamlin by one point. Logano is third, while Bell sits fourth, 17 points behind Larson.
The 2026 championship is being decided under NASCAR’s revived Chase format, with cumulative points determining the champion over the 10-race postseason rather than the elimination-style playoff system NASCAR used from 2014 through 2025.
That format has made every stage point and finishing position particularly important.
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Blaney’s dominant night ends in frustration
Ryan Blaney appeared to have one of the strongest cars in the field.
Starting 29th after qualifying was canceled because of rain, the Team Penske driver worked his way through the field and eventually led a race-high 202 laps. But his night unraveled with 41 laps remaining. Blaney later said Hocevar had failed to lift and had caused the crash.
After Blaney passed Hocevar for second, he moved toward the bottom of the track to protect his position. Hocevar stayed in the accelerator and made contact with Blaney’s Ford, sending it into the outside wall.
Blaney’s damaged No. 12 Ford could not continue. He finished 33rd and fell to sixth in the Chase standings, 52 points behind Larson.
Hocevar offered a different interpretation, saying he had crossed Blaney over and believed Blaney moved down into his line. The disagreement didn’t end with the checkered flag.
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Bristol rivalry spills onto pit road
After the race, Blaney approached Hocevar on pit road. The confrontation quickly became physical.
According to NASCAR’s account, Blaney put a hand on Hocevar and pushed him. Hocevar responded with two punches, the second sending Blaney backward. Blaney then returned with a left hand before officials and crew members separated the drivers.
Hocevar, who finished third, later described the incident as part of the old-school atmosphere associated with Bristol.
“There wasn’t a whole lot of talking,” Hocevar said. “He just kind of said one thing and then went after me, and I wasn’t going to take it.”
The altercation quickly became one of the defining images of the night, despite Logano having just captured one of the most significant victories of his season.
Even Logano acknowledged that the fight could dominate the conversation surrounding the race.
“I’m sure I’ll see it all week long,” Logano said with a laugh. “They’ll probably forget who won the race.”
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A special night for Kyle Busch’s legacy
The Bristol race also carried an emotional element as NASCAR continued to honor Kyle Busch, the two-time Cup Series champion who died earlier this year.
Gibbs’ No. 54 Toyota featured a special M&M’s-themed paint scheme paying tribute to Busch, who was particularly successful at Bristol. Busch won eight Cup races at the track during his career.
Fans waved yellow towels on Lap 18 in recognition of Busch’s famous No. 18 Toyota. His widow, Samantha Busch, also addressed the crowd before the race.
Gibbs ultimately fell from contention for the win but still finished fifth after leading 120 laps.
“It was an honor to drive the M&M’s Camry and it was something I’ll never forget,” Gibbs said.
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The Chase moves to Kansas
The NASCAR Cup Series now heads to Kansas Speedway for the Hollywood Casino 400 on Sunday, Sept. 27. The Kansas race begins a stretch of three consecutive Chase races on 1.5-mile oval tracks, followed by Las Vegas and Charlotte.
After the wild events at Bristol, Larson carries a one-point lead over Hamlin into Kansas, with Logano only 16 points behind the new championship leader.
The Bristol race demonstrated just how quickly the Chase standings can change—and how a driver can go from dominating the race to watching his championship position take a major hit in a matter of laps.
For Logano, however, the night belonged to him. He took advantage of an opening that appeared almost out of nowhere, captured his 40th career Cup victory and strengthened his position in the championship fight.
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Even if the Bristol brawl ultimately becomes the race’s most replayed moment, the checkered flag still belongs to Joey Logano.
For more on the late-night chaos at Bristol, see the video below.
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(Sources: Sources: ESPN, AP News, Beyond The Flag)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today
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