In the winner-take-all finale at Phoenix Raceway, JoeyLogano won his second NASCAR title. 0: 17
Penske was perfect in Arizona.
It has been close to a perfect season for Roger Penske, from the Daytona 500 to the NASCAR Cup title.
The winner of Sunday's winner-take-all finale at Phoenix Raceway went on to win the NASCAR title, giving Penske the Cup and Indy titles in the same season for the first time.
Penske said it was about time. For us to have two titles in the same year is what we're here for. Every year, we set a goal of that. We got it this year, but I think we have been close before.
It was the fourth win of the season for the driver who opened the year with a win in an exhibition race at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Austin Cindric won the Daytona 500 less than a month later.
Team Penske had a banner year, with Will Power winning the INDYCAR title in September and JoeyLogano winning the NASCAR race on Sunday.
I knew we would win the title. The difference is that I told the guys we were the favorites from Daytona and they believed it. We had all the reason in the world to be confident, and that's what I had. We did it, and I've never been this prepared for a race. I don't think it's true.
His wife and 4-year-old son, Hudson, the oldest of his three children, traveled to Phoenix to meet him after the win. The man ran up the bank to get the checkered flag.
His son waved the flag and held his father's hand. Hudson had been promised the title.
Over the last few weeks, we've had a lot of conversations. I couldn't be a liar to my son because I said Daddy was going to get a pole and we were going to win the race.
Hudson was driving the No. 22 Ford to the Championship Stage.
I wanted to do that with him. "He's a little car guy."
One of the drivers in the championship four is married to a child and the oldest is 32 years old. The Next Gen equaled the competition this season and the Cup Series celebrated 19 different winners.
This would be his season even though there was no parity.
The first and the last race are important. It's a really special year for us with our third baby and 22 in '22, I told you so!
It is the third Cup championship for Penske, who won with Brad Keselowski in 2012 and with JoeyLogano in 2018? Kyle Busch was the only active driver with more than one Cup title.
On Sunday, when he won the pole and led 186 of the 312 laps, he was not the highest running title contender for only one lap. The last Ford driver to win two Cup titles was David Pearson.
It is the second Cup championship for crew chief Paul Wolfe, who won with Keselowski in 2012 and admitted to texting Childers for strategy advice during the race.
I was texting him and asking what he was thinking. Would you do something? Wolfe made a statement. The other crew chiefs might think differently. It's nice to have a different view. You can trust the guys in the garage, but you can't trust the guys outside. I think we have a good relationship.
Christopher Bell was 10th in his debut in the championship race. The son of a Hall of Fame team owner has died in his sleep.
Bell said that if you wake up this morning and you're racing for a championship, you're happy, and then your world crashes down. It puts it in perspective that there's more to this than just racing.
Chase was out of contention after his car hit the wall in the final stage. Two consecutive Cup titles were snapped by it.
We ended our day disappointed and ended our chance at a victory. It was just disappointing.
NASCAR's most popular driver won a career-high five races this year but lost his shot at a second championship when he cut across the front of the field. After the contact sent him spinning into the wall, he dropped to 30th and went on to finish 28th.
"I think it was just hard racing and I had a good position," he said. I was already there when he turned left to cover it. I don't want to race them that way.
After the win, the man who started his career with the team gave his regards to the family.
"I'm not sure what to think, but my sympathies go to the Gibbs family," he said. It was just an incredible day for us.
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