Cup Series Winners & Losers @ Las Vegas

By Tom Luttermoser    Image: 

Winners

Joey Logano - Joey Logano scored the most stage points (18) plus the 40 points for finishing first leaving him just 2 points shy of max points. But here's the thing, Who cares?? He's going to the Championship 4 at Phoenix! Scoring his 3rd win of the season, Joey Logano and Penske are showing strength at the perfect time. You cant get any more "winner" than that.

Kyle Busch - After a spin early in the race from P.6 and then losing a front wheel. Kyle Busch could not have had a more up and down day. The 18 team persevered to finish P.3 scoring 2 Top-5s in a row, the first two Top-5s in the second half of the season. Given one last restart with how strong that 18 looked, he likely could have scored a second win of the season.

TrackHouse Racing - Daniel Suarez and Ross Chastain led a combined 99 laps and scored 23 combined stage points in Sunday's South Point 400. The TrackHouse drivers sported some sweet Nashville based nightlife sponsor schemes and they looked great running 1 - 2 for majority of the early going of the race. Despite Suarez spinning late, the duo showed the rest of the field that TH Racing is here to stay, even being 3 laps short of a Championship 4 appearance. 

Noah Gragson - Noah continues to impress in the 48 car as a sub for Bowman. He scored his first career Top-10 at Talladega and then runs in the Top-10 again throughout the Vegas race leading up to a very respectable 11th place finish. He even landed himself as the highest finishing Hendrick driver when it was all said and done. Noah is a wheelman and is showing what he can do in great equipment. 

Image: Larry Placido

Losers

Bubba Wallace - This one needs no explanation if you watched the days event. Bubba was run high into the wall by Kyle Larson leaving him no room after just getting tight. However I do understand his frustration, Wallace's next moves should IMO result in a suspension. Intentionally wrecking the 5 followed by; ignoring AMR safety crews, walking down a "Hot" racetrack, repeatedly shoving Larson, again ignoring AMR and walking to the infield care center before lightly pushing a NASCAR Official. All unacceptable. Expect LARGE penalties in the next couple days. 

Chase Elliott - The 9 team just had a crap weekend, they unloaded bad... Horrible in practice (19), horrible qualifying effort (20) and the team was never able to overcome running in the 20s for majority of the race, Chase came into this race 46 above the cutline and leaves just 17 above. Even after wholesale changes, they could just never find what was needed. Elliott's Playoff points are the only thing keeping him in the green. Now, to Homestead. 

Christopher Bell - Bell came into this race in the 4th seed with some great momentum. Fate had other plans for the JGR 20 team as corporate teammate Wallace and the 5 of Larson tangled early in the race catching Bell in the quarter panel as nothing more than a mere bystander taking him out of the race early in Stage 2. He is now 26 points behind the cut line, thank god for some stage points in Stage 1.