Avondale, AZ., November 10, 2024 – Ford continued its NASCAR dominance by winning a third straight NASCAR Cup Series championship after Joey Logano outlasted Penske teammate Ryan Blaney to take the final race of the 2024 season Sunday afternoon at Phoenix Raceway.
For Logano, it marked his third career championship and second in the last two years. He is the first driver to win three titles with Ford and the 10th in NASCAR history, joining Tony Stewart, Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip, David Pearson, Lee Petty, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty.
“I love the playoffs. What a race and what a Team Penske battle there at the end,” said Logano, who won his previous championships in 2018 and 2022. “I had a good restart and was able to get in front of the 12. He had a lot of long run speed there and that was all I had to hold him off. We have three of them. That’s really special.”
Logano, who qualified second, won the first stage and led two times for 107 laps overall, but it was the move he made on a late-race restart with 54 laps to go that proved to be the defining moment. After pitting for fuel and tires, Logano found himself sixth in line for the restart and behind championship contenders William Byron and Blaney. But when the green flag dropped, Logano immediately found the lane he needed and passed all five cars that were in front of him in the span of one lap.
He gained the lead with 53 circuits to go and then held on as Blaney, who was looking to repeat his title from a year ago, slowly gained ground only to run out of laps. Logano’s margin of victory was 0.330 seconds and resulted in the first one-two championship finish for team owner Roger Penske.
“The restart was everything. Getting a good start and getting cleared quickly,” said Logano. “The 12 got mired back there a little bit. I knew he was the fastest car and I knew that when we came here. I said, ‘I’ve got to outsmart him and outrace him’ because I know he’s got speed and the 22 team did that. They showed up under pressure.”
This continues a streak that has seen Ford win at least two NASCAR series championships in each of the last three years. Overall, the manufacturer has won eight of the last 10 titles in NASCAR’s top three series combined dating back to Logano’s Cup championship in 2022. Ty Majeski won the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series title on Friday night, which extended Ford’s title streak to five before it was broken one night later.
“We love winning the championship. I honestly don’t look at the history too much. I just look at the one that’s in front of us and the next one that’s coming up after that,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports. “This just keeps building the momentum for our program. We feel like we’ve been working really hard for a really long time to build it, and it’s certainly starting to pay off with the investment in the people and the tools and the partners.”
The championship is the 12th for Ford in NASCAR’s top series and fourth in the last seven years. Logano and Blaney have combined for all of those titles with Logano winning three times and Blaney once.
FORD’S NASCAR CUP SERIES CHAMPIONS:
➤ 1965 – Ned Jarrett
➤ 1968 – David Pearson
➤ 1969 – David Pearson
➤ 1988 – Bill Elliott
➤ 1992 – Alan Kulwicki
➤ 1999 – Dale Jarrett
➤ 2003 – Matt Kenseth
➤ 2004 – Kurt Busch
➤ 2018 – Joey Logano
➤ 2022 – Joey Logano
➤ 2023 – Ryan Blaney
➤ 2024 – Joey Logano
About Ford Motor Company:
Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan, committed to helping build a better world, where every person is free to move and pursue their dreams. The company’s Ford+ plan for growth and value creation combines existing strengths, new capabilities and always-on relationships with customers to enrich experiences for customers and deepen their loyalty. Ford develops and delivers innovative, must-have Ford trucks, sport utility vehicles, commercial vans and cars and Lincoln luxury vehicles, along with connected services.
The company does that through three customer-centered business segments: Ford Blue, engineering iconic gas-powered and hybrid vehicles; Ford Model e, inventing breakthrough electric vehicles along with embedded software that defines exceptional digital experiences for all customers; and Ford Pro, helping commercial customers transform and expand their businesses with vehicles and services tailored to their needs.
Additionally, Ford provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. Ford employs about 175,000 people worldwide.
More information about the company and its products and services is available at corporate.ford.com.
About Ford Performance
Ford Performance is based in Dearborn, Mich. It is responsible for Ford’s performance vehicle development and major racing operations globally, including NASCAR, IMSA, SRO British GT, FIA World Rally Championship, Supercars Championship, World of Outlaws, Ultra4, SCORE-International, FIA Rally-Raid, Formula Drift, NHRA, Rebelle Rally, Thailand Super Series and our latest commitment in Formula 1 with RedBull Ford Powertrains. Ford Performance also maintains a constantly evolving fleet of electric performance demonstrators to showcase the limits of electrification technology. In addition, the organization also oversees the development of Ford’s racing engines, as well as the outreach programs with all Ford Clubs and Ford enthusiasts. For more information regarding Ford racing’s activities, please visit Performance.Ford.com or follow @FordPerformance on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Twitter, TikTok and YouTube.
Source: Campbell Marketing & Communications for Ford Performance
