As the chaos between Truex and Hamlin unfolded on the final lap, Joey Logano snuck through to claim the runner-up position as the caution and checkered flags flew, coming up one spot short of the win that he needed to make the playoff field.
Logano’s win in the spring race at Richmond was encumbered, and as such, did not count towards his playoff eligibility.
He said before the race that finishing second would be “considered a failure” and stood by that assessment after climbing from his car.
“There were times in the race that I thought if something happened to the 78 (Truex), we maybe could win this thing,” Logano admitted. “Of all the things that happened, actually something did happen to him, but we just weren’t close enough to the lead to capitalize. We knew that second wasn’t going to be worth anything and we finished second.”
“I’m proud of the effort we gave all weekend. Homestead came a little early for us this year, because that pressure you have racing for a championship started here at Richmond for us because our season was on the line. We just came up one spot short. It might be the end of our championship run, but it’s not the end of the season. We’ll get this Shell/Pennzoil team going again and try to win the last 10 races.”
Ryan Newman notched an impressive third-place run, his fourth consecutive finish of seventh or better, ahead of Kurt Busch and Denny Hamlin.
Jones got back up to speed and finished sixth, with Daniel Suarez, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch and Chase Elliott rounding out the top 10.
With no new winner in the final race of the regular season, Elliott, Jamie McMurray and Matt Kenseth solidified their positions on the 16-driver playoff grid by being the three drivers to qualify on points.
However, Kenseth’s place in the playoffs was put into question by a bizarre incident coming onto pit road at lap 258, when the frontrunners had to check up for an ambulance that was parked on the inside of the entrance to pit road and Kenseth slammed into the back of Clint Bowyer’s car.
The impact damaged the radiator on Kenseth’s No. 20 Toyota and knocked him out of the race, relegating him to 38th in the 39-driver field, but he remains with a chance to fight for his second title.
“We were all just coming to pit road and then I saw an ambulance sitting there,” Kenseth said. “I looked left at the ambulance about the same time that (spotter Jason) Hedlesky yelled that everybody was stopping because the ambulance was sitting there. It was just an accordion effect and I just couldn’t get stopped. I’m not sure why pit road was even open with that ambulance parked there, but everyone stopped and I didn’t see it in time and ran into the car in front of me.”
“Luckily, we still have a shot to fight for the championship. It’s not how we wanted to get in, obviously, but we’ve got a shot and now we’ve got 10 races to go and make something of it.”
Full race results can be viewed on the next page…
