{"id":60933,"date":"2026-09-19T23:52:59","date_gmt":"2026-09-20T04:52:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=60933"},"modified":"2026-09-20T12:19:16","modified_gmt":"2026-09-20T17:19:16","slug":"joey-logano-steals-a-win-in-an-old-school-brawl-at-bristol","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/19\/joey-logano-steals-a-win-in-an-old-school-brawl-at-bristol\/","title":{"rendered":"Joey Logano steals a win in an old-school brawl at Bristol \u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
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BRISTOL, TENNESSEE – SEPTEMBER 19: Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 19, 2026 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Chris Graythen\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service<\/em><\/p>\n

BRISTOL, Tenn.\u2014When Ty Gibbs finally ran out of magic, Joey Logano took full advantage.<\/p>\n

\"\"

BRISTOL, TENNESSEE – SEPTEMBER 19: Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, celebrates with a burnout after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 19, 2026 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

Thanks to a dramatic pass through a gaggle of traffic on Lap 494 of 500, Logano stole a victory in Saturday\u2019s Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway and moved close to the lead in the NASCAR Cup Series Chase Presented by Mobil 1.<\/p>\n

As Logano celebrated on the frontstretch, his Team Penske teammate, Ryan Blaney, traded punches with Carson Hocevar on pit road. Moments after taking second place from the Spire Motorsports driver, Blaney wrecked off Hocevar\u2019s front bumper on Lap 458, leading to an aggressive confrontation after the race.<\/p>\n

The victory was Logano\u2019s third at the 0.533-mile concrete track, his third of the season and the 40th of his career, tying him with NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin for 20th all-time.<\/p>\n

\"\"

BRISTOL, TENNESSEE – SEPTEMBER 19: Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, poses with the the gladiator sword in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 19, 2026 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Chris Graythen\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

The three-time Cup Series champion climbed four positions to third in the Chase standings, 16 points behind race runner-up Kyle Larson, who took over the series lead by one point over top-seeded Denny Hamlin, Saturday night\u2019s eighth-place finisher.<\/p>\n

As Hocevar and Gibbs raced side-by-side for the lead after the final restart\u2014with Larson immediately behind Hocevar in the top lane\u2014Logano rolled the bottom past the trio of cars and moved up the track with the lead. As Gibbs faded to fifth, Larson moved into second place.<\/p>\n

After climbing from his No. 22 Ford on the frontstretch, Logano was greeted with a chorus of boos by the same partisans who had waved yellow M&M\u2019s hand towels honoring Busch (distributed by the track) when Gibbs was out front.<\/p>\n

\"\"

BRISTOL, TENNESSEE – SEPTEMBER 19: Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, and Austin Cindric, driver of the #2 Menards\/Richmond Ford, race during the NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 19, 2026 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI’ve got a great team,\u201d said Logano, who led twice for 93 laps. \u201cWe’ve got a team that knows how to win championships. I thought there for a minute, I was like, \u2018OK, I might just finish third or fourth here tonight,\u2019 but (we) kind of worked our way up, and I was like, \u2018Well, Merry Christmas to me. I got a gift there.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is nothing like the Bristol Night Race, man. This is just the coolest experience as a race car driver, being in front of all you fans down here, hearing everyone screaming, cheering, sometimes booing. That’s all right. It’s pretty awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n

In arguably the fastest car, Gibbs ran an exceptional race in a Toyota featuring a throwback M&M\u2019s point scheme honoring the late Kyle Busch. Gibbs led 120 laps and appeared victory-bound until he succumbed to relentless pressure from Hocevar (who finished third) and Logano, who came from fourth on the final restart to win the race.<\/p>\n

\"\"

BRISTOL, TENNESSEE – SEPTEMBER 19: Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, and Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, lead the field on a pace lap prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 19, 2026 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Chris Graythen\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

Ostensibly channeling some of Busch\u2019s prowess and good fortune at a track where the driver nicknamed \u201cRowdy\u201d won eight Cup races, Gibbs survived a three-wide accident at the start\/finish line immediately after passing Hocevar for the lead on Lap 432.<\/p>\n

Busch tried to split the middle between the cars of Alex Bowman and Cole Custer, but Bowman moved up the track, sandwiching Gibbs\u2019 Toyota between the two cars. Miraculously, despite contact from both sides\u2014enough to put Bowman out of the race\u2014Gibbs was able to continue and maintain the speed he showed before the wreck.<\/p>\n

\"\"

BRISTOL, TENNESSEE – SEPTEMBER 19: Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, leads the field to the green flag to start the NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 19, 2026 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cIt was an honor to drive the M&M’s Camry and it was something I’ll never forget,\u201d Gibbs said. \u201cThat was such a fun race. Unfortunate that we lost it. I just tried to stay up a little bit too long in (Turns) 1 and 2 that shut the 77 (Hocevar) off, and then the 5 (Larson) got in there, and we just missed it a little bit.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I had a blast tonight, and it was so much fun. We’ll just keep working hard and keep getting better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Blaney led a race-high 202 laps and regained track position after a commitment line penalty caused by an inopportune caution on Laps 397 near the end of a cycle of green-flag pit stops.<\/p>\n

\"\"

BRISTOL, TENNESSEE – SEPTEMBER 19: Carson Hocevar, driver of the #77 Zeigler Auto Group Chevrolet, (L) and Ryan Blaney, driver of the #12 WABASH Ford, get into an altercation after the NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 19, 2026 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Chris Graythen\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

After passing Hocevar for the second on Lap 457, he moved down the track to block Hocevar\u2019s line. Hocevar didn\u2019t lift and knocked Blaney into the outside wall in Turn 1. Blaney\u2019s Ford was damaged too extensively to continue, and he exited race in 33rd place, dropping three positions to sixth in the Chase standings, 52 points out of the lead.<\/p>\n

On pit road after the race, Blaney approached Hocevar aggressively with a hand to Hocevar\u2019s shoulder. The Spire driver landed two punches in return. After the second blow, Blaney lost his balance and fell backwards. He got to his feet and landed a left hand to Hocevar\u2019s face before officials and crew members pulled them apart.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just felt like he didn\u2019t lift,\u201d Blaney said of the wreck. \u201cI left him plenty of room for a lap before that. I didn\u2019t chop him. I didn\u2019t run him into the fence or nothing like I easily could have. I protected the bottom, and he just decided he wanted to be there and didn\u2019t lift and wrecked me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"

BRISTOL, TENNESSEE – SEPTEMBER 19: Carson Hocevar, driver of the #77 Zeigler Auto Group Chevrolet, (L) and Ryan Blaney, driver of the #12 WABASH Ford, get into an altercation after the NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 19, 2026 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Chris Graythen\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

Hocevar seemed all but nonchalant after the fight.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere wasn’t a whole lot of talking,\u201d he said. \u201cHe just kind of said one thing and then went after me, and I wasn’t going to take it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, that was fun with the 54 (Gibbs). I got ran into a lot for the win. I mean, that was for second and he wants to come fight\u2026 They got an old-school Bristol show here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Christopher Bell finished an unassuming and non-controversial fourth on Saturday and leaves Thunder Valley fourth in the standings, 17 points behind Larson, the only driver to have scored top fives (fifth, first and second) in all three Chase races so far.<\/p>\n

\"\"

BRISTOL, TENNESSEE – SEPTEMBER 19: Carson Hocevar, driver of the #77 Zeigler Auto Group Chevrolet, (L) and Ryan Blaney, driver of the #12 WABASH Ford, get into an altercation after the NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 19, 2026 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Chris Graythen\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cYeah, I mean, it’s good,\u201d Larson said. \u201cIt’s good. But there’s still so much racing left. Just got to keep having good, consistent days. It’s three top fives to open the Chase and looks like leading the points now by just a point.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut we’re going to some good tracks for us but also good tracks for the Toyotas\u2014Vegas and Kansas, Charlotte. It could easily change a lot here in the upcoming weeks. But we’ve just got to be ready for anything and keep plugging away.\u201d<\/p>\n

Josh Berry finished sixth, the only non-Chase driver in the top 11. Bubba Wallace, Hamlin, William Byron and Ryan Preece completed the top 10.<\/p>\n

Kansas Speedway is next on the Chase schedule with the Sept. 27 Hollywood Casino 400 (3 p.m. ET on USA Network, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).<\/p>\n

Interviews:<\/h3>\n

NCS Race Winner Joey Logano (No. 22 Team Penske Ford) –<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

NCS Race Winning Crew Chief Paul Wolfe –<\/p>\nhttp:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/NCSBMSCrewChiefPaulWolfe091926.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ric Flair, WWE Hall of Famer –<\/p>\nhttp:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/NCSBMSRicFlair091926.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

 <\/p>\n

Brian Kelley – Pre-Race Performer –<\/p>\nhttp:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/NCSBMSPre-RacePerformerBrianKelley091926.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

 <\/p>\n

Michael McDowell (No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet) & K9S FOR WARRIORS –<\/p>\nhttp:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/NCSBMSMichaelMcDowellK9SForWarriors091926.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

 <\/p>\n

AJ Allmendinger (No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet) & Michael Stivala, President & CEO of Suburban Propane –<\/p>\nhttp:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/NCSBMSAJAllmendingerMichaelStivala091926.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

 <\/p>\n

Honorary Pace Car Driver – Josef Newgarden –<\/p>\nhttp:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/NCSBMSHonoraryPaceCarDriverJosefNewgarden091926.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

 <\/p>\n

NASCAR Cup Series Race – Bass Pro Shops Night Race<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bristol Motor Speedway<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bristol, Tennessee<\/strong><\/p>\n

Saturday, September 19, 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

                1. (2)  Joey Logano (C), Ford, 500.<\/p>\n

                2. (1)  Kyle Larson (C), Chevrolet, 500.<\/p>\n

                3. (5)  Carson Hocevar (C), Chevrolet, 500.<\/p>\n

                4. (12)  Christopher Bell (C), Toyota, 500.<\/p>\n

                5. (13)  Ty Gibbs (C), Toyota, 500.<\/p>\n

                6. (32)  Josh Berry, Ford, 500.<\/p>\n

                7. (10)  Bubba Wallace (C), Toyota, 500.<\/p>\n

                8. (3)  Denny Hamlin (C), Toyota, 500.<\/p>\n

                9. (4)  William Byron (C), Chevrolet, 500.<\/p>\n

                10. (16)  Ryan Preece (C), Ford, 500.<\/p>\n

                11. (8)  Austin Cindric (C), Ford, 500.<\/p>\n

                12. (7)  Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 500.<\/p>\n

                13. (23)  Chris Buescher (C), Ford, 499.<\/p>\n

                14. (28)  Daniel Suarez (C), Chevrolet, 498.<\/p>\n

                15. (11)  Brad Keselowski, Ford, 498.<\/p>\n

                16. (36)  Noah Gragson, Ford, 498.<\/p>\n

                17. (9)  Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 498.<\/p>\n

                18. (20)  Tyler Reddick (C), Toyota, 497.<\/p>\n

                19. (24)  Todd Gilliland, Ford, 497.<\/p>\n

                20. (22)  Shane Van Gisbergen, Chevrolet, 497.<\/p>\n

                21. (21)  Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 497.<\/p>\n

                22. (18)  AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 497.<\/p>\n

                23. (27)  Chase Elliott (C), Chevrolet, 497.<\/p>\n

                24. (15)  Connor Zilisch #, Chevrolet, 496.<\/p>\n

                25. (19)  John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota, 495.<\/p>\n

                26. (17)  Cole Custer, Chevrolet, 495.<\/p>\n

                27. (26)  Chase Briscoe (C), Toyota, Suspension, 494.<\/p>\n

                28. (35)  Zane Smith, Ford, 494.<\/p>\n

                29. (25)  Austin Hill(i), Chevrolet, 494.<\/p>\n

                30. (31)  Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, 490.<\/p>\n

                31. (30)  Cody Ware, Chevrolet, 489.<\/p>\n

                32. (14)  Erik Jones, Toyota, 483.<\/p>\n

                33. (29)  Ryan Blaney (C), Ford, Accident, 457.<\/p>\n

                34. (34)  Riley Herbst, Toyota, Suspension, 432.<\/p>\n

                35. (6)  Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, Accident, 428.<\/p>\n

                36. (33)  Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 402.<\/p>\n

                37. (37)  Josh Bilicki(i), Ford, Suspension, 338.<\/p>\n

Average Speed of Race Winner:  87.697 mph.<\/p>\n

Time of Race:  3 Hrs, 2 Mins, 20 Secs. Margin of Victory:  1.248 Seconds.<\/p>\n

Caution Flags:  10 for 78 laps.<\/p>\n

Lead Changes:  13 among 6 drivers.<\/p>\n

Lap Leaders:   K. Larson (C) 0;K. Larson (C) 1-44;J. Logano (C) 45-130;K. Larson (C) 131;R. Blaney (C) 132-254;C. Bell (C) 255;R. Blaney (C) 256-324;T. Gibbs (C) 325-386;R. Blaney (C) 387-396;C. Hocevar (C) 397-430;T. Gibbs (C) 431;C. Hocevar (C) 432-434;T. Gibbs (C) 435-491;C. Hocevar (C) 492-493;J. Logano (C) 494-500.<\/p>\n

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  Ryan Blaney (C) 3 times for 202 laps; Ty Gibbs (C) 3 times for 120 laps; Joey Logano (C) 2 times for 93 laps; Kyle Larson (C) 2 times for 45 laps; Carson Hocevar (C) 3 times for 39 laps; Christopher Bell (C) 1 time for 1 lap.<\/p>\n

Stage #1 Top Ten: 22,5,11,1,54,12,2,77,6,23<\/p>\n

Stage #2 Top Ten: 12,54,22,21,20,23,77,24,5,17<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service BRISTOL, Tenn.\u2014When Ty Gibbs finally ran out of magic, Joey Logano took full advantage. Thanks to a dramatic pass through a gaggle of traffic on Lap 494 of 500, Logano stole a victory in Saturday\u2019s Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway and moved close to the lead […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":676,"featured_media":60948,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[11],"tags":[177,154,16],"class_list":["post-60933","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nascar","tag-bristol-motor-speedway","tag-joey-logano","tag-nascar"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-fQN","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/GettyImages-2296158682-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1708&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60933","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/676"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60933"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60933\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":60966,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60933\/revisions\/60966"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/60948"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60933"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60933"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60933"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}