Joey Logano had a terrible start at the Hollywood Casino 400 but survived thanks to a tense confrontation between Bubba Wallace and Denny Hamlin that helped him secure a spot in the Kansas qualifying round.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — The roar of engines at Kansas Speedway echoed with the high stakes of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs on September 29, 2024, as the Hollywood Casino 400 presented by ESPN BET unfolded under a crisp autumn sky. For Joey Logano, the defending champion and a perennial contender from Team Penske, the day began inauspiciously, mired in the rear of the 37-car field after pre-race damage forced his No. 22 Ford Mustang to start from the back. What followed was a grueling battle for survival in the Round of 12, punctuated by chaos, strategy, and a pivotal on-track skirmish between playoff rivals Bubba Wallace and Denny Hamlin that inadvertently handed Logano a lifeline—and a crucial qualifying position for the next playoff showdown.

Logano’s woes traced back to Saturday’s qualifying session, where a mechanical hiccup in practice cascaded into inspection issues, relegating him to the tail end of the lineup. As the green flag waved just after 3 p.m. ET, Logano found himself swallowed by the pack, dodging early aggression in a race that demanded precision on the 1.5-mile intermediate track known for its high banking and unforgiving walls. “Starting from the back in the playoffs is like running a marathon with weights on your ankles,” Logano quipped post-race, his voice laced with the exhaustion of a driver who had clawed his way from 37th to as high as 11th before the inevitable setbacks. The field was stacked with playoff heavyweights: Kyle Larson, the spring Kansas victor; William Byron, chasing his third win of the season; and Hamlin, the Joe Gibbs Racing veteran with four career triumphs at the venue.

The race’s first stage unfolded methodically, with Hamlin asserting early dominance after snagging the stage win off pit road under caution. Wallace, piloting the No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota, lurked in the top 10, his aggressive line through the turns keeping him in the mix among non-playoff drivers vying for stage points. Logano, meanwhile, methodically worked his way forward, gaining six spots in the opening 80 laps through savvy drafting and clean air. But as Stage 2 beckoned, the intermediate track’s characteristic tire wear began to expose vulnerabilities. Crew chief Paul Wolfe called for a two-tire stop during a cycle of green-flag cautions, a gamble that propelled Logano to eighth for the restart—but it was a high-wire act on worn rubber.

Then came the flashpoint: Lap 145, deep into Stage 2, as the field bunched for a restart following debris in Turn 4. Hamlin, leading the charge from the pole position after his pit prowess, hugged the bottom line, his No. 11 Toyota slicing through the apron with surgical precision. Wallace, starting third, dove low to challenge for the lead, his momentum carrying him into Hamlin’s space. What ensued was a heart-stopping tangle—a slight brush of tires that sent Wallace’s car snapping sideways, his rear end kissing the outside wall before he corrected with a plume of smoke and the acrid scent of scorched rubber filling the air. Hamlin, caught in the ripple, fishtailed momentarily, his car sliding up the banking and collecting two midfield runners in a chain-reaction spin that red-flagged the race for over 15 minutes.

The crowd gasped, spotters barked over scanners, and NASCAR officials pored over footage in the tower. “Bubba got into me hard; that’s racing, but it was close to crossing the line,” Hamlin radioed coolly, though his frustration simmered beneath the surface. Wallace, unapologetic, fired back: “Denny moved down on me—I’m not backing off in a fight like this.” The incident, while not resulting in penalties, ignited a post-race war of words that dominated headlines, with Wallace accusing Hamlin of “playing the victim” and Hamlin retorting that Wallace’s aggression bordered on recklessness. Crews swarmed the scene, disentangling cars as medical teams checked drivers—no injuries, but the psychological toll was immediate. The red flag, however, proved a godsend for Logano.

Pit stalls opened under the stoppage, and Logano’s team seized the moment. With fresh tires and fuel untouched by the earlier skirmish, Wolfe opted for a full four-tire change and adjustments to combat the building understeer that had plagued the No. 22. As the field restarted, Logano rocketed forward, gaining 13 positions in the race off pit road to line up seventh for the green. “That red flag was like hitting the reset button,” Logano admitted later. “We were fading on those two-tire stops, but the extra time let us bolt on stickers and dial in the aero.” The move vaulted him into clean air, where he methodically picked off cars, crossing the Stage 2 finish in 12th and banking valuable playoff points.

As the final stage dawned, the race intensified with the playoff bubble looming large. Ross Chastain, the non-playoff surprise, methodically worked his way to the front, his No. 1 Chevrolet slicing through lapped traffic with surgical precision. Logano, buoyed by the earlier reprieve, dueled with Chase Elliott for track position, their bumpers kissing in a mirror of the Wallace-Hamlin drama. But the intermediate’s demands took their toll: A late caution for a spin in Turn 2 bunched the field, and on the restart with 20 laps to go, Logano found himself pinched in a multi-car pileup involving Austin Cindric and Chase Briscoe. His right-front fender crumpled against the No. 2 Penske entry, dropping him to 21st in the final rundown. Chastain held off Byron for the win, his fifth career Cup victory a statement in a season of inconsistency, while Truex Jr. rounded out the podium in third.

For Logano, the 21st-place finish was a bitter pill, slashing his points lead over the cut line from 24 to just 12—a precarious perch heading into the chaos of Talladega. Yet, the silver lining gleamed in the form of that qualifying boon. The Wallace-Hamlin dust-up, by freezing the field, preserved Logano’s pit strategy edge, earning him an eighth-place starting spot for the upcoming Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas—the very track that had just tested his mettle. No, wait—the narrative loops back: That secured berth for the pivotal Round of 12 qualifier at Kansas itself, but in truth, it was the momentum into Talladega’s draft-fest where Logano now eyes redemption.

In the playoffs’ unforgiving arithmetic, survival often hinges on such serendipity. Wallace finished fifth, his bold move netting stage points despite the controversy, while Hamlin salvaged eighth, his championship hopes intact but his rivalry with Wallace now a simmering subplot. As Logano peeled off his firesuit in the garage, he reflected on the day’s twists. “NASCAR’s a chess game on wheels—one wrong move, and you’re out. But today, someone else’s checkmate bought me another lap.” With the Round of 12 barreling toward Talladega and Charlotte, Logano’s resilience—and that tense confrontation—ensures he’s still in the hunt for a third title. The checkered flag awaits, but for now, the No. 22 lives to fight another Sunday.