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Steve Letarte reveals crucial turning point of Phoenix championship race

Brian Jones Profile Picby: Brian Jones11/18/24brianjones_93

Steve Letarte just revealed when he knew that Joey Logano was going to win the NASCAR Phoenix championship race. While appearing on the Actions Detrimental podcast, Letarte detailed the turning point of the race that led to Logano winning the third Cup Series title in his career.

“It was over in my mind with 15 (laps) to go, and it was over the 12 [Ryan Blaney] to win it,” the NBC Sports NASCAR commentator said. There was no chance. If you go back and look at lap times, something happened. I don’t know what it is, and I want to ask Logano himself because he was running like flats and Blaney’s running 70s, all day 80s.

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“All of a sudden the 22 [Logano] runs like a 75, a 77 and a 81, and it was like nine of 10 to go. Those three laps were the championship. If those three laps don’t happen, Blaney gets there earlier. It was crazy.”

The interesting thing is Logano and Blaney are the last two NASCAR Cup Series champions. Logano won it all in 2022 and Blaney became a champion for the first time last year. Both are also members of Team Penske, so it was a really good day for the team and its owner Roger Penske.

More on the NASCAR Phoenix championship race

“It’s all about the people. When you look at our team and you look at the domain knowledge, we have a big chart as you walk in the shop, and over half our people have been there 10 years,” Roger Penske told reporters after the race last Sunday. “I think that continuity has been terrific.

“Then the sponsors we’ve had have stayed with us because of the success. Then you take Joey and you take Ryan, and also Austin [Cindric], we’ve got a great team. I remember when Blaney came in with his dad, I think he was 18 years old and he was this skinny little kid, and look at him today. He put on a great show.”

Penske added: “I can’t thank everybody enough. Ford has been behind us from the very beginning. To think that the Shell car won here and won the Indy 500 is a pretty good one, too, so maybe we can get a renewal.”