Bob Pockrass

FOX NASCAR Insider

Joey Logano already has made a little bit of history as the underdog story in the current NASCAR playoff system.

Having finished 15th in the regular-season point standings, he is the driver lowest in regular-season points to make the Championship 4 since the start of the stage-point era in 2017.

That he hasn’t had the greatest of years has led to some criticism on whether he truly is a Championship 4 driver.

And just imagine the reaction if Logano wins the Cup title after being 15th in regular-season points and then initially not even making the semifinal round until Alex Bowman’s disqualification from Charlotte resurrected Logano’s championship hopes.

The stats don’t lie:

–Logano has six top-5s this year; no other driver in this round has fewer than nine, and Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson have 13 this year.

–Logano has 11 top-10s; no other driver in this round has fewer than 15, and Bell leads all with 21.

–Logano ranks eighth in miles led and ninth in laps led this year. Logano has led 3.54 percent of the laps, while three drivers have led more than 10 percent — Larson (18.64 percent), Bell (11.53 percent) and Denny Hamlin (10.64 percent).

But Logano does have three wins. Only one driver has more this year — Larson with six. Now one can look at Logano’s victories — a five-overtime fuel-mileage strategy win at Nashville, a drafting-track win at Atlanta and then the fuel-mileage strategy win at Las Vegas that has vaulted him into the championship fight in a couple weeks at Phoenix — and say they didn’t come from dominating performances.

Wins are wins. That is what drivers and teams try to do every week. Logano has three of them, and just for that reason alone, that should be enough to say he has had a season that doesn’t devalue championship status. 

Logano noted last week how in the Next Gen era, dominant seasons are unlikely. He said he and his son were going through a pre-Next Gen season yearbook, and it dawned on Logano how different the series has been since 2022.

“He started reading the finishing order and the top 10 was almost the same every weekend [pre-Next Gen],” Logano said. “It was the same top-10 drivers and now you look at the top 10 and it’s different every week.  There are people in and out of that thing.  It’s not like you’re clicking off 20-something top 10s.

“There’s 10 cars doing that throughout the year.  It doesn’t happen anymore.  The game has changed.  This car has completely changed everything that we used to know about NASCAR and I just go with it because it’s just the craziest things we do now.  You look at the way we race on the track, the tracks that we go to — you name it and it can happen.”

Logano making the Championship 4 has happened. And as much as some might want to say this Logano has not performed to a championship level, his season has, in many ways, been impressive.

There was a reason that Logano entered the year with some doubting whether he would make the playoffs (this writer being one of them). The new Ford body was unproven and there was speculation maybe not as much of an improvement.

There was a reason that Logano entered the playoffs with some dismissing him with a first-round exit (this writer being one of them). Logano was fourth among the Ford drivers in the regular season. He had not run up front enough to show they would have enough opportunities to score points needed.

But now his two playoff victories have him at three wins, more than any other Ford driver this year. The only other Ford driver with more than one win is his Penske teammate Ryan Blaney, who has two.

Winning a championship in the current system is about a driver and team executing and performing to the best of their ability. Logano and his team have done that and possibly have been the best of that throughout the playoffs.

While other teams have suffered misfortunes on pit road or gotten collected in accidents, Logano has avoided those misfortunes except at Talladega, where most of the field was involved in an accident.

If he performs well at Phoenix to win the title, it would show another Herculean performance. He started 23rd at Phoenix in the spring and struggled before getting into an accident. The signs are there that a big gain is possible — at New Hampshire, a somewhat similar 1-mile track, in the summer, Logano qualified sixth and was top-three in each of the stages before an accident on a restart ruined his day.

Logano won’t enter the championship race as the favorite and more-than-likely IS viewed as the least-likely champion.

But if he does prevail, assuming he does it by winning or running near the front at Phoenix, he’ll be a champion deserving of praise and respect for a major accomplishment.

He wouldn’t have had the best season, but he has had a season where he made the most of the opportunities and improved to a point in the playoffs where he could be a factor. He’s shown grit and determination and performed when it mattered the most — the necessary ingredients for a champion.

Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.

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ARSENAL continued their unbeaten run in the Champions League with a 1-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk – but it was far from a convincing performance.

Gabriel Martinelli orchestrated the decisive goal when his low-driven strike hit the post and deflected in off the back of goalkeeper Dmytro Riznyk.

Here’s how SunSport’s Tony Robertson rated the Gunners…

DAVID RAYA – 7

Seldom asked to do much aside from recycle the ball to Gabriel or Saliba until the final stages

Pushed a potentially dangerous cross out of danger in the 84th minute. Pulled out a magnificent low save in injury time before claiming a dangerous cross to keep his clean sheet.

BEN WHITE – 6

Back in at right-back today and played as if he had never been out of the team. 

Received a yellow card in the 34th minute. Subbed at half-time for Mikel Merino.

WILLIAM SALIBA – 7

In the team after his red card against Bournemouth, played like his typically assured self marshalling the defence.

One or two sloppy passes late in the second half but otherwise can have no complaints with another solid performance.

GABRIEL MAGALHAES – 5

Sloppily gave the ball away to hand the visitors a dangerous chance out of nothing. Had another lapse just after the opener but in the end he was bailed out by Calafiori.

Marked improvement in the second half.

RICCARDO CALAFIORI – 6

Skied a golden chance over the bar after six minutes. Tested the goalkeeper again after 24 minutes.

Dragged his foot and went down injured after skipping under a tackle in the 67th minute. Replaced by Myles Lewis-Skelly in 71st minute.

THOMAS PARTEY – 6

Comfortable evening in midfield for him. Recycled the ball well when at his feet and kept play ticking over.

Moved to right back as White was hooked but didn’t have too many worries. When he was caught out of position Rice was able to cover.

DECLAN RICE – 6

Like Partey, he had a quiet night in midfield with Shakhtar unable to retain meaningful possession.

Moved into the six as White was hooked and Partey moved to right-back. Cut out a dangerous low cross at the edge of the area. 

LEANDRO TROSSARD – 4

Nothing quite went right for him all night with some sloppy touches ending attacks and putting Arsenal in trouble.

Summed up his night by missing a 77th minute penalty and was hooked in the 88th minute.

GABRIEL JESUS – 8

Wore the captain’s armband and looked bright down the right wing.

Denied a well-deserved goal by the feet of the keeper in the 43rd minute after Havertz played him in.

Second half saw more good link play, but never had another chance to end his goal drought as he was replaced by Sterling in the 68th minute.

GABRIEL MARTINELLI – 7

Grew into the game following a quiet start and was rewarded with a goal, of sorts, after 30 minutes.

Brazilian cut inside from the left wing before firing a shot to the near post before the shot rebounded off the woodwork and hit the goalkeeper Dmytro Riznyk to go in the net. 

KAI HAVERTZ – 7

Centimeters away from getting Arsenal’s second in the 39th minute after Jesus squared a volley back across goal.

Returned the favour to set up his team-mate moments later only for the goalkeeper to prevent a goal.

Won a free-kick at the very end of the game to run the clock down.

SUBS

Mikel Merino (on for White HT) – 6

Some nice touches and stitched play together well. A solid yet unspectacular performance.

Raheem Sterling (on for Jesus 68 mins) – 6

Tried to play on the shoulder of the last man but did not have the pace find the clear cut chance he would have liked.

Myles Lewis-Skelly (on for Calafiori 71 mins) – 6

Slotted in at left-back and was not afraid to show for the ball but often did not receive it while tucking infield.

Jorginho (on for Trossard 88 mins) – N/A

ABU DHABI – Robert Whittaker vows to match Khamzat Chimaev’s pace at UFC 308.

Whittaker (27-7 MMA, 17-5 UFC) will look to hand Chimaev (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) his first-career loss in Saturday’s co-main event at Etihad Arena (pay-per-view, ESPN+). This will mark Chimaev’s first five-round fight, whereas former UFC middleweight champion Whittaker has competed in numerous five rounders. Chimaev doesn’t plan on changing his approach, and Whittaker is ready for it.

“I am expecting him to come out hard and aggressive from the first second to the last,” Whittaker told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s UFC 308 media day. “And I have prepared accordingly for that. I’ve prepared for the hardest fight of my life, to start extremely hard, like sprinting for the first 5 to 10 minutes, but also drag it out the five (rounds). I’m ready to sprint for 25 minutes if so, and I’m coming for war.”

Chimaev said Whittaker knows how to lose, but he doesn’t. While that statement might be true, Whittaker takes that as motivation.

“Experience,” Whittaker answered on what makes him different from Chimaev’s prior opponents. “I’m good at what I do. I’m a different fighter than he’s fought before, and I guess maybe the fact that I know how to lose, it gives me strength, it gives me a reason why I don’t like being there, why I don’t want that to be my reality. It sucks, so I’m going to go out there and give him a taste of it.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.

Esteban Ocon questioned Alpine’s call to pit him late in the United States Grand Prix and take the fastest lap – before realising it was to stop Williams claiming an additional point in what could be a tight battle in the Formula 1 constructors’ championship.

Williams driver Franco Colapinto was running 10th on Sunday, but was on to double his points haul for the race after setting the fastest lap.

Yet Alpine was aware of this and called in Ocon, who was running towards the back of the field, to put on soft tyres and beat Colapinto’s effort with three laps remaining. 

The two squads are squabbling over eighth and ninth place in the standings and Williams is now four points ahead with five rounds left of the 2024 season.

“The only thing at the end was to recover the fastest lap – to get it away from Williams, from Franco, and we managed to do that successfully, but the car was difficult to drive,” said Ocon, who finished 18th after a forgettable race.

Esteban Ocon, Alpine A524

Photo by: Alpine

“Normally, P10 never has the fastest lap, that is why I questioned completely [the decision to stop], because I didn’t see the point. But I get it now.

“It’s a battle for everything in the end and a point is a top 10 finish, which is very important. I’m sorry to him because he deserved it, to be fair, but that is how it is.”

Alpine team principal Oliver Oakes praised the call to bring Ocon into the pits as the French squad aims to overtake Williams before the end of the season.

“Credit to the guys on the pitwall,” he said. “I think they were beating themselves up a bit, but it is never easy. Everyone has got hindsight afterwards but that was a good call at the time.

“I guess it’s a bit cheeky to take a point off Williams for the fastest lap, because I think Colapinto would have had it had we not, so that was the main reason.

“Fair play to Williams, they are doing a good job. I think Baku was a big weekend for them [Williams scored 10 points] and capitalising on that has made our lives a little bit difficult to get that back, but there are still a few races to go and we are aiming for that.”

Oliver Oakes, Team Principal, Alpine F1 Team, in the Team Principals Press Conference

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Images

Colapinto impressed yet again and secured another points finish for Williams, who brought in the Argentinian to replace Logan Sargeant from September’s Italian GP onwards.

He will not race for the team next year as Carlos Sainz will join from Ferrari to partner Alex Albon, but his form means he remains in the conversation for a drive – as Sauber and RB are yet to finalise their line-ups.

“We had the fastest lap,” Colapinto told Motorsport.com. “He took it with new tyres but it had not been close before.

“I think I did it many laps earlier, with an older tyre, and I think we just had a much better pace than them. They had to put a new set of wheels, low fuel to try to take it from us.

“So they weren’t close to us in terms of pace. But look, it’s part of racing. I was happy for the fastest lap and I wanted to keep it but it’s fine. We had it for a while. 

“It’s a point that we lost, but we are going to recover it soon. We had a good car, and we are capable of scoring points, so we’re going to come back stronger, I’m sure of that.” 

Franco Colapinto, Williams FW46

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

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Alpine’s call came just days after it was confirmed that the point for fastest lap would be scrapped from 2025 onwards.

There was controversy at the Singapore GP last month as Daniel Ricciardo, racing for RB for the final time, came in towards the end of the race for softs and took the fastest lap point away from Lando Norris.

The McLaren driver is fighting for the title against Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, with the team denying after the race that it had called on the sister squad to pit Ricciardo to snatch the extra point from Norris.

SNS

‘A tough ask’

SNS

Ilia Topuria won’t hide his long term goals as a UFC champion, but he’s also going to take on whatever challenge the promotion throws at him.

Just days away from his inaugural title defense at 145 pounds, the Georgian-born fighter recently commented that his dream was becoming the UFC’s first ever three-division champion with plans to conquer lightweight and welterweight after already claiming the featherweight title. But as much as he wants that for himself, Topuria admitted on Wednesday that he’s just as ready to take out lightweight champion Islam Makhachev as he would be if a rematch against former featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski is what comes next.

“Before, I used to make more predictions about that — ‘I want to fight this one or that,’” Topuria explained during UFC 308 media day. “But at the end of the day, I want to do my job, which is to show up and fight and we’ll see what the UFC wants me to do.

“If they call me and they want me to move up to the lightweight division, I will be OK with that moving up and be the first one to submit Islam. If they want me to keep on defending that belt in the featherweight division, I will be OK with that, too. Let’s leave that decision to the UFC.”

There’s always going to be new challenge for a defending champion, but Topuria has the chance to put himself in rarified air if he delivers on his promise to defeat Holloway on Saturday in Abu Dhabi.

Considering he already knocked out Volkanovski back in February, Topuria could add another all-time featherweight great to his resume with the upcoming fight against Holloway. That’s certainly not lost on Topuria, who has made a number of bold predictions about his upcoming fight but still maintains respect when it comes to Holloway’s skills and the accolades he’s earned as a 12-year UFC veteran.

“I have all the respect for him,” Topuria said about Holloway. “He’s a great fighter. He has achieved many great things in the sport. You can’t take credit from him. I have learned many, many things from him.

“He called me a fan. Yeah, I followed his career, I’ve been a fan. How can you not be a fan of Max Holloway? He’s been a great example for me but now it’s my time to be that example for the next generation.”

When it comes to the matchup, Topuria has promised that he plans on becoming the first person to finish Holloway with strikes, which is a nod to his power and precision compared to the Hawaiian’s legendary durability in the cage.

In the past, Holloway has called himself the best boxer on the entire UFC roster but Topuria seemingly takes that as a challenge to prove he’s better.

“In reality, he’s a good striker,” Topuria said. “It’s not only boxer because calling himself the best boxer in the UFC is kind of a shame, I think, because he’s not the best boxer in the UFC. But he’s a good striker.

“He has a lot of experience, he’s very patient inside the octagon. But everyone is good when they can develop a style in the octagon and someone is not putting the pressure on him. On Saturday night, he’s going to feel something he never felt with any other opponents that he had in the past. The pressure he’s going to feel with me, it’s going to be completely different.”

Topuria also responded to Holloway’s claim that he hasn’t yet earned the right to meet him in the middle of the octagon and use his signature move, which is pointing to the ground and inviting a slugfest to ensue.

Holloway’s argument was that Topuria doesn’t really understand why he’s famously used that move — a gesture to give an opponent who’s about to lose the fight one last chance at redemption — but none of that seems to matter much to the reigning UFC featherweight champion.

He doesn’t need anybody’s permission so Topuria absolutely plans on making that challenge to start his fight with Holloway but that’s not the only trick he has up his sleeve.

“I never asked him if I deserve that or not,” Topuria said in response. “I will be pointing to the ground since the first second of the fight.

“If he wants to stand with me in the middle, it’s OK and prove he’s the real ‘BMF.’ If he decides [to not do that], it’s OK, too. I’m going to find a different way to finish him and take his head off.”