Joey Logano wins Xfinity race at Charlotte as next Chase round set for series

CONCORD, N.C. -- Joey Logano took the field three-wide on a restart with 13 laps to go, taking the lead from Kyle Larson in Sunday’s rain-delayed NASCAR Xfinity Series Driver for the Cure 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He went on for the victory while Larson settled for fourth.

Wow! What a restart! #TheChase https://t.co/iZDZpMktAv

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) October 9, 2016

Both had already had long days, running both rain-delayed races at Charlotte. Larson had been turning in a stunning performance in the Xfinity race, leading 165 laps. Logano took the lead, but soon Larson was running the outside line and closing on Logano.

"What a fun night, for sure," Logano said. "What a good recovery from the first part of my day."

MORE: Jimmie Johnson wins Cup race on double-header Sunday

Logano was referencing his Sprint Cup race in which he brushed the wall twice and finished 36th. As to running both races in the same day, Logano said that physically he wasn't feeling the effects of anything more than having hit the wall. 

"Mentally, I'm shot," the Team Penske driver said. "I've had a long enough day that I'm kind of used up."

In the Xfinity race, it was Larson who brushed the wall with two to go, allowing Elliott Sadler to slip past him and into second.

"How we battled and fought tonight gives us a little bit of momentum going into next week," Sadler said. 

What. A. Burnout! #TheChase pic.twitter.com/qdICt5H93r

— NASCAR XFINITY (@NASCAR_XFINITY) October 9, 2016

With Logano and Sadler vying for position at the front, the Xfinity drivers knew the math. Each knew who he had to pass to move into the field; who he had to hold off in order to hold a spot.

Some were more successful than others.

In the end, the next round of the Xfinity Chase will be Sadler, Suarez, Justin Allgaier, Erik Jones, Brendan Gaughan, Ryan Reed, Darrell Wallace Jr. and Blake Koch. Jones has four series wins this season. 

Ty Dillon, Brennan Poole, Brandon Jones and Ryan Sieg were eliminated.

MORE: Check out all the images from racing at Charlotte

Wallace recovered from an early setback in which his car was damaged after contact with that of Brennan Poole. 

"Everybody says just have a good solid race," he said, then added, "that was not a good solid race for us from the start." 

With 25 laps to go, Larson had lapped almost all of the field. Behind the pair, though, were a host of Xfinity drivers fighting hard for each position as the next round of the Chase was about to be set.

There were only three cars on the lead lap when Erik Jones, fighting for a spot in the Chase and desperately needing a win to get it, waited until Lap 173 to pit. While that put him in the lead, he was then penalized when the tire rolled out of his pit box on that stop.

The caution came out as the tire rolled across pit road.

Larson headed to pit road on Lap 177, followed by Justin Allgaier. Several drivers took the wavearound and returned to the lead lap to set up the final showdown. 

Charlotte Motor Speedway results