Running recap: Logano wins Stage 1 of Phoenix Cup Series Chase race

Stage 1 recap: Logano wins opening frame

Joey Logano won Stage 1 of Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series Chase race at Phoenix Raceway, leading the final nine laps of the opening frame in the desert (live on USA Network, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). It's the seventh of 10 postseason events in The Chase presented by Mobil 1. Denny Hamlin finished second by a hair over Christopher Bell, followed by Ryan Blaney and Chase Briscoe. William Byron, Chase Elliott, Ross Chastain, Tyler Reddick and Josh Berry rounded out the top 10 and points earners. RELATED: Live leaderboard | Phoenix weekend schedule Blaney, the polesitter, jumped out to the lead on the initial start and paced the first 44 laps until the first caution of the afternoon. Michael McDowell and Riley Herbst crashed in Turn 4 while battling for 20th, Herbst contacting the No. 71 Chevrolet from behind after close-quarters racing down the backstretch. That resulted in the first batch of pit stops. Hamlin, Byron and Elliott each took two tires and were the first three drivers off pit road. Larson, who started 22nd and gained only a minuscule position during the first stint, also took two and lined up fifth. Blaney had a slow four-tire stop and dropped to eighth in the running order. MORE: Full Stage 1 results But it was Logano, who elected for four tires, who passed Hamlin at Lap 51 to win the stage. Larson struggled on two tires and plummeted back to 22nd, where he started the 312-lap event and did not earn points. This story will be updated.