Originally published on Mar. 27, 2025
By Zane
Miller
First
round
(8) #31
Ryan Newman v. (1) #24 Jeff Gordon
(7) #88
Dale Earnhardt Jr. v. (2) #4 Kevin Harvick
(6) #20
Matt Kenseth v. (3) #2 Brad Keselowski
(5) #48
Jimmie Johnson v. (4) #22 Joey Logano
The 2014
playoffs got started at New Hampshire, where native New Englander Joey Logano scored
the race win after leading the last 30 laps. Logano’s first round competition
Jimmie Johnson also put together a solid race, but settled for a fifth-place
run. On the other hand, Johnson’s teammate Jeff Gordon struggled to a 26th-place
finish, while Ryan Newman captured the early advantage in 18th. Kevin
Harvick led the most laps with 104 and placed third, besting Dale Earnhardt Jr.
in ninth. Matt Kenseth was never able to find the handle on his Toyota and
finished 21st, enabling Brad Keselowski to take the series lead with
a solid seventh.
The series
continued into Dover, where Gordon grabbed the race win after leading the final
71 laps and Newman was forced to settle for an eighth-place finish. Despite not
having as strong a finish as his 223 laps led would suggest, Harvick was able
to complete the sweep in 13th as Earnhardt Jr. ended up four spots behind.
Keselowski nailed down the runner-up spot to hold off Kenseth in fifth, though Johnson
continued his postseason for the time being thanks to a third-place run with
Logano trailing a few seconds behind.
Johnson’s good
fortune was short-lived, however, as Logano claimed the race win one week later
at Kansas. Not that Logano’s first round victory was in any danger anyway, as
Johnson was taken out of contention in an early wreck. The more pressing shock
came in the Gordon-Newman series, as the #1-seeded Gordon could only muster a
14th-place finish while Newman pulled off the upset in sixth. This
set up a semifinal with Harvick and Newman racing against each other’s former
team, as well as a battle between the current teammates of Keselowski and
Logano.
Semifinal
(8) #31
Ryan Newman v. (2) #4 Kevin Harvick
(4) #22
Joey Logano v. (3) #2 Brad Keselowski
Harvick
dominated the semifinal’s opening race at Charlotte, scoring the race win with
162 laps led, though Newman was no slouch with a seventh-place run. Meanwhile, Keselowski
was largely a non-factor as he came home 16th, far behind Logano who
scored a fourth-place finish. The tables turned for all parties at Talladega,
however, starting with Keselowski taking a clutch race victory on a daring
last-lap pass of Newman. Logano’s quest for his first career Talladega win
would have to wait as he finished in 11th. Despite losing the lead,
Newman still held onto fifth, as a last-ditch effort from Harvick came up short
in ninth.
The final
results of both series were still up in the air at Martinsville, but
Keselowski’s chances plummeted to the ground with 65 laps to go. After cutting
down a tire on the frontstretch, he was forced to abruptly slow and was hit
from behind as a result. Keselowski lost multiple laps during repairs and
returned to finish 31st, but his teammate was able to avoid trouble
for the most part and took the fifth spot. Newman continued his strong runs
from previous weeks on the way to an impressive third, as Harvick, like
Keselowski, ended the day many laps down after getting involved in a separate
incident. Newman’s Cinderella run was still active, as both he and Logano would
be vying for their first Cup Series title.
Final
(8) #31
Ryan Newman v. (4) #22 Joey Logano
At Texas
Motor Speedway, neither Logano nor Newman were particularly stout, but Logano
would get the better of the #31 team with a 12th-place result to
their 15th following a late restart. However, a post-race pit road
fight between Jeff Gordon and Logano’s teammate in Keselowski would steal the
spotlight from the championship battle, at least temporarily. At Phoenix,
Logano would not be upstaged as he led 17 laps on the way to a sixth-place finish,
while a valiant late-race charge by Newman stalled out in 11th.
After a handful of playoff-less Cup seasons to start his career, the
Connecticut native broke through in a big way with a title in his first-ever
postseason appearance.
Joey
Logano’s stats for 2014 were five victories, 16 top-fives and 22 top-10s,
finishing fourth in the real-life standings to champion Kevin Harvick.
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