Joey Logano wins NASCAR playoff opener at Atlanta to advance to 2nd round

HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) — One of the first things Joey Logano said after winning NASCAR's playoff opener was that the postseason is his time of the year.

And, in 10 initial playoff appearances, he typically slid his way through the rounds, winning two Cup titles and never finishing lower than eighth in the standings.

Then came last year when Logano, as the reigning Cup champion, was eliminated from the 16-driver field in the very first round for the first time in his career. He dreaded going to the track for the remainder of the season even as Team Penske teammate Ryan Blaney went on to win the championship.

There will be no stumble this year, not after an overtime victory Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway gave Logano an automatic berth into the second round of the playoffs.