Reigning Cup champion Joey Logano gets 1st win this season in overtime at Texas

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Reigning NASCAR Cup champion Joey Logano overcame a lot to finally get his first victory this season.

It came a week after Team Penske teammate Austin Cindric’s win at Talladega, where Logano had a fifth-place finish that became 39th after a postrace inspection found an issue with the spoiler on his No. 22 Ford. There was also Logano’s expletive-laden rant on the radio toward his teammate in the middle of that race that the two smoothed out during the week. Oh, and he started 27th at Texas after a bad qualifying effort on the 1 1/2-mile track.

But Logano surged ahead on the restart in overtime Sunday to win in the 11th race this year. He led only seven of the 271 laps, four more than scheduled.

“After what happened last week, to be able to rebound and come right back, it’s a total '22' way of doing things. So proud of the team,” Logano said.

On the final restart after the 12th caution, Logano was on the inside of his other teammate, Ryan Blaney. But Logano pulled away on the backstretch and stayed easily in front the final 1 1/2 laps, while Ross Chastain then passed Blaney to finish second ahead of him.

“Just slowly, methodically,” Logano said of his progression to the front. “Just kept grinding, a couple here and a couple there and eventually get a win here.”

Logano got his 37th career victory, getting the lead for the first time on lap 264. He went low to complete a pass of Michael McDowell.

“I mean there’s always a story next week, right,” Logano said. “So I told my wife last week before we left, I said watch me go win this one. It’s just how we do stuff.”

On a caution with 47 laps left, McDowell took only two tires and moved up 15 spots to second. He ended up leading 19 laps, but got loose a few laps after getting passed by Logano and crashed to bring out the caution that sent the race to overtime. He finished 26th.

“We were giving it everything we had there to try to keep track position,” McDowell said. “Joey got a run there, and I tried to block it. I went as far as I think you could probably go. When Blaney slid in front of me, it just took the air off of it and I just lost the back of it. I still had the fight in me, but I probably should have conceded at that point.”

William Byron, Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott remained the top four in season points. ... Elliott left Texas last spring with his first victory after 42 races and 18 months without one. He hasn’t won since, and now has another long winless drought — this one 38 races and now nearly 13 months after finishing 16th. ... A crew member for Christopher Bell crawled in through the passenger side of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and was fully in the car to reconnect an air hose the driver's helmet during a caution in the second stage. It took two stops during that caution, and twice climbing into the car, to resolve the issue.

Hamlin had finished on the lead lap in 21 consecutive races, but a fiery finish on lap 75 ended that streak that had matched the eighth-longest in NASCAR history. He was the first car out of the race.

After the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota lost power, something blew up when Hamlin recycled the engine. There were flames coming out from under the car and it was engulfed in smoke by time it rolled to a stop on the inside of the track and Hamlin climbed out unharmed.

Carson Hocevar, the 22-year-old driver who is McDowell's teammate with Spire Motorsports, was the youngest polesitter ever in Texas. He led only the first 22 laps of the race, losing it while pitting during the first caution. He finished 24th after a late accident.

Both in-race stages finished under caution. Cindric won Stage 1 after Hamlin's issues and Kyle Larson took the second after a yellow flag came out because of debris on the track after the right rear tire on Chris Buescher's car came apart.

Larson got his 68th overall stage win and his sixth at Texas, with both marks being records. He has won a stage in each of the last five Cup races at Texas, starting in his 2021 win there.

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Joey Logano, right, poses with a cow skull Wurth 400 trophy in Victory Lane tafter winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, Sunday, May 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)

Joey Logano, center, celebrates after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, Sunday, May 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Randy Holt)

Joey Logano stands on his car to celebrate after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, Sunday, May 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)

Joey Logano stands on his car to celebrate after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, Sunday, May 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)

Joey Logano holds the Wurth 400 trophy in Victory Lane after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, Sunday, May 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Larry Papke)

Joey Logano celebrates after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, Sunday, May 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Larry Papke)

Kyle Larson, front left, and Todd Gilliland, front right, lead the pack following a caution during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, Sunday, May 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Larry Papke)

Drivers pit after Stage 2 during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, Sunday, May 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Larry Papke)

Noah Gragson (4) crashes in Turn 3 as Cody Ware (51) and Michael McDowell (71) pass him during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, Sunday, May 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Larry Papke)

Josh Berry comes out of Turn 4 during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, Sunday, May 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)

Kyle Larson (5) stops in pit lane during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, Sunday, May 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Randy Holt)

Carson Hocevar (77) and William Byron (24) lead the pack to start a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, Sunday, May 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)

Carson Hocevar (77) and William Byron (24) lead the pack to start a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, Sunday, May 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)

Josh Berry crashes while coming out of Turn 4 during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, Sunday, May 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Randy Holt)

Kyle Larson leads the pack during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, Sunday, May 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo blocked a shot by LeBron James and stole the ball from him on consecutive possessions in the final minute, and the Milwaukee Bucks blew a fourth-quarter lead before rallying for a 105-101 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.

Kevin Porter Jr. scored 22 points, and he hit two free throws to break a tie after Antetokounmpo blocked a driving layup attempt by James with 39 seconds left.

Antetokounmpo then knocked the ball out of James' hands from behind with 2 seconds left, and Porter hit two more free throws to seal Milwaukee's fifth win in seven games — its first over a team with a winning record since Dec. 11. Antetokounmpo finished with 21 points in his lowest-scoring effort since returning from his right calf strain.

Luka Doncic had 24 points and nine assists on 8-of-25 shooting for the Lakers. He had his lowest-scoring performance since Christmas, and he fouled out on Porter's 3-point attempt with 16.2 seconds to play.

James had 26 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds, but Antetokoumpo got the best of the top scorer in NBA history at crunch time. Los Angeles has lost six of 10.

Milwaukee surged to a double-digit lead in the first half even with Antetokounmpo on a minutes restriction in his injury return. Doncic scored 12 points in the third quarter but also committed four fouls in the period, including his fifth of the game.

Los Angeles abruptly erased its deficit by going on a 17-4 run to open the fourth, with James putting the Lakers ahead when he stole the ball from Antetokounmpo for a layup with 6:02 left. Milwaukee missed nine of its first 12 shots in the period, but Porter's layup tied it with two minutes left.

Lakers starters Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura remain sidelined by injury, but Hachimura (calf) might return early next week from his six-game absence, coach JJ Redick said.

Bucks: At Denver on Sunday.

Lakers: At Sacramento on Monday.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

Los Angeles Lakers guard Marcus Smart, left, tries to shoot as Milwaukee Bucks guard Gary Trent Jr. defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic, left, and Milwaukee Bucks guard Kevin Porter Jr. go after a loose ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)