HAMPTON, Ga. >> Joey Logano raced his way into the second round of NASCAR’s playoffs by winning the opener in overtime Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Logano, the only two-time Cup Series champion in the 16-driver playoff field, earned an automatic berth into the next round of races. It was the 11th race of the season to end in overtime — a tie for the record set in the 2017 season.

“That’s how we start the playoffs, boys!” Logano shouted. “When it is playoff time, it is our time.”

Logano is trying to become the only active three-time Cup champion. Kyle Busch, who did not make the playoffs, is the only other driver with two Cup titles.

Ryan Blaney finished second in a 1-2 sweep for Team Penske and Ford. Blaney lined up behind Logano and gave him the pushes he needed to deny Daniel Suarez the victory.

Suarez, who won the closest three-wide finish in NASCAR history here in February, had his own help from Trackhouse Racing teammate Ross Chastain. The two-lap overtime sprint to the finish began with Logano and Suarez lined up side-by-side on the front row, each with their teammate behind them for the push to the front.

Blaney got Logano out first, but Chastain remained locked onto the bumper of Suarez’s Chevrolet and the two dueled it out until Blaney used a final push to get his Penske teammate the win.

Christopher Bell in a Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing finished fourth, and Alex Bowman in a Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports was fifth. Regular-season champion Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing was sixth and followed by Busch of Richard Childress Racing, Chase Elliott of Hendrick, William Byron of Hendrick and Austin Cindric of Penske.

Only two Toyotas — Bell and Reddick — finished inside the top 10.