Joey Logano is still so damn young! But you know, that final maneuver on Mark Martin Sunday afternoon was no rookie deal. It takes a focused, hungry racer who will see a veteran stumble and chose that moment to push–push the one who slipped and push his car right on by and into Pocono’s victory …
With under four laps to go, race leader Mark Martin bobbled just enough that second place Joey Logano was able to execute a perfect bump and run to retake the lead.
For the first time in 2012, the man who started on the pole was able to seal the deal and take the car to victory lane. Joey Logano ended the day right where he started. His car was fast during the early going; then as pit strategy and many miles began to change things, the No. 20 faded just a bit as Dale Earnhardt Jr. dominated much of the middle of the event. But when it counted, Logano was able to stay out on a late caution while Earnhardt and others were forced to pit for fuel. Martin looked like he might have a shot, taking the lead on the final restart, but Logano, with a faster car, was able to loosen Martin up just enough to slip by and that was all she wrote as the No. 20 opened a commanding lead en route to the checkers.
If there was a prize for the best firesuit, Joey Logano would have it hands down after sporting a suit styled to look like… well, a suit, complete with jacket and tie. Logano, who was also strong in Sprint Cup practice on Saturday, looked to have the car to beat early, but a two-tire strategy later in the race proved to be the wrong one, and Logano was never able to claw his way back to the front. Instead, he was forced to settle for sixth, but if his early run is any indication, Logano could be looking at a much-needed top 10 in the Cup race.
Instead of the obligatory slew of thanks and general thumping of his own back, Joey Logano avoided eye contact with both the camera and his interviewer as the reality of his Friday night Nationwide win sank in.
After seven months peppered with near misses and a night wrought with fuel mileage drama, car owner Rick Hendrick reached a milestone that only one other team has ever reached: 200 Cup Series wins. Only Petty Enterprises has more (268).
Talk about quiet. Sam Hornish Jr. is quiet off the track, and on Friday night, he slipped under the radar until the end. But that’s where the quiet ended, as Hornish waged a furious battle with Austin Dillon for a fourth-place finish, beating Dillon by inches at the line. Hornish is showing steady improvement after being given a chance to start over in the Nationwide Series after a less-than-stellar couple of years in a Sprint Cup car. If he continues to race like he did on Friday, he’ll have another chance in Cup… and this time he’ll be ready.
Make it four-for-four by NASCAR Nationwide Series regulars, and make it history. Using the pit strategy that took him to his first NASCAR Sprint Cup victory at Bristol in 2001, Elliott Sadler stayed out on the final caution to win the Ford EcoBoost 300 by 1.159 seconds over Kasey Kahne. Brad Keselowski, polesitter Joey Logano and …
The truth is there weren’t many high points for the 21-year-old Joey Logano in 2011 as he authored his worst season – statistically speaking – in his three years as a full-time Cup driver with Joe Gibbs Racing.
Clint Bowyer out drag-raced teammate Jeff Burton out of turn 4 to the flag, on the final lap to win what some pundits will allege to be a race.
Talladega provides a bigger challenge for fantasy owners than any other race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup for one reason: unpredictability.
Is it just me, or is everyone still as clueless about the Chase as we were back in February?
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