Joey Logano and the throwback No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Fusion had a car that could compete for the win on Sunday night at Darlington Raceway but ended up with a fourth-place finish after leading 29 laps. Logano started the race from the fourth position and, early on, raced his way to third. The special-look Shell-Pennzoil Ford dropped to seventh as the car was really tight early on. With the low-downforce package and softer Goodyear tire, handling was a premium all night long. Crew chief Todd Gordon made several small air pressure and wedge adjustments over the course of 12 pit stops during the 500-mile event. Logano raced in the top-five for much of the race and took the lead for the first time on lap 248 when he stayed out during a round of pit stops. Once out front, the Shell-Pennzoil Ford was strong and Logano would pull away from the field. Logano would lead for a total of 29 laps in the race. With less than 10 laps to go, Logano and the rest of the field would come down pit road for their final stop of the night. Restarting fourth, Logano would hold position and come home fourth, his 15th top-five finish in the season’s first 25 races. Logano continues to sit second in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings, 42 points behind Kevin Harvick.

“I was proud of what my team did to make this Shell-Pennzoil Ford a lot faster throughout the night. That was a long race. We got it to where I thought we were a winning race car. We were able to get up front and lead with good speed for a whole run. We got a little behind and tried to make it up and tried to work the right restarts and do everything to make it happen but we just came up a little short. I am proud of the speed we had and the momentum we are building for the Chase. We aren’t slowing down any. I am looking forward to it.”