19CLT2MT1691

 

race review

· Joey Logano started Saturday night’s Coca-Cola 600 from the seventh position in the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang. Unfortunately, Logano would drop out of the top-10 and then out of the top-20 by lap 18 as he battled an extremely tight Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang. A caution flag at lap 22 would provide an opportunity for the Shell-Pennzoil crew to make a major wedge adjustment and air pressure adjustment on the first stop of the race.

· On the second run of the race, the Shell-Pennzoil Ford fired off a little loose, but then took a swing back to the tight side after 10 laps. Logano reported at lap 48 under caution that he was a three-and-a-half tight. During the second pit stop, the team elected to adjust with four rounds of track bar and another sizable air pressure adjustment.

· On the third run of the race, Logano reported that the handling of the Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang had gone to the loose side slightly. A caution flag at lap 72 would set the stage for another round of pit stops and adjustments for the 22 team. The call would be for air pressure back out from the previous stop. Logano rallied from outside the top-20 to finish the first stage in the seventh position.

· Early in the second stage, the caution flag would fly again, prompting the 22 team to remain on track as they’d already used four sets of Goodyear Racing tires. Unfortunately, after restarting third, Logano dropped back outside the top-20 to the 23rd position by lap 144. On a cycle of green flag stops, Logano dropped two laps down, regaining one and then waiving around on the next caution flag.

· With a caution with 12 laps remaining in the second stage, Logano would return to pit road for a two-round track bar adjustments and four tires, returning to the track for an eight-lap shootout finish the stage. Using the adjustments, Logano rallied back forward to the ninth position before the end of the stage.

· Logano ran inside the top-five for the first time of the evening in the opening laps of the third stage before dropping to sixth as he reported the handling taking a swing back to the tight side after being good during the first 40 laps. At the end of the third stage, Logano reported the balance was as close to neutral as it had been all night, being only slightly loose up top and a little tight on the bottom groove.

· On the start of the final stage, Logano moved from the tenth position, to fifth before a quick caution bunched the field up for another restart. In the later stages of the final stage, Logano moved solidly inside the top-five. A caution with 42 laps to go set the stage for teams to potentially make their final stops of the night.

· Logano would restart sixth after pitting from fourth, but quickly rally his way into the second position, trailing only the No. 19 of Martin Truex Jr. A caution with nine laps remaining brought the leaders back to pit road, with Logano returning to the track in the fifth position. Surviving a wild restart, Logano raced back to second, falling just short of his first win in the Coca-Cola 600.

 

quote
“If you’d have told me at lap 20 we’d finish second I’d have taken it. Obviously it’s disappointing when you’re that close to winning the Coca-Cola 600 and come up just short, but the team kept fighting all night and made solid adjustments, took some big swings at the handling of our Shell-Pennzoil Mustang. We’ll build on that and go to Pocono next week.”

 


Coca Cola 600