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Joey Logano started seventh and finished seventh in the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Fusion in Sunday afternoon’s Tales of the Turtles 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. When the green flag fell to start the race, Logano moved forward to the sixth position, running lap times consistent with the top-five as the field stretched out, eventually cycling through a round of green flag pit stops. The trend of solid pit work continued for the Shell-Pennzoil crew as they were able to move Logano forward, helping him secure the fifth position by the end of the first stage. Logano reported he was battling a loose in and off condition through the opening stage, which prompted crew chief Todd Gordon to call for air pressure adjustments on three of the cars four corners, and added tape on the second stop. Throughout the second stage, Logano reported the handling of his Ford Fusion to be near neutral, indicative of the aero-balance gains that have been made in recent weeks. However, track position would prove to be critical in Sunday’s race as the high speed Chicagoland Speedway makes passing extremely difficult. Logano finished the second stage in the seventh position and reported his Ford Fusion to be slightly tight in the center of the turn, and only slightly loose on corner exit. The team again made an adjustment with a small air pressure change on the fourth stop of the day. Near the end of the first run in the third stage, Logano radioed the team and reported his Ford was as loose as it had been all day, which led to a bigger air pressure adjustment on the final pit stop of the race at lap 211. The race continued the green-flag trend of the day and Logano brought the Shell-Pennzoil Ford home in the seventh position. The finish marked the second consecutive top-10 result for the team as they continue their fight back to victory lane before the end of the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.

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“We executed well with the Shell-Pennzoil Ford. We ran in the top-10 the whole race and had no issues, nothing crazy, just not fast enough to compete for the win. We made gains the last few weeks to get closer but we have just caught up to our teammates. That is where we are at now, the same as our teammates but not good enough to go up there and win. I thought I would run seventh today and I ran seventh. We just have to go faster, that is all.”

Tales of the Turtles 400