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Joey Logano started 15th and finished sixth in the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Fusion in Sunday’s Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Logano once again demonstrated his elite ability to manipulate the draft, working into the top-five by the ninth lap of the event. However, the top-five position would be short lived as Logano radioed crew chief Todd Gordon and reported a loose wheel at lap 14. Gordon brought the Shell-Pennzoil Ford to the pit lane, changing four tires and putting Logano on an alternate strategy. Logano remained on the lead lap with an assist from his Ford Performance teammates and Team Penske teammate Brad Keselowski. The first caution flag of the event came out at lap 27, allowing Logano to rejoin the rear of the field and come to pit road for a two-tire stop. The quick work of the team led to a gain of 15 positions for the Shell-Pennzoil Ford as Logano would move from 37th to 22nd. On the restart, Logano once again shot to the middle lane and regained position in the top-10 where he ran for the majority of the event. On the team’s pit stop at lap 61, the crew once again turned out a fast stop, gaining four positions on the race off pit road. When the intensity of the race increased following the second stage, Logano received minor damage to the right front fender, which the team repaired in just over two minutes on the pit lane. Crew chief Todd Gordon called the Shell-Pennzoil Ford to the pits for a two-tire stop at lap 151, the final stop of the day. Logano would restart in the second-position, taking the lead on the ensuing restart. Logano led the event for 16 laps on the afternoon as his Ford proved to be among the best in the race. With less than 20 laps remaining, Logano got shuffled from the lead and dropped outside the top-10, where he found minimal drafting help until the final five laps. When Logano finally found fellow Ford driver Ryan Blaney, the two set their sights on the top-five in the last five laps. To complicate matters, fuel became a major factor in the run to the checkered flag. On the final lap, Logano’s push sent Blaney forward to the second position, as the duo looked like they were in position to win. However, Logano’s Ford ran just short of fuel in turn 4 as it stumbled in the steeply banked turn. The No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford regained power and finished in the sixth position. The sixth place finish, along with the second place finish in stage two earned the Shell-Pennzoil Ford the third position in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series point standings.

2017 Daytona 500