Joey Logano used a gutsy pit call by crew chief Todd Gordon to finish a season-best third in Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway. Logano qualified fourth for the 500-mile event and moved up to third less than 20 laps into the first run, but began to struggle with an ill-handling car that was loose in and tight in the center as the race played out. Logano would run anywhere between sixth and 10th over the first 100 laps. However, the handling on the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Fusion continued to worsen and Logano began to fall through the field. The one-lane racetrack proved detrimental as Logano continually started on the outside and would lose three or four spots on each restart. Just past halfway, Gordon decided to work on a different pit strategy to try and gain Logano track position, keeping him on the track longer as others made green flag pit stops. It eventually put Logano on a one-stop strategy to end the race where everyone else had to make two. Following his final pit stop on lap 291, a timely caution just 20 laps later saw the rest of the field come to pit road and the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford stay out. With less than 30 to go, Logano took the lead and held on to the top spot, but eventually fell into the clutches of eventual winner Jimmie Johnson. Logano would finish third, his best points-paying finish of the season. The top-three run keeps Logano fifth in the MENCS point standings, 72 points behind leader Kyle Larson.