· Joey Logano flashed brilliant speed while showing grit and determination in Sunday evening’s South Point Casino 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, leading a race high 105 laps, scoring 19 stage points and one playoff point for the Stage 1 win in route to a ninth place finish in the No. 22 Pennzoil Ford Mustang. Logano proved to be the class of the field from the drop of the green flag until damage in the final stage put a damper on the night fo the defending series champion.
· After starting in the 22nd position, Logano stormed forward with the No. 22 Pennzoil Ford Mustang, reaching the eighth position before lap 10 around the 1.5-mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Logano remained quiet on the radio, letting spotter TJ Majors guide his forward progress. By lap 23, Logano had moved into the top-five, then to the third position by lap 25.
· On lap 34, Logano claimed the lead with the No. 22 Pennzoil Ford and slowly began stretching out a lead as green flag pit stops approached. When all stops were complete, Logano cycled back to the lead as the end of the first stage approached. The driver of the Pennzoil Ford Mustang reported he was a bit freer on the second run of the race, continuing to run the fastest lap times on the track. Logano claimed the first stage by over six seconds on second place running Kevin Harvick.
· Through the opening laps of the second stage, Logano continued to lead, reporting the Pennzoil Ford Mustang was still slightly loose through both corners, slightly worse in turns 3 and 4. Logano pitted from the lead at lap 123 for four tires and fuel with the team making only slight air pressure adjustments for the loose condition. Logano continued to lead until three laps remaining in the second stage when he got pinned behind two slower cars and relinquished the lead, finishing second in the stage.
· On the stage ending stop, the 22 team made a four tire stop, adding tape to the nose and another slight air pressure adjustment. Under caution at lap 182, the team elected to pit again, taking four tires while others took two, cycling them back to the seventh position. Unfortunately, Logano suffered damage on the ensuing restart and had to come to pit road for extensive repairs. After the repairs, Logano restarted the race deep in the field but slowly worked his way forward, reaching the 13th position by lap 215.
· Logano reported the Pennzoil Ford had swung to the tight side, prompting the team to pit early in the window at lap 230 for a four tire stop and trackbar adjustment. Logano would use the adjustments to rally back into the top-10, finishing ninth at the checkered flag. The solid day earning stage points and a stage win, coupled with the ninth place finish has Logano third in the series standings, trailing leader Martin Truex Jr as the series heads to Richmond Raceway next Saturday night.

 

“Our car was fast. We were definitely capable of winning this thing, no doubt. We showed that. That is positive. I like that part. We scored a lot of points which is also positive. I don’t know where we are in the standings yet but the stages and the finish gives us some points to hopefully give us a little cushion over the next couple races but we have to still be smart to make it to the next round. If we didn’t have a wrecked car we would have had a shot at winning. We were really good at the beginning of the race. We drove all the way to the lead and led a bunch of laps. We can be proud of that. We won’t let our heads get down on this. It is still a strong day.”