· Joey Logano started second in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 and led the first five laps of the 600-mile event. Logano struggled with entry security and an extremely loose Ford, especially over the bumps in Turns 3 and 4. The handling conditions dropped Logano from the lead to the 12th position before the first caution flag at lap 36. Crew chief Todd Gordon called for substantial air pressure and chassis adjustments on the first stop.

· Logano reported the adjustments helped the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford on initial takeoff. Unfortunately, the car’s handling built extremely tight and Logano dropped to the 16th position before the caution on lap 83. On the third stop at the conclusion of Stage 1, the team made another wedge and air pressure adjustment, attempting to give Logano the turn he needed in the corners.

· At lap 120, Logano made contact with Jimmie Johnson’s spinning car in Turn 4, damaging the left-rear of the No. 22 Ford. Logano restarted in the 30th position. The spin would also force the team to run long on a green flag cycle of pit stops, dropping Logano a lap down to the race leader before the conclusion of the stage, forcing him to take the wave-around to regain the lost lap.

· The Shell-Pennzoil crew made multiple repairs over Stage 3, repairing damage from the earlier incident. Logano continued to report he was loose on corner entry, tight in the center and loose off. Crew chief Todd Gordon continued making air pressure adjustments to the car as the track continued to cool as the race transitioned to from daylight to night.

· On lap 325, Logano radioed the team and reported the handling was the worst it had been all night. Gordon elected to bring Logano to pit road early, just inside the window of making it all the way to the conclusion of the event. The team made a major chassis adjustment, removing a left-rear spring rubber for the run to the finish.

· Logano continued battling handling conditions for the remainder of the race, much of which stemmed from damage to the left-rear quarter panel. He was credited with a 22nd-place finish and remains second in the driver standings, 67 points behind the leader.

 

“We had a really tough night. We started out with fire off speed, but the handling went away quickly during each run. I didn’t have much for grip overall, then we got into the spin at lap 120 and suffered some left-rear damage. From that point it was an uphill battle. The guys didn’t give up, but it was just a tough day for our Shell-Pennzoil team.”