Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway (1.5-mile oval, Kansas City, KC)
No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Fusion driven by Joey Logano
Sunday, October 6, 2013
- Joey Logano started fifth in the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford in Sunday afternoon’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway.
- As the race took the green flag, Logano fell back a few positions with a tight-handling car. It was expected that tire management would be an issue throughout the race and Logano reported a vibration early, the result of his right front tire wearing down to the cords on the long runs.
- After a four-tire stop when several other drivers took two, Logano restarted the race in the 10th position. He used his four fresh tires to his advantage, racing back inside the top five over the next 70 laps.
- Several minor changes, including air pressure and track back adjustments, during the middle portions of the race helped the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford dramatically and Logano took the lead for the first time on lap 121.
- Over the next 40 laps, Logano ran either first, second or third, showing the strength of his Ford Fusion.
- Logano fell as low as 13th late in the race, as a number of drivers began to employ different pit strategies. Crew chief Todd Gordon stuck to the No. 22 team’s strategy and Logano was patient until the finish.
- Despite a record number of cautions, Logano used the multiple restarts to his advantage, as he methodically picked up position after position.
- Late in the race, Logano restarted in the eighth position and he was able to race his way up to fourth by the end.
- His fourth-place finish marked Logano’s career-best 10th top-five finish.
- Logano led two times in all for 33 laps.
- His fourth-place finish vaulted him two spots in the series point standings. He now sits 10th in the points, just 24 points out of the top five.
IT WAS AN EVENTFUL RACE WITH A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT PIT CALLS. HOW WAS YOUR DAY?
“It was pretty crazy out there. Every restart you had to be so aggressive to pass people because that was your best shot to pass them and everyone realized it. There wasn’t much grip out there and (when) everyone is doing that you are going to have a crash. We proved that fact multiple times today. Everyone did a good job on the Shell Pennzoil Ford and gave me a really fast car and I feel like if you put it in the lead it was going to win the race but if you put it fourth it was going to finish fourth. It was hard to pass cars and I really feel like the 48 was probably the fastest car out there. (Crew chief) Todd (Gordon) did a good job calling the race and trying to figure out the strategy. I couldn’t imagine trying to call a race like this. It is nuts because one minute you are first and the next you are 15th and you hope you cycle out to the lead at the end.”