Joey Logano started and finished 22nd in the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Fusion in Sunday’s AAA 400 Drive for Autism at Dover International Speedway. The finish was not indicative of how well Logano and the team performed throughout the first 350 laps of the event. After starting mid-pack, crew chief Todd Gordon and the Shell-Pennzoil crew improved the No. 22 Ford steadily and moved into the top 10 by lap 96. On lap 174, Logano pitted from the ninth position and Gordon called for a two-tire stop, which gained the team six positions leaving pit road. Logano reached the second position and led one lap of the event during a yellow flag pit sequence. The No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford ran in the top five for 146 laps, until lap 340 when the handling began to deteriorate due to damage sustained from hitting a small piece of debris, which brought out a caution several laps later. The team pitted at lap 350 and made repairs to the nose of the car, and would rejoin the field in 16th positon. On the ensuing restart, the front row stacked up and a chain reaction incident claimed most of the lead lap competitors, including Logano. The incident brought out the only red flag of the afternoon. After competition resumed, the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil team made the necessary repairs to get the car back on track, where Logano was able to gain several more positions before the checkered flag.

“That was the problem, we couldn’t see. When you are stacked up on the restart like that there isn’t much to be able to see at all. Unfortunately, it looked like the 48 had trouble getting going and it stacked us up. I tried checking up and going to the bottom like we were going to miss it and got hit from behind and that sent me into it more. Now we need a new radiator. We have been the victim of circumstances the last few weeks. It is what it is. I am not going to say it was bad luck. We put ourselves in position to be back there on our pit stop. It is our fault. We have to smarten up and get a little better at every little area. We had a decent car. We weren’t the fastest car but we were a top-five car for sure. Things happen.”