With three races left earlier than the Chase for the Dash Cup, you can add one other driver to the listing of those with championship hopes which are greater than a dream.
Joey Logano began first at Michigan on Sunday, and whereas he ventured from that spot for almost all of the race, he was back in it on the end and got his first Cup Collection win of the season.
Over the races last laps, Logano stalked chief Mark Martin, but was never in a position to get to Martin’s bumper. However, that ended up a non-situation. Martin was attempting to stretch his gas and was between two and three laps in need of making it to the end of the race. He wanted a caution flag that by no means flew.
“I knew he was two laps quick, but I actually wanted to get by him in case they were fooling with me,” Logano stated. “They were getting nice mileage and I knew (Kevin Harvick) behind me, he was about the identical pace as me. Just getting that clear air would have been so much.”
Martin had to hit the pit lane with three laps to go. Logano was then within the lead, and Harvick was never capable of get close sufficient to problem for the win.
Logano received in that position by making a three-wide transfer on Harvick for second place on the race’s ultimate restart with 23 laps to go. Once he got the place on Harvick, he labored his way round Kurt Busch and kept Martin within his sights earlier than Martin was pressured to pit.
“I simply mistimed that final restart there,” Harvick said. “I used to be rolling pretty good on (Martin), and going to beat him to the start/finish line and I had to check up and that allowed the 22 to type of make it three-vast and get under me and we had to struggle back from there.”
After again-to-back fortieth place finishes at Daytona and New Hampshire, Logano tumbled from tenth to 18th within the standings and was 36 points outdoors of the top 10.
That 18th place was one spot under where he was at the identical time in 2012, when he was with Joe Gibbs Racing. After Matt Kenseth’s arrival to take the reins of the No. 20 automobile that Logano was driving final season, Logano signed with Penske Racing to staff with Brad Keselowski.
In the run-up to final year’s Chase, Logano stagnated and was 18th and with no sniff of the Wild Card come Richmond. This 12 months at Penske, the stagnation has changed into spring water. In the races since that tough two weeks, he has finishes of eighth, seventh and seventh. And, after all, Sunday’s win.
That means he is now back to 13th in the standings, 17 factors out of the highest 10 and 7 points behind Martin Truex Jr. for the ultimate Wild Card spot. What looked to be an afterthought a month ago is now a authentic risk.
“We bet on Joey once we hired him and he’s actually been showing the pace and the skill and at present, profitable at our home observe for Ford and the Shell-Pennzoil automotive, it is an outstanding weekend for Penske Racing,” automobile owner Roger Penske mentioned.
Joey Logano thrusts himself into Chase contention with win at Michigan
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