Logano’s Late Choose Gamble Results In Top Five At Home

Joey Logano in action at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. (Nigel Kinrade/NKP photo)

LOUDON, N.H. – Team Penske’s Joey Logano took a chance on the final restart of Sunday afternoon’s Mobil 1 301 at his home track, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, and left with a top-five finish to show for it.

The race for the win at the Loudon, N.H. track came down to the three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and his teammate, Ryan Blaney. Logano started the final stage in the lead after taking two tires during the second stage break.

Blaney, on the other hand, had taken four Goodyear Racing Eagles. Over the first 35 green-flag laps of the final stage, he slowly reeled in Logano. A brief battle between the two Ford Racing drivers ultimately saw the 2023 Cup Series champion get the better of Logano.

“The [No.] 12 was wicked fast in practice, and he showed that again in the race,” Logano said. “Our only chance was beating him on pit road and beating him on details, but they were able to make up their track position when they put four [tires] on. Over time they got back up there.”

Blaney was the first to pit for fresh tires during the final pit cycle, hitting pit road on lap 232. Logano followed suit six laps later. When the green flag pit cycle was complete, the Middletown, Conn. native was four seconds behind his teammate.

The gap appeared to be insurmountable until the caution waved with 46 laps remaining, after Rick Ware Racing’s Cody Ware crashed following his attempt at retaliation against Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon stemming from an early race incident.

Joey Logano (22) leads Ryan Blaney at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. (Rusty Jarrett/Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Logano knew that if he chose to restart behind Blaney that he wasn’t going to win. Fatefully, he chose to line up alongside his teammate, in fourth, behind Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott, for the 42-lap run to the finish.

The 35-year-old’s decision ultimately cost him a spot on track. While Logano got by Elliott, he was soon passed by another Hendrick Motorsports driver in William Byron.

Ultimately Logano took the checkered flag in fourth, earning his third consecutive top-five finish. While it wasn’t a win, Logano was proud of the effort put forth by his team.

“That last restart, I could have restarted behind him and probably finished third in the race, but I wanted a chance to win and if I was behind the [No.] 12, I wasn’t going to win. I went for it and it cost us a spot, but, overall, I’m proud of the execution.”

The fourth-place finish came with a runner-up in the opening stage and a win in the second stage. The 19 stage points brought Logano’s points total for the day up to 52 when combined with the 33 for finishing fourth.

The 52 points moved Logano up from 10th to sixth on the playoff grid. He now sits 12 points above the playoff cut line, held by Joe Gibbs Racing’s Chase Briscoe.

“We obviously got a ton of points today,” Logano observed. “I think we got a second and a first in the first two stages and a top four finish, so we did what we needed to do. We’re plus [against] the cut line. But I’d rather win. That’s just the greed in me, especially when it’s [at] home.”

The top five finish marked the first time that the veteran driver has earned three consecutive top fives since the spring of 2019 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, Richmond (Va.) Raceway, and Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

It also came with a race-high 147 laps led and a first-ever home track pole for Logano coming into Sunday, a strong sign as the defending series champion chases a fourth Cup Series title.

Next for Logano, and the rest of the Cup Series field, is the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway. The seasoned driver aims to earn his fourth consecutive top five, a feat he has not accomplished since the 2017 season.

The good news there is that Logano has nine top-five finishes at Kansas, including three victories, most recently in the 2020 running of the playoff race at the 1.5-mile oval.

Broadcast coverage of the Hollywood Casino 400 is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 28 at 3 p.m. ET, live on USA, the Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.