Joey Logano Kobalt Tools 400 Results
Joey Logano and The Home Depot Team were hoping to turn their luck around in the 400-mile race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Unfortunately a late-race penalty with 25 laps to go dropped the team out of the top 10 and into the 23rd position. Logano now sits 30th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings heading into the off weekend.
“The guys did a great job all day adjusting on The Home Depot Toyota,” said Logano. “We were set to finish in the top 10 and get the season rolling, but I guess something happened on that pit stop at the end and I had to serve a pass-through penalty. We’ve had three top-10 cars this season but something has kept us from getting the finish we should have. It’s tough because you know the cars are really good, so that makes days like this so frustrating. The car was the best it had been all day at the end too, I know we could have made up several spots if it wasn’t for that penalty.”
Logano started the Las Vegas 400 from the sixth position after qualifying on Friday. The team fine-tuned the car in the final practice session on Saturday before the green flag waved on Sunday. Crew chief Greg Zipadelli began adjusting on The Home Depot Toyota on lap 10 following the caution flag. Logano was battling a tight condition in the center of the corners, so Zipadelli called for a wedge adjustment and fuel. When racing resumed on lap 12 Logano was in the 11th position.
Through the midpoint of the 267-lap race, Logano told the team the car was tight in the center and loose of the corner but was running in the top 10. He worked his way up into the sixth position again on lap 156 and slipped back to eighth following the caution on lap 194. The green flag waved on lap 202 and the race would remain caution free until the checkered flag waved. The car took off tighter that run following a chassis adjustment and tires, but was better on exit according to Logano.
The Home Depot Toyota was running in the 10th position when green-flag stops began on lap 235. Zipadelli made the call for a two-tire stop on lap 241 to gain track position, but the NASCAR Official in the pit told the team there had been a tire violation on the stop and Logano would have to serve a penalty. Apparently the rear tire that had come off the car was not back to the wall before Logano left his pit stall resulting in the penalty. It dropped Logano from sixth to 23rd and one lap down to the leader. Despite the fact that Logano was in the lucky dog position, the caution flag never waved to give him the opportunity to get his lap back. He crossed the stripe in the 23rd position.
Logano’s teammates Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch finished seventh and 38th respectively. Logano now sits 30th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings following the third race of the season. He sits 60 points behind Tony Stewart who leads the standings.
Logano and The Home Depot Team look will have a weekend off before heading to Bristol Motor Speedway in two weeks. The race airs on FOX television and PRN radio with live racing coverage beginning at 1 p.m. ET.
Joey Logano Kobalt Tools 400 Photos
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