Joey Logano and The Home Depot Team were hoping to race their way into the Sprint All-Star race on Saturday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The top two finishers from the Sprint Showdown would transfer into the main event along with the Sprint Fan Vote Winner. An engine change in the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota on Friday would force the team to start in the rear of the 27-car field and with just 40 laps to get to the front. Logano and the Home Depot Team made a valiant effort but fell short and finished fifth.

“It’s tough to make up that much ground in 40 laps,” said Logano. “We passed a lot of cars out there, but I wore the front tires off the Home Depot Toyota trying to get into the top two. It’s disappointing not to make it into the All-Star race, but we learned a lot today that will help us next week in the 600.”

Following final practice for the Sprint Showdown, the team found something amiss with the engine on the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota. To err on the side of caution, the team changed the engine prior to qualifying. Logano posted the ninth quickest lap in qualifying, but due to the one-engine rule had to start from the rear of the field on Saturday night.

Logano knew with just 40 laps to get to the front he would have to be aggressive on the restarts. After starting last in the 27-car field, Logano crossed the start-finish line after the first lap of racing in the 18th position having passed nine cars. He broke into the top 10 on lap 10 and by the halfway point was sitting seventh. NASCAR waved the mandatory yellow at lap 20 and the teams had the option of pitting. Logano told crew chief Greg Zipadelli the car started off good, but got tight in the center. Zipadelli decided to call his driver down pit road for right-side tires and a chassis adjustment. While several of the front runners remained on the track, Logano restarted from the ninth position.

Logano had another incredible restart and after just one lap of green-flag racing was sitting in the sixth position. He maneuvered his way into the top five on lap 25 with the caution flag waving just two laps later. The restart on lap 28 was a wild one as cars were four wide going into the first turn. The No. 20 Toyota sustained minor damage as the cars were bouncing off one another. Logano soon found himself running in third, one position away from the transfer spot on lap 28. Unfortunately, the Home Depot car got really tight and he took the checkered flag in the fifth position.

Logano and the team return to Charlotte Motor Speedway next weekend for the Coca-Cola 600, the longest race of the season.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup race will be broadcast on Sunday on FOX beginning at 6:00 p.m. EDT and on PRN Radio.

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