The Home Depot Toyota was fast on Saturday night in the inaugural Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway but was victim to untimely cautions in the midst of green-flag pit stops which shut Joey Logano and the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota team out of the top 10 in the final run down. Despite the ill-timed cautions, Logano was able to score a 14th-place finish and remain 20th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings.

“We should have finished better than where we did,” Logano said after the race. “At the beginning of the race we were way, way, way too tight — couldn’t get it better. We were struggling there to get it better. We got it good at one point at the middle part of the race and we worked our way back up there and it felt like we we’re a top-10 car. Then we caught every caution exactly the wrong way every time there was cycling through. I’m proud of what we did today though. We definitely fought hard. All of us worked real well together. I’m proud of that, for sure. Feel like we should have finished in the top 10, but we fought back strong. I think we finished 14th — not where we wanted, but overall our performance was there today.

Logano started the race in the 15th position and ran in the top 15 during the first 30 laps despite battling a very tight-handling race car. The team used the competition caution at lap 30 to make track bar and air pressure adjustments in an effort to give Logano more front grip as he exited the turns. The next 100-plus laps around the track took place without incident and Logano kept the Home Depot Toyota in the top 15 despite a lack of grip that kept him from being able to be aggressive at the exits of the turns.

The second caution of the race waved at lap 139. The team adjusted the air pressure of the right-side tires in an effort to give Logano more front grip, changed four tires and added fuel. Logano was in 16th place when racing resumed on lap 145. The third caution waved only seven laps later which made it too early to determine how effective the adjustments were on the Home Depot Toyota. Once racing resumed at lap 157 Logano climbed back into the top 15 and into the 13th position. He reported that the handling on the car seemed to improve as the track continued to cool in the night air.

Green-flag pit stops started taking place at lap 185 with the No. 20 Home Depot team making its own stop at lap 192 for four tires, a track bar adjustment and fuel. The fourth caution waved at lap 199 with a handful of cars still waiting to make their stop. This placed Logano and a number of other drivers a lap down, forcing the Home Depot Team to stay out on the track and take the wave around to get back on the lead lap. This placed Logano in 20th place when racing resumed at lap 209.

The same green-flap pit stop issue befell the Home Depot Team when the fifth caution of the race waved at lap 255, less than eight laps after the team had made a green-flag stop. After taking the wave around for the second time in the race, Logano was in 20th place for the restart at lap 259. Logano made an aggressive charge after restarting the race and was able to climb to the 14th place by the time the checkered flag waved.

Logano’s Joe Gibbs Racing Teammate Kyle Busch scored the win, becoming the inaugural winner of the Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway while Denny Hamlin finished the event in 11th place.

The 14th-place effort keeps Logano in the 20th position in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings following Saturday night’s race. He is eight points out of 19th place and 25 points out of 15th.

Logano travels to the track he considers his “home” track for next weekend’s New Hampshire 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The race airs on TNT television and PRN radio with live racing coverage beginning at 1:00 p.m. ET on Sunday.

Joey Logano Quaker State 400 Photos

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