FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — The current NASCAR Cup champion, Joey Logano, managed to secure his inaugural win of the season despite facing numerous challenges.
It arrived a week later than the one from Team Penske’s fellow driver.
Austin Cindric’s victory at Talladega
, where Logano secured a fifth-place finish but it turned into a 39th place after post-race inspections revealed a problem with the spoiler on his No. 22 Ford. Additionally,
Logano’s expletive-laden rant
On the radio to his teammate midway through that race, they sorted things out over the week. By the way, he began the race at Texas from the 27th position following a difficult qualifying session on the 1.5-mile track.
However, Logano moved into the lead during therestart in overtime on Sunday, securing victory in the 11thrace of the year. He managed to take the front spot for just seven out of the total 271 laps, which was four more laps than originally planned.
“After everything that transpired last week, to bounce back and jump right back into action shows the true ‘22’ approach. I’m really proud of the team,” Logano stated.
During the last restart following the 12th yellow flag, Logano found himself next to his fellow team member, Ryan Blaney, on the inside. However, Logano surged ahead during the back stretch and maintained an easy lead for the remaining one-and-a-half laps. Meanwhile, Ross Chastain overtook Blaney to secure the second position right before him.
Just take it slow and steady,” Logano commented about moving up front. “Keep pushing, gaining a bit at a time until we finally secure a victory.
Logano secured his 37th career win by taking the lead for the first time on Lap 264. He maneuvered to the inside to overtake Michael McDowell successfully.
I mean there’s always another story coming up next week,” Logano stated. “So, I told my wife earlier last week before we headed out, I said keep an eye on me because I’m going to win this time. That’s just our approach.
With 47 laps remaining, McDowell opted for just two tires under a caution period, advancing 15 positions to take second place. Despite leading a total of 19 laps, he lost his lead position to Logano and subsequently became unstable a few laps later, resulting in a crash that triggered another caution, pushing the race into an overtime situation. Ultimately, he secured the 26th spot at the finish line.
We put all our effort into maintaining our track position,” McDowell stated. “Joey made his move, and I attempted to block him. I believe I pushed my defense as much as possible. However, when Blaney moved ahead of me, he disrupted my airflow, causing me to lose control. Despite still being determined to compete, I likely should have yielded at that moment.
Odds and Ends
William Byron, Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, and Chase Elliott continued to hold the top four positions in the seasonal point standings. … Last spring, when leaving Texas, Elliott had
His initial win following 42 races
And he hasn’t secured a victory in 18 months. Since his last win, he has entered a prolonged period without a win that spans 38 races and almost 13 months, with his most recent finish being sixteenth place. … During a yellow flag in the second segment, a team member from Christopher Bell’s pit crew climbed into the passenger seat of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to fix an air hose connection needed for the driver’s helmet. The process required two attempts and multiple entries into the vehicle before the problem could be resolved.
Blazing finish ends Hamlin’s streak
Hamlin had completed 21 successive races on the lead lap, but he failed to do so this time.
scorching conclusion on lap 75
He ended that streak, which tied for the eighth longest in NASCAR history. He became the first driver to be eliminated from the competition.
When the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota experienced a loss of power, an explosion occurred as Hamlin attempted to restart the engine. Flames erupted beneath the vehicle, and thick smoke enveloped it by the time it came to a halt along the inner part of the track. Fortunately, Hamlin exited the car safely without injury.
Youngest polesitter
Carson Hocevar, at 22 years old and driving for Spire Motorsports alongside McDowel, became the youngest pole winner in Texas history. Although he started strong by leading the initial 22 laps before relinquishing his position due to pit stops under yellow flag conditions, he ultimately concluded the race in 24th place following an incident later on.
Stage cautions
Both segments concluded under caution. Cindric secured victory in Segment 1 following Hamlin’s problems, and Kyle Larson claimed the win in Segment 2 when a yellow flag was issued due to debris on the track from Chris Buescher’s shredded right-rear tire.
Larson secured his 68th career stage victory and his sixth at Texas, setting new records for both achievements. He has claimed a stage winner in every one of the past five Cup races held in Texas, beginning from his triumph in 2021.
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Stephen Hawking, The Associated Press
