Notebook: Logano matches career-best finish at LMS

CONCORD, N.C. -- Rookie Joey Logano's acclimation to Sprint Cup racing was in full view in Monday's rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

Logano ran as high as fourth during the race, which was called after 227 of a scheduled 400 laps. Under caution on Lap 222, he brought his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to the pits for four tires and fuel and lost positions when race winner David Reutimann, runner-up Ryan Newman and third-place finisher Robby Gordon gambled on the weather and stayed on the track.

Sound Off: Logano

Rookie Joey Logano talks about his rain strategy in the Coca-Cola 600 and what he did during the delays.

• More

Logano was credited with a ninth-place run, matching the career-best he posted in two of the previous three races, at Talladega and Darlington. Though the rain may have deprived him of a better finish, Logano, who turned 19 on Sunday, was philosophical.

"A top-10 is hard to be mad about," he said. "Could have been a blessing in disguise. Could have been better. Could have been worse. The only thing that I wish was different is that they brought us down pit road and stopped up and let us change our tires after we went back green [instead of opening pit road when the final caution flew], because then we would have been sitting fourth right now or fifth or wherever the heck we were.

"It is what it is. I couldn't have done anything about it, so I really can't be mad about it. It's still ninth place. We could have gone back a lot further than [we could have gone] forward."

Dominant Busch settles for sixth

Kyle Busch led 173 of the 227 laps at LMS, but rain foiled his winning chances, just as it had in Saturday night's Nationwide Series race, which Mike Bliss won by conserving fuel and staying on the track while Busch and other contenders came to the pits in that rain-shortened race.

Busch fell victim to a similar theme in the Coca-Cola 600, which he led until the rain fell on Lap 221. With five drivers either staying out or taking two tires under caution, as was the case with Carl Edwards and Brian Vickers, Busch was credited with a six-place finish.

"Weather -- you can't do anything about it, really," Busch said. "We knew it was coming, we knew it was here, but we weren't going to be able to ride around under caution for more than five laps. That was all we had of fuel left.

"We had to come down and put gas in it. Fortunately, a lot of guys like us took four tires, so we didn't lose that much ground."

Moment of silence

At 3 p.m. ET Monday, drivers and crewmen take a moment of silence to honor our men and women in service.

• More

Stirring moment

At 3 p.m. ET, 163 laps into the race, NASCAR brought the cars to a halt on the frontstretch as crew members lined pit road and fans stood silently in the grandstands in a Memorial Day moment of remembrance for members of the Armed Forces who have given their lives in service to the United States.

"I thought that it was really cool," said seventh-place finisher Kasey Kahne. "To honor the men and women who have served our country, and be able to participate in such a really special deal was great.

"During the moment of silence, I just sat in my car and thought about what the men and women of the Armed Services have done for our country. I'm proud of NASCAR and all the drivers and crews for such a great moment."