Logano wins first as rain shortens New Hampshire

LOUDON, N.H. -- Another rainstorm. Another first-time winner.

With 28 laps remaining in Sunday's Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, rain stopped the race and made a winner of rookie Joey Logano, much as it had done for David Reutimann in the Coca-Cola 600 in May.

Sliced Bread -- Logano's nickname, as in the best thing since -- may have been soggy at the finish, but he had enough fuel left in his tank to make it to the end of pit road when NASCAR red-flagged the Sprint Cup race after Lap 273 (watch video).

"I guess I'd rather be lucky than good right now," Logano said as he waited for the decision. "Obviously, we didn't have the car to win, but we've overcame a lot [Sunday] -- tires down and more issues than you can imagine."

Logano became the youngest winner in Cup Series history at 19 years, 1 month, 4 days (watch video), more than a year sooner than Kyle Busch, who went to Victory Lane at Fontana in 2005 at 20 years, 4 months, 2 days.

Stretching his fuel mileage to the limit, Logano stayed on the track and prayed that a large storm that had appeared on the radar would arrive at the 1.058-mile race track before he ran out of gas. After NASCAR threw a yellow flag for rain on Lap 267, Logano still had to complete six circuits under caution before the race was stopped.

Shortly thereafter, NASCAR called the race and declared Logano the winner.

"[Crew chief Greg Zipadelli] said to just stay out, rain's in the area," Logano said. "So we started saving a little bit of fuel ... It's a dream come true, that's for sure."

It was a virtual home victory for Logano, who was raised in Middletown, Conn.

Jeff Gordon, who thought he had won the race with quick work in the pits under green on Lap 235, instead finished second.

"I felt like we had the best car," Gordon said. "The guys got us out first on our last pit stop, but it just got us out ahead of the guys we were racing with."

• Press Pass: Joey Logano | Jeff Gordon | Kurt Busch (Continued)