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Penske driver riding hot streak after first win of season
When Joey Logano won the Coors Light Pole in a record speed of 203.695 mph at Michigan International Speedway, the first thought that might have run through fantasy owners’ minds was to stay away from him in fear of a poor score in place differential. When you’re at the top, sometimes there’s only one place to go, and that’s down, which would have meant a big loss in fantasy points.
But Logano managed to come through with a victory in the Pure Michigan 400 that delighted fantasy owners that didn’t shy away from the No. 22. In fact, Logano was the top-scoring driver in the NASCAR Fantasy Live game, pleasing a slight uptick in ownership after winning the pole. (His price increased by $0.25 due to more demand.)
Even with the increase, Logano was still priced at a manageable $22.25 and provided plenty of bang for the buck. Logano tallied 95.5 fantasy points, edging Kevin Harvick, who scored 93. Kurt Busch was third with 91 points, followed by Michigan favorite Greg Biffle with 90 and the red-hot Kasey Kahne with 86.
For a Penske-driven Ford to do well at Michigan was not a big surprise, but it still marked Logano’s first win of the season and only the third win of his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career. So even if you pegged Logano for a good showing, the amount of the payoff was still bigger than expected.
Now the question is whether Logano can continue to provide good value for the remainder of the races leading up to the Chase for NASCAR Sprint Cup.
Looking back, Logano’s win at Michigan was his fourth straight top-10 finish. And it was his 10th top-10 finish in the past 13 races. But Logano also had back-to-back 40th-place finishes at Daytona and New Hampshire that could have shaken the nerves of even the most confident fantasy owners.
Looking ahead, NASCAR Statistical Service’s Loop Data shows us that in the past eight seasons at Bristol Motor Speedway Logano ranks 22nd in driver rating. His average finish there has been 21.6, and in the spring he was 17th after a dust-up with Denny Hamlin.
So at least for the immediate future, it could be time to cash in your winnings with Logano and move to another mid-priced driver. Might we suggest Kurt Busch? His historical data is better at Bristol, and as you’ll see by reading on, the price is right, too.
Key Fantasy Moment: When Jimmie Johnson felt a couple of cylinders drop in his engine early in the race, fantasy owners’ hearts dropped as well. Although Johnson has never won at Michigan International Speedway, many owners stuck with him even though he was starting from the back after a crash in final practice that forced him to go with a backup car. But for the poor souls who were looking for another big day from Johnson, it wasn’t meant to be at a track that continues to be the No. 48’s bugaboo. Johnson had a league-worst minus-23.5 fantasy points on the day.
Best Value: On a point-per-dollar basis, Logano was a better value than Kurt Busch, but since we already talked about Logano in this column, pairing him with the No. 78 was an ideal situation. Both drivers were moderately priced at $22.50 for Busch and $22.25 for Logano and paid off handsomely with 93 and 95.5 fantasy points, respectively. Busch was no sure thing after finishing 35th at Michigan in June, but his third-place finish extended his run to six top-10s in the eight races since the first trip through Michigan. Kudos to fantasy owners who hopped aboard with Furniture Row Racing driver for this one.
Biggest Bust: Besides Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was the biggest name closest to the bottom of the fantasy standings on Sunday. Junior tallied just 4.5 fantasy points and came in 37th among 43 drivers. That was a hard pill to swallow given that he cost fantasy owners $26.25 to have on their teams. It was doubly difficult given that Junior has done well at Michigan and was running up front when he got a flat tire and smacked the wall in Turn 2 on Lap 135. He finished 36th after leading 20 laps earlier in the race.
Tip to take forward: The Sprint Cup Series switches from the two-mile track at Michigan to the close quarters of the 0.53-mile coliseum at Bristol. That means it’s time to bone up on the short-track bargains and busts for your fantasy team. Funny thing is, with the way Michigan played, it was almost as unpredictable as some of the situations that come to pass at Bristol. Kasey Kahne won the spring race in Bristol, but we’ll see how it goes the second time around. Kyle Busch comes in with the highest driver rating (103.0) at the track, according to NASCAR Statistical Service’s Loop Data. Logano’s rating of 75.1 over that same span ranks him 22nd.
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No. 14 team rallies to take 14th at Michigan with substitute driver
Related: Full results | Updated standings | Complete coverage from Michigan
BROOKLYN, Mich. — What started inauspiciously for Austin Dillon turned into just the kind of effort Stewart-Haas Racing was hoping for out of its substitute driver.
The NASCAR Nationwide Series regular spun early at Michigan International Speedway, but Dillon and Tony Stewart’s No. 14 team regrouped and rallied for — appropriately — a 14th-place finish on the 2-mile track. SHR had hoped for a top-20 finish from Dillon, driving in the second straight NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event that Stewart has missed since breaking two bones in his right leg in a sprint car crash Aug. 5.
In that regard, it was mission accomplished.
“We’d have loved to have run up front and gave him a shot to win it. But we came here to get a solid finish, (and) we did that,” crew chief Steve Addington said. “We got a little behind there at the beginning, but did all the wave-arounds and stayed on our plan, and it worked out for us. All the guys are pumped up. They enjoyed working with him, and that’s the main thing. We had a great weekend. Everything went really smooth.”
On a slick Michigan track surface where Clint Bowyer spun on the first lap and Kyle Busch went around twice, Dillon spun 13 laps into the event and collected the car of J.J. Yeley. Addington said the contact knocked in the right side of the car, but the incident occurred early enough in the race that the No. 14 crew was able to pull out the vehicle’s fenders and keep their fill-in driver competitive.
“Our goal was a top-15, but I put us behind at the beginning,” Dillon said. “Thought I was going to be able to pass J.J. pretty easy, but I just got loose under him. It was totally my fault. I got in there hard, grabbed the brake and slid into him. I hate it for him and the 36 team. I know they’re out here battling each and every week. That was a bad deal for them. I didn’t mean to get into them like that.
“I pretty much did exactly what I did not want to do. Going into it, I knew I needed to stay calm and take my time because it was 200 laps, and then we’re wrecked before we even get to Lap 20. I just made a big mistake. It happens when you’re out there racing hard and just trying to give it your all. I knew the car was fast. I was just trying to get too much, too early. But I’m proud of the way we battled back and earned this finish.”
Dillon’s finish left the No. 14 car in 13th place in Sprint Cup Series owners’ points, a drop of two positions from the previous week, where Max Papis filled in at Watkins Glen. Stewart has endured two surgeries on the broken tibia and fibula in his right leg, and is under doctor’s orders to remain in bed with the extremity elevated to prevent swelling.
SHR competition director Greg Zipadelli said Friday that the team is planning a schedule of substitute drivers for the remainder of the year, a list that should be finalized before the series arrives at Bristol Motor Speedway next weekend. An announcement of a replacement driver for the half-mile short track — expected to be Mark Martin — could come as early as Monday.
But Sunday that duty fell to Dillon, whom Addington said kept cool even after his early incident. “He did a good job of hanging on,” the crew chief said. “He’s got to be proud of it.”
It was a busy weekend for the Richard Childress Racing driver, who on Saturday helicoptered to the inaugural Nationwide Series race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course to compete in that event. Although Dillon practiced his No. 3 car on Thursday, he remained in Michigan on Friday and through Saturday morning, forcing him to start at the rear on the road course. He finished 21st, and fell from atop the series to fourth in Nationwide standings, 15 behind new leader Sam Hornish Jr.
Sunday’s substitute effort on the Sprint Cup tour produced a more positive result.
“The kid is mature beyond his years,” Addington said. “He’s got a ton of talent. That kid is going to be a star in this sport.”
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Keselowski wasn’t fond of crew chief Paul Wolfe’s decision to pit for fuel
Related: Full results | Updated standings | Complete coverage from Michigan
BROOKLYN, Mich. — Brad Keselowski wanted to go for it.
That much was evident in the tenor of his voice, as he and crew chief Paul Wolfe debated strategy in the final laps Sunday at Michigan International Speedway. With the No. 2 car in the lead and its driver still without a victory in the waning weeks of the Sprint Cup Series regular season, the urgency was understandable. But so was the reality of how many circuits were remaining, and how much fuel was left in the tank.
"I don’t know, man. Your call," Keselowski told his crew chief over the radio. "But I don’t want to pit."
Crunching the numbers, Wolfe knew there was no other option. "It’s a big risk if we don’t," he responded. "We could end up finishing 28th."
Finally, team owner Roger Penske intervened. "We’ve got to pit," the Captain intoned. The debate ended, the No. 2 car came in under yellow for two tires and fuel, and after restarting mid-pack Keselowski drove up to a 12th-place result that maintained his eighth-place standing in Sprint Cup points.
Not that he was thrilled about it.
"It’s the same (bleeping) deal every week," Keselowski said after the race. "The yellows fall exactly the wrong way to screw our strategy. That can’t keep going that way. Eventually it’s like blackjack, you aren’t going to keep turning 15 or 16 on every damn hand. Eventually you are going to turn a good hand. We just didn’t catch it today."
Keselowski ran in the top-10 for much of the race, and stayed out to take the lead under caution with 43 laps remaining after Kyle Busch spun into the wall. Without a victory yet this season, the reigning champ has walked a tightrope as far as Chase for the Sprint Cup contention, earning a small measure of breathing room by breaking back into the top 10 with a runner-up performance at Watkins Glen last week. Suddenly, there he was out front — until Busch spun again, this time with 27 laps remaining, forcing the No. 2 team to make a decision it really didn’t want to make.
"It’s frustrating," Wolfe said. "It was real tough. But we’re not in the greatest situation right now, points-wise, and the risk-versus-reward situation wasn’t adding up in my head. I knew if we pitted there we should hopefully get a top 15 out of it and still keep ourselves in the top 10 in points where we need to be. And I know going into these next races, these are all tracks where I feel we’re capable of winning races, and we’ll get our wins. So today was just, have a good solid day, continue to work on our points, and we did that."
In the moment, though, it wasn’t quite that easy. Under yellow, Wolfe broke the news to Keselowski that they’d need at least one more caution to make it to the end. "I pit here, I’m pretty much guaranteeing a 10th-place day," the driver said.
"That’s what we need right now," Wolfe responded.
The two went back and forth a little more until Penske settled the matter. "I think once the boss radioed in and said that," Wolfe said after the race, "I don’t think the driver was going to argue anymore at that point."
In the cockpit, it was reluctant agreement. "You know I want to win. I don’t want to points race," Keselowski radioed his crew chief after the pit stop.
"I hear you," Wolfe responded. "Me too. Me too. We’ll get there."
Keselowski restarted 17th after pitting and got back to 12th, keeping himself eight points to the good side of the Chase bubble. Mark Martin was using the same late-race strategy as Keselowski, and stayed out during the final caution period after Busch spun the second time. Flirting with his first Sprint Cup victory since 2009, the part-time Michael Waltrip Racing driver ran out of fuel with four laps remaining, and would up 27th — allowing Keselowski’s Penske teammate Joey Logano to seize a win that bolstered his own Chase hopes.
Seeing the No. 55 run dry offered a small bit of solace for Wolfe. Had Keselowski stayed out, he would have run out of gas at about the same time.
"Absolutely, because I think (Martin) was 27th, and we would have been one spot ahead of him," the crew chief said. "At the end of the day, that call kept us in the top 10 where we need to be."
Added Keselowski: "I guess we made the right call," he said, "but I ain’t gotta like it."
With three races remaining until the Chase field is decided, Penske said both his drivers are "on the bubble" as far as the playoff is concerned. But after a rough early summer, the defending champions seem to have rediscovered their footing and are turning out more consistent results. One reason Wolfe was content to take what he could get at Michigan was because he feels better tracks lie ahead — beginning next weekend at Bristol, where Keselowski has won twice.
"I feel like out of these four races we had, this was probably our weakest track," Wolfe said of the 2-mile oval. "Heading to Bristol, we’ve obviously got a lot of confidence there as well as Atlanta and Richmond, where we run well. It’s good to see our teammate in Victory Lane, and obviously that’s going to help their cause in making the Chase, and we’ve just got to keep working. Both cars were fast today, so that’s encouraging."
Logano’s triumph could wind up working against Keselowski in the Wild Card race, given that his teammate now has a victory, even if he is five positions lower in the standings. But to the defending Sprint Cup champion, there’s only one route back into the Chase.
"I’m not looking at Wild Card," Keselowski said. "I want my way into the top 10."
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Victory is first of the season for 22 team; Hendrick cars struggle
Updated standings | Results | Race highlights | Full coverage
BROOKLYN, Mich. — Add another name to the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup conversation.
Joey Logano started Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400 from the Coors Light Pole, and after a convoluted mix of strategy and racing incidents, it was Logano who claimed the victory and established himself as a contender for a berth in NASCAR’s postseason.
The victory was Logano’s first of the season, his first at Michigan, his first for Penske Racing and the third of his career. Kevin Harvick ran second, followed by Kurt Busch, Paul Menard and Clint Bowyer.
The victory moved Logano from 16th to 13th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings, 17 points out of 10th place. The youngest winner in Michigan history also is in play for a Wild Card, with two spots available to the drivers in positions 11-20 in the standings with the most victories.
"This is huge for our Chase hopes," Logano said. "We needed this to have a shot at getting in the Chase. We’re close now, but we can’t make any mistakes. This sure does help a lot."
Mark Martin took off after a restart on Lap 178, as Kurt Busch, Logano and Harvick battled for the second spot behind him. After the running order shuffled out with Logano in second and Harvick in third, the pursuers began to close in on the leader.
But Logano, 23, who came to the public eye as a 14-year-old with praise from the 54-year-old Martin, couldn’t make the pass for the lead, even though Martin was trying mightily to save fuel.
"I noticed he was lifting early, because I was catching him on entry (into the corners)," Logano said. "He was able to pull me on exit. I wanted to get by him, because I knew the 29 (Harvick) was fast, too.
"It is so cool to be here in Victory Lane. It’s crazy racing Mark Martin, my childhood hero. I was able to race against him in Pocono last year for the win. It is so cool racing against a guy like that."
But when Martin slowed in Turn 3 on Lap 197 and brought his car to pit road for fuel, Logano shot past him into the lead with Harvick in hot pursuit. Logano held the top spot for the final four laps and took the checkered flag by 1.018 seconds over the No. 29 Chevrolet.
To Harvick, the race was decided on the final restart. Harvick lined up inside Martin with Logano’s No. 22 Ford behind the No. 29 Chevy.
"Just mistimed that last restart there," Harvick said. "I had a great run on the 55 (Martin). Was going to beat him to the line by too much. Wound up having to drag the brakes. From there, it was going to be sketchy if we were going to keep the 22 back there.
"Went for it, backfired a little bit there as we got three‑wide and lost some track position. I didn’t think we were going to be racing the 55 there for the win (because Martin was short on fuel). I thought if we could just get out of Turn 2 in second we’d be in good shape. Got a little bit greedy and lost a couple spots there. That’s what ultimately cost us the win."
Series leader Jimmie Johnson couldn’t exorcise his Michigan jinx. After wrecking his primary car in Saturday’s practice, Johnson started Sunday’s race from the rear of the field in a backup car. He took the lead on Lap 43 during a cycle of green-flag pit stops, but shortly thereafter Johnson exited the race because of an engine failure.
"The engine broke there," Johnson said after bringing the car to the garage. "I guess when we came in for a green flag pit stop, something started then and made it a few more laps and didn’t really notice anything off.
"Then it finally dropped a cylinder or two down the backstretch. Definitely an unfortunate thing, but we had plenty of speed in the car and I think we were going to be a factor."
Johnson could afford that sort of failure, having locked himself into the Chase last week at Watkins Glen. The same couldn’t be said of Hendrick Motorsports teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr., who smacked the Turn 2 wall on Lap 135 — after leading 20 circuits earlier in the race — and took his crippled car to the garage for repairs.
Earnhardt finished 36th and dropped from sixth to seventh in the standings, 20 points ahead of 11th-place Kasey Kahne with three races left before the Chase field is set at Richmond.
On Lap 157, Kyle Busch smacked the wall and narrowly reeled his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota through traffic with minimal control. He later spun out and hit the grass to finish 31st.
Though he was the victim of an early spin in Turn 4, Austin Dillon rallied from a lap down to finish 14th in his substitute role for injured Tony Stewart, the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet is in a tight battle with the No. 56 of Michael Waltrip Racing for a spot in the owners’ Chase.
After Sunday’s race, the two cars are tied for the final Wild Card spot, with the No. 56, driven by Martin Truex Jr. holding the tiebreaker based on quality of finishes.
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Drivers position themselves for stretch run to postseason; Earnhardt struggles at best track
Updated standings | Lap-by-Lap breakdown | Race highlights | Full coverage
Three up
Three down
FULL SERIES COVERAGE
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STANDINGS *Wild Card
| Pos. | Driver | Pts back | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Jimmie Johnson | — | — |
| 2. | Clint Bowyer | -41 | — |
| 3. | Carl Edwards | -51 | — |
| 4. | Kevin Harvick | -64 | — |
| 5. | Kyle Busch | -107 | — |
| 6. | Matt Kenseth | -125 | +1 |
| 7. | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | -134 | -1 |
| 8. | Brad Keselowski | -146 | — |
| 9. | Kurt Busch | -148 | +2 |
| 10. | Greg Biffle | -150 | -1 |
| Pos. | Driver | Pts back of 10th | Wins |
| 11. | Kasey Kahne* | -4 | 2 |
| 12. | Martin Truex Jr.* | -10 | 1 |
| 13. | Joey Logano | -17 | 1 |
| 14. | Jeff Gordon | -26 | 0 |
| 15. | Ryan Newman | -27 | 1 |
In the green
Joey Logano (Change: 16th to 13th)
Joey Logano’s first Ford, Michigan and Penske Racing victory hasn’t quite put him into the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup yet, but he’s more than just knocking on the door — he’s got the battering ram ready to break right through it. A top-five at Bristol, combined with poor finishes from either teammate Brad Keselowski or Kurt Busch, could push him right into the top 10 and past a Wild Card spot.
Kurt Busch (Change: 11th to ninth)
Busch is still in fantastic shape considering he’s gone the entire season without a victory. It was only a matter of time before he earned a provisional Chase spot with the way he’s been running most of the season. He just needs to finish out the non-Chase portion of the season with exceptionally strong showings if he isn’t able to sneak into Victory Lane at Bristol, Atlanta or Richmond.
Kasey Kahne (Change: 12th to 11th)
It isn’t much, but Kahne’s gaining of one spot from 12th to 11th has him that much closer to a holding on to a non-Wild Card spot, which would be, for obvious reasons, a little less concerning. He still holds at least a one-victory advantage over any Wild Card contention, with the site of his first win this season (Bristol) coming up next week, but he’d sure love to move up at least another spot to get him into the worry-free zone.
In the red
Martin Truex Jr. (Change: 10th to 12th)
Truex held onto a Chase spot by virtue of his strong road-course finishes, but his showing at Michigan (16th) has thrown him into the Wild Card mix. He’s now in danger of losing a spot altogether to Logano (seven points back) or, if things go terribly wrong at Bristol, Ryan Newman (17 back).
Jeff Gordon (Change: 13th to 14th)
Apart from Dale Earnhardt Jr. (who struggled Sunday, coincidentally) Hendrick Motorsports cars don’t generally run well at Michigan, so it would be unfair to have expected Gordon to pull off a win in the Irish Hills. After all, he had just two victories in 42 starts at the track. That said, with Logano winding up in Victory Lane, Gordon’s Chase hopes took a drastic hit, and he almost certainly needs to earn his first win of 2013 at one of the three remaining non-Chase races.
Ryan Newman (Change: 14th to 15th)
Newman was far from terrible at Michigan, but by being leap-frogged by Logano in the standings and Truex falling to 11th, he loses his Wild Card Chase spot. With just two top-fives in 43 combined starts at Bristol and Atlanta, his only hope might be to pull off a miracle at Richmond, where he does have a victory.
Missed chances
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Change: 6th to 7th)
"Missed chances" might be an understatement for Junior, who lost a chance at what might have been his only shot at a victory before the Chase starts. With no wins in his back pocket and just 20 points separating himself from 11th-place Kahne, Earnhardt is in legitimate danger of not making the cut if he falls out of the top 10.
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In what may be his last ride in the No. 55, Martin’s much-needed caution never came
Related: Full results | Updated standings | Complete coverage from Michigan
BROOKLYN, Mich. — Mark Martin had plenty of speed in his No. 55 Toyota. What he didn’t have was plenty of fuel.
And in what might have been his final start of the season with the No. 55 Toyota of Michael Waltrip Racing, he saw a potential win sputter out in Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway.
The 54-year-old Martin, expected to be named interim driver for the injured Tony Stewart in the No. 14 car of Stewart-Haas Racing this week, was leading when his car ran out of gas with four laps remaining in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event.
"We needed one more yellow and we could have done it," Martin said afterward. "I saved a lot of gas out there; just stayed ahead of Joey (Logano) there. If he would have slowed down I could have maybe saved enough. But I had to go that fast. I had more speed in the car."
Career win No. 41 didn’t materialize, and Martin finished 27th. Logano, with plenty of fuel to spare, collected the win instead.
Martin, running a limited schedule this season for MWR, isn’t slated to drive for the team this weekend when the series returns to Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. Brian Vickers, recently tabbed to take over the ride full time beginning in 2014, was already scheduled to be in the car at Bristol, as well as Martinsville later this fall.
But with Stewart out indefinitely — the result of a broken right leg suffered in a sprint car crash Aug. 5 in Iowa — Martin’s name has surfaced as a replacement for the three-time champion. The move would allow Vickers more time with the MWR team to prepare for next season, and sponsorship hurdles have apparently been addressed, opening the door for the move.
Asked if Sunday’s race was his final start with MWR, Martin was non-committal. "I was driving the 55 today. … That’s all I’ve got for you," he said.
"We’re going for W’s. These guys really wanted to get a win with me. They’ve gotten one with Brian already. They’ve been close with me and with Michael (Waltrip) as well. They were going for it."
Martin, fourth fastest in qualifying, inherited the lead from Brad Keselowski (Penske Racing) on Lap 174 when he stayed out rather than pit under the day’s ninth caution. In clean air, his car was a rocket. But fuel concerns were lingering, and the hoped-for 10th caution — which would have allowed Martin to slow and burn less fuel — failed to occur.
Instead, he had to run fast enough to remain ahead of Logano. And that little bit of speed proved costly.
"There was no way to save fuel and lead," he said. "I was saving a lot … but in order to stay leading I couldn’t save any more."
Crew chief Rodney Childers wasn’t second-guessing the decision later, watching as the crew loaded the car for the trip back to the team’s shop in Cornelius, N.C.
"You never know when the caution is going to come out," said Childers, who said a late caution shortly after Martin had pitted put the team in a fuel-saving mode. "At that point, we were probably about seven laps short. I told Mark our only hope was to stay out and hope for some cautions."
It was, he said, "a pure gamble."
"And the situation we’re in with three drivers … in trying to make the Chase on owner points, (our best bet) is to win another race.
"So we went for it, and it won’t be the last time before Richmond either."
See what Martin had to say about the race below.
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Engine trouble sends No. 48 behind the wall on Lap 55 and out of the race
Related: Sprint Cup standings
BROOKLYN, Mich. — Jimmie Johnson’s Michigan futility continued Sunday, as the five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion exited the Pure Michigan 400 early with engine issues.
Johnson has never won at Michigan in what is now 24 career Cup starts. It’s one of only five tracks where the Hendrick Motorsports driver has yet to visit Victory Lane.
"Coming down the back straightway I felt it dropped a couple of cylinders and I knew we were in trouble," Johnson, the series points leader and a four-time winner this season, said. "So I brought it to pit road. Unfortunately, it finally broke all the way and locked up."
Johnson started at the rear of the field Sunday, his No. 3 qualifying effort wiped out by a Saturday spin that necessitated the use of a backup car for the race.
He had climbed as high as 22nd by Lap 18, taking advantage of early cautions to get fresh tires and fuel. He also led three laps during an early round of green-flag pit stops because of the differing pit cycle.
Once the green-flag stops had been completed, Johnson was seventh in the running order — until he made the hard left turn into the garage, his day done with a 40th-place finish.
"We had a strategy on how we were going to work our tires and fuel to get to the front," he said. "Fortunately, the car had so much speed in it, we didn’t really need to use strategy. We were just rolling up through there … definitely disappointed we’re not out there racing."
Officially, Johnson, 28th in the June event here, completed 80 of the race’s 200 laps.
Heading into Sunday’s race, Johnson sported a 75-point lead over second-place Clint Bowyer. He has held the points lead following 22 of this season’s 24 races and will remain the leader in spite of the Michigan trouble.
"I’m not really concerned," Johnson said. "I hate having momentum not work in our favor late in a season. I think we would have had a very strong race today, if not a win, and that momentum is key going into the Chase. That’s the biggest downfall to me."
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From a spin on Lap 1 to Logano’s trip to Victory Lane, Michigan provided plenty of highlights
Clint Bowyer brought out the first caution of the race before the first lap was even completed at Michigan International Speedway. He was running 11th at the time. The team believed a flat rear tire caused Bowyer to slide and spin. After a quick tire change, Bowyer was able to get back on track.
David Reutimann hit the wall in Turn 2 on Lap 8, bringing out the second caution of the race. After getting his No. 83 taped up on pit road, he returned to the track with penalties for too many men over the wall and pitting too soon.
The green flag didn’t last very long before J.J. Yeley and Austin Dillon made contact in Turn 4 for the third caution in the first 15 laps. Dillon, in Tony Stewart’s No. 14, also get a penalty for speeding through pit road.
Jimmie Johnson’s back-up car gave the five-time champion some issues on the track. He headed back to the garage after the team suspected issues under the hood that ended up being with his engine. While the No. 48 didn’t lose the points lead, it cut into the cushion he had built to be able to miss a race for the birth of his child.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was running 10th when he got into the wall. He saw right-side damage on the Lap 71 incident. Denny Hamlin stayed out under caution to take the lead.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. also saw tire problems, hitting the wall and losing both tires on his right side. Junior had led 20 laps before heading back to the garage area for repairs.
The seventh caution of the day came when Bobby Labonte took a spin into the infield grass with just over 50 laps left to race.
Kyle Busch was running in 19th when he also sustained some damage after hitting the wall in Turn 2. He managed to avoid ensnaring any other cars in the incident. He made a second trip off the track a few laps later, and brought out the ninth caution.
Mark Martin had the lead for the waning laps of the Pure Michigan 400, but a much-needed 10th caution flag never flew, and the No. 55 ran out of fuel. Joey Logano took the lead and held onto it until the checkered flag fell.
It was a big celebration for Joey Logano and the Penske No. 22 team in Victory Lane. Their driver moved from 16th to 13th in the standings and seven points away from taking the second Wild Card spot from Martin Truex Jr.
It was a bad day for team Hendrick. Jimmie Johnson was retired from the race by engine issues and Dale Earnhardt Jr. hit the wall after leading 20 laps. Michael Waltrip Racing’s Mark Martin also had a disappointing day after he ran out of fuel with the lead and few laps to go. See what Junior, Martin and others had to say after the race below.
The winner, on the other hand, had a much more positive outlook on the race. See what Joey Logano, steering wheel in hand, had to say below.
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