Logano Fights His Way to a 19th-Place Finish at Daytona
February 25, 2013
THE RACE
The Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway (2.5-mile superspeedway, Daytona Beach, FL)
THE RESULTS
Starting Position: 21
Finishing Position: 19
Status: Running
Current Championship Position: 18
THE RACE REVIEW
·Joey Logano and the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Fusion started the race in the 21st position as a result of his 10th -place finish in Thursday’s 150-mile Duel races.
·Logano cracked the top 10 for the first time on lap 36 when he settled into the sixth position.
·The No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford experienced fuel pickup problems on lap 138 and fell off the lead lap as the team changed fuel pumps. Logano eventually earned the “Lucky Dog,” free pass and got back on the lead lap just 40 laps later.
·In the closing stages of the Daytona 500, Logano raced from the last car on the lead lap in 24th place into the top 10 in just 10 laps. He worked his way as high as sixth, but found himself without a drafting partner over the final three laps of the race and fell back to 19th at the checkered flag.
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
“I don't know if I ever have been that frustrated over a three-lap span to finish a race. We had a really fast Shell-Pennzoil Ford Fusion over the last run there. Once we got back on the lead lap we were making huge progress on the bottom. We went from 24th to sixth or seventh in less than 10 laps. Then with about five to go we lost every single drafting partner we had. Brad was down there but he found a hole up top, which is what he needed to do. Then no one else wanted to try and use the bottom and that just killed our momentum. We went from sixth to 19th. That’s about as frustrating as it gets.” – Joey Logano on the last few laps at Daytona.
“Overall, it was a great first race with Penske Racing. I’m really proud of my guys. We were able to race up front all day long. We were just riding and waiting. And then, we had fuel pressure problems and had to change the fuel pump. To do that, lose a lap and get it back is the sign of never giving up. I’m pretty pumped about our team and the outlook of things. I’m ready to get into the heart of the season now.” - Joey Logano on his up and down day.