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NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race Report

Track:    Phoenix International Raceway

Race:    Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500

Date:    November 13, 2015

No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion – Brad Keselowski

Start: 18th

Finish: 9th

Status: Running

Laps Completed: 219/219

Laps Led: 4

Points Position (behind leader): 6^th (-30)

Recap: Brad Keselowski and the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford team started 18^th, ran mid-pack most of the evening and finished ninth in the rain-plagued Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 at Phoenix International Raceway on Sunday evening. Keselowski and company started 18^th and held station for much of the rain-delayed race. Early on, the Miller Lite Ford Fusion lacked entry stability, but improved over the course of a long run. The race ran nearly caution free with the exception of a NASCAR-mandated competition caution at lap 40 and then a second and final caution of the night at lap 195. The No. 2 team pitted while running sixth as many of the leaders had pitted just prior to the lap-195 caution. The Team Penske Ford rejoined the field scored ninth just as rain once again began to fall again. Shortly thereafter, the skies opened and NASCAR called the race at lap 219 of the scheduled 312-lap event. The result left Keselowski and the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford on the outside looking in in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, scored sixth in the standings, just eight points out of the fourth and final transfer spot.

Quote:  “It was a long day for everybody and to have it end like that wasn’t surprising.  We kept adjusting on it, but it’s a short race and who knows?  Maybe that last run we would have had something, but that’s not the way it played out.  The highest we can get is fifth in points now, so I’d like to pull that off and take advantage of that opportunity when we get to Homestead next week.”

No. 22 Pennzoil Platinum Ford Fusion – Joey Logano

Start:  14th

Finish: 3rd

Status: Running

Laps Completed:  219/219

Laps Led:  0

Points Position (behind leader):  8^th (-69)

Recap:  Joey Logano and the No. 22 Pennzoil Platinum Ford Fusion had a car that might have contended for the win on Sunday evening at Phoenix International Raceway, but heavy rains cut the 312-lap race short and Logano had to settle for a third-place finish, ending his Championship hopes.   Logano started the race, which was delayed over seven hours due to rain and turned from a day race to a night race, from the 14^th position and quickly cut his way through the field, getting all the way up to sixth at the competition caution on lap 40.  The Pennzoil Platinum pit crew has a great first stop and got Logano out in second, where Logano would ride for a good portion of the race.  Logano’s Ford Fusion was one of the fastest cars on the track, as the 25-year-old continued to cut into the lead of Kevin Harvick.  At one point, Logano had cut Harvick’s near four-second lead to less than a second.  With just over a 100 laps to go, Logano made another green-flag pit stop, but got caught in the pits as the night’s second caution waved.  When pit stops cycled out, Logano found himself third on the track.  An abnormally long cleanup of the accident scene saw a number of laps continue to run under caution.  Before the green flag was able to come back out, rain once gain began to fall.  After NASCAR brought the cars down pit road under the red flag, the race was eventually called complete, giving Logano a third-place finish, his 21^st top-five finish this season.  With the finish, Logano was knocked out of the Chase for the Sprint Cup.  He’ll now fight for fifth-place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings next weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Quote:  “You can’t help the weather.  I guess it wasn’t in the cards tonight, but I’m still super-proud of what this Pennzoil team has done all year.  We’ve had super-fast race cars and we really produced on the race track, executed our plan.  Once again, this is a high-pressure race for these guys and to see us drive to the front and have good pit stops all night, but it just didn’t work out.  Overall, I couldn’t be more proud of what we’ve done this year.  We’ve still got one more race to win this year.  Our heads are still high and it’s been a great season.  I don’t have much to say bad about anything.  I just want another shot at it and when you’re this close to seeing the lead you want just one more restart.  I was hoping they got that wreck cleaned up fast enough to just try to get one more shot at it, but congratulations to Junior and his team.  It’s cool for them, but I wish I had another restart.”