News

Track:     Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Race:     Boyd Gaming 300
Date:     March 11, 2017

No. 12 REV Ford Mustang – Joey Logano

Start:  4th
Finish: 1st – (28th career victory)
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 200/200
Laps Led: 106

Recap: Joey Logano and the No. 12 REV Ford Mustang team hit the jackpot at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, winning the Boyd Gaming 300 on Saturday afternoon. Remarkably, it was the second consecutive win for crew chief Brian Wilson, and third consecutive win for the part-time entry overall, as the team won races last season at Watkins Glen and Charlotte. The team unloaded with an extremely fast REV Mustang on Friday afternoon as Logano turned top-five practice speeds in both practice sessions, before qualifying the car in fourth position on Saturday morning. At the drop of the green flag, Logano raced with teammate Brad Keselowski for the first 45 laps as the duo would finish third and fourth respectively at the end of the first stage. Logano was battling a loose condition throughout the first run which led Wilson to make wholesale changes to the No. 12 Ford on the first stop of the race. Adjusting with wedge, air pressure, and adding tape to the nose Logano restarted the race in the second position after quick work from his No. 22 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series pit. The pit stop gained the team a spot leaving pit road, moving the No. 12 Ford to the second position. Logano continued to run in the second position until a lap 79 caution led to a Brian Wilson pit call that ultimately would position the team to take the lead at the end of the second stage. Logano restarted in the 15th position and raced his way forward nine positions before the end of the segment. The five competitors in front of the No. 12 Ford pitted under caution which moved Logano to the top-spot, where he would remain for the majority of the event. The team made no further adjustments to the REV Mustang for the afternoon, pitting for only tires and fuel for the remaining stops. After a perfectly executed green flag stop at lap 143, Logano regained the lead at the end of the cycle and never relinquished it despite having to survive four late race restarts where he was challenged by fellow Cup Series competitors: Kyle Larson, Kyle Busch, Austin Dillon and Daniel Suarez. Logano would use his skills in side drafting and air manipulation to move ahead of the field on the final restart, claiming Team Penske’s first NASCAR XFINITY Series win of the season. The win came in Logano's first career start in the series at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Quote: "It was hard to figure out what to do and what lane to pick, but the one thing we did know was we had a very fast REV Ford Mustang. Brian Wilson and all the guys that bring this 12 car out, that's three wins in a row for this 12 car, so that's something I'm proud to be a part of and work with these guys. Man, it's a lot of fun to have these Team Penske cars fast again in this XFINITY Series. Man, it feels good. Those restarts were crazy, though. You don't know what lane to pick. It depends on who is a good pusher, trying to remember what was going on the last one, but, overall, I've got to thank Discount Tire, Snap-On, PPG, Shell/Pennzoil, Coke, Wheels Up, everyone that helps us out with this whole Team Penske organization. I'm proud of it."

No. 22 Discount Tire Ford Mustang – Brad Keselowski

Start:  2nd
Finish: 10th
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 200/200
Laps Led: 12
Owner's Points Position (behind leader): Leader

Recap: Brad Keselowski and the No. 22 Discount Tire Ford Mustang team earned a hard-fought 10th-place finish in Saturday's Boyd Gaming 300 for the NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS) at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS). Keselowski began the race from the second position and was able to keep his Ford inside the top five throughout the first 45-lap stage of the race, despite a tight-handling condition in the center of the LVMS corners. Crew chief Greg Erwin made a substantial air pressure adjustment on the team's four-tire pit stop during the break to help his driver, and Keselowski started the second segment from the fifth position. When many of the other leaders elected to pit under a lap 80 caution, Erwin kept Keselowski on the track to assume the lead. The 2010 series champion would lead the final 12 laps of stage to score his second stage win of the season. Keselowski was shuffled back in the pack as the final stage began at lap 99, due to the cars that pitted earlier electing to stay out during the break. Unfortunately, on lap 105, he radioed to Erwin that he had a loose wheel and needed to pit. The pit stop resulted in Keselowski being down a lap to the race leader, but he was able to make that up thanks to a timely caution while he was off pit sequence. Determined to make up the lost track position, Keselowski found himself in the 15th position when he moved back on the lead lap. He was able to race his way to the 10th position at the checkered flag for his third top-10 finish in three NXS starts this season.

Quote: "We had a good Discount Tire Ford Mustang today and I think with a few more adjustments we may have had a winning car. Unfortunately we had a loose wheel right as the final segment started and it was a grind to make that track position back up. Congrats to Joey on getting Team Penske to Victory Lane today. It's been a good weekend for the team so far."