Logano and The Home Depot Team Earn Top-Five Finish in California,
Move up to Ninth in the Sprint Cup Standings
February 21, 2009
- 1. Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Chevrolet
- 2. Kevin Harvick, No. 29 Chevrolet
- 3. Jeff Burton, No. 31 Chevrolet
- 5. Joey Logano, No. 20 Home Depot Toyota
Fontana, Calif. (Feb. 21, 2010) – Joey Logano and The Home Depot Team captured their first top-five finish of the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season in the 500-mile race at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif. The top-five effort boosted the team up to ninth in the Sprint Cup Series standings after two events. The fifth-place finish was LoganoÕs fourth top-five finish of his Sprint Cup Series career.
ÒA top five here feels like a win for me for as much as The Home Depot Team improved at this race track,Ó said Logano. ÒThe first time I came here last year we were not good and ran 35th the whole time. Last fall we ran probably 20th to 25th and this time around we were within the top 10 and ended up with a top five there at the end. You got to be pleased with that. We worked really hard all day. Zippy (Greg Zipadelli, crew chief) made awesome calls. The pit crew was amazing; we gained spots just about every time we came down pit road. I am really, really stoked about how we ran today. To see us improve that much, all of us working as a team better, that feels really good.Ó
Logano and The Home Depot Team were disappointed after their qualifying effort on Friday. But two solid practice sessions on Saturday had them optimistic for the 250-lap event. After taking the green flag from the 19th position, Logano was comfortable with the balance of the No. 20 Toyota Camry, but needed the car to be tighter off the corner. Crew chief Zipadelli and The Home Depot crew worked on the car all day during pit stops, including their first stop on lap 38 under green-flag conditions. The first caution flag waved on lap 57 with Logano in 18th and the crew made a chassis adjustment while fitting the car with tires and filling it with fuel. The quick stop moved Logano up two spots for the restart on lap 61.
The adjustments the team was making was helping Logano get off the corners better. He broke into the top 10 for the first time after a round of pit stops on lap 94. At the midpoint of the race The Home Depot Toyota was running in the top 15. Long green-flag runs forced teams to pit for fuel and shook up the running order. Logano made a stop on lap 182 with rain looming in the area. Logano slipped back to 20th on lap 190 as several backmarkers stayed out on the track hoping for rain. On lap 192 NASCAR waved the yellow flag for rain with Logano in 18th. Most of the field remained on the track, but Zipadelli called Logano into the pits for fresh tires and an adjustment since there were only two cars behind him in the field and they felt the rain would soon be out of the area.
ZipadelliÕs call to pit and adjustments worked flawlessly as the race only ran seven additional laps under caution while several of the lead cars now needed to pit. When racing resumed on lap 200, Logano was up to 16th. The changes to The Home Depot Toyota helped its handling, as Logano began working his way through the field with 50 laps remaining. He methodically passed cars one-by-one and was sitting ninth when the caution flag waved on lap 223.
The Home Depot Team proved why they are one of the best on pit road when they knocked out a stop, with adjustments, that moved Logano up to seventh for the restart on lap 229. Racing got dicey and was three and four-wide for several laps before settling down again on lap 234. Logano clearly had his sights set on a top-five finish and battled side-by-side with Tony Stewart for several laps before passing him on lap 235. He was able to get around the No. 17 and No. 2 cars in the closing laps to finish the race in the fifth spot.
Logano was the top-finishing Toyota driver in the Auto Club 500. His teammates Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin finished 14th and 29th respectively.
Up next for Logano and the No. 20 Home Depot Team is the American 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway next Sunday. The race begins at 3 p.m. ET with television coverage on FOX television and PRN radio.
