Logano Earns Pole for Bristol, Finishes 27th After Two Blown Tires
March 21, 2010- 1. Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Chevrolet
- 2. Tony Stewart, No. 14 Chevrolet
- 3. Kurt Busch, No. 2 Dodge
- 27. Joey Logano, No. 20 Home Depot Toyota
Bristol, Tenn. (March 21, 2010) – Joey Logano earned his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series pole position on Friday at Bristol Motor Speedway, unfortunately a blown right-front tire on lap 95 ruined The Home Depot Team's shot at a top finish. The team slipped three spots in the standings to 17th, but is just 43 points out of 12th.
Logano and The Home Depot Team were the quickest in the first practice session on Friday. Logano took the track 19th for qualifying and posted a lap fast enough to earn him the pole. It was not only a milestone for Logano, but he put his name in the record books once again as the youngest pole winner in Sprint Cup Series history beating out his teammate Kyle Busch by one day.
"I don't know what I have to do to get a good finish at this place," said Logano. "The Home Depot Toyota was really fast all weekend. It just goes to show you, trouble can find you anywhere. I knew something was wrong because the car got stupid tight, I mean I couldn't turn it at all. About 10 laps later the tire blew out. At least we are running well, we just need to get the finishes we deserve."
The Home Depot Toyota led the field to the green for the 500-lap event. He led for two laps before settling into the fourth position. He told crew chief Greg Zipadelli the car was loose on the exit of the corners and was losing the most time there. When the caution flag waved on lap 41 after the No. 66 car blew a tire, Logano brought the No. 20 Toyota down pit road for four tires, an air pressure adjustment and a wedge adjustment. Four cars remained on the track, and Logano restarted on lap 46 in the seventh position.
Logano maneuvered his way back up to the fourth spot on lap 53. He reported the car was getting tight on lap 79 and began to drop back in the field. By lap 89, he had fallen all the way back to 28th before the right-front tire gave out. Logano kept the car off the wall and brought The Home Depot Toyota down pit road under green-flag conditions on lap 97. He returned to the track on lap 100 in the 37th position and three laps down.
Just 15 laps later, Logano's Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) teammate Denny Hamlin blew a right-front tire that brought the caution flag out on lap 115. All three JGR cars would eventually blow tires during the Food City 500, Busch lost the tire on the No. 18 Toyota on lap 263 just beyond the midpoint of the race.
Zipadelli continued to tune on The Home Depot Toyota, trying to ensure Logano didn't blow a tire again. On lap 341, Mark Martin's car brushed the wall, blew a tire and shot up the track collecting several cars. Logano tried to get through the blocked track by diving to the apron, but his Toyota did receive some damage to the left-front fender and the splitter. The team repaired the car under a long yellow flag and got Logano back out on to the track.
Several cars would suffer tire woes, and the attrition rate continued through the end of the event. Unfortunately, Logano's tire troubles weren't over yet. The right front went flag again on lap 480 and he pitted for right-side tires. He took the checkered flag in the 27th position, five laps down to the race leader. Logano's teammates Busch and Hamlin finished ninth and 19th, respectively.
The team heads to Martinsville Speedway next weekend for another round of short track racing. The green flag waves at 1 p.m. with coverage on FOX Television and MRN Radio.
