Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway Race Report
May 8, 2010- 1. Denny Hamlin, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
- 2. Jamie McMurray, No. 1 Chevrolet
- 3. Kurt Busch, No. 2 Dodge
- 27. Joey Logano, No. 20 Home Depot Toyota
The Home Depot Team Finishes 27th after Early Spin in Darlington
Darlington, S.C. (May 8, 2010) – The track deemed "too tough to tame" was just that for Joey Logano and The Home Depot Team on Saturday night. Logano spun early in the 367-lap race causing damage to the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota, but the team was able to make the necessary repairs to finish in the 27th position at Darlington Raceway. Logano slipped two spots in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings to 19th.
"I don't know what to say about tonight," said Logano. "I just couldn't get a handle on the car. It seemed like it changed so much during the race, one minute is was really tight the next run it was so loose I was spinning out. It's definitely not what we were hoping for this weekend. I felt like we had a good car on Friday, it was just a tough night."
Logano qualified The Home Depot Toyota in the 13th position on Friday. The track temperatures were over 90 degrees when the green flag waved for the Southern 500. Crew chief Greg Zipadelli reminded Logano early in the race to "race the race track" knowing it would change significantly as the temperatures dropped. Logano told Zipadelli the car was extremely tight in the early laps and he slipped back to the 17th position before The Home Depot crew could make adjustments following a caution on lap 44. Racing resumed on lap 50 with Logano in the 23rd position.
The car went to the other extreme on Logano following the pit stop and was so loose he spun on lap 53 bringing out the caution. He pitted several time to fix the splitter and front fenders on The Home Depot Toyota, but the splitter repairs took longer than expected and Logano lost two laps in the pits. By lap 60, Logano was in the 38th position on the scoring monitor and two laps down to the leader. The team was able to get one of its laps back when Zipadelli told Logano to remain on the track following the caution on lap 83 after the leaders all pitted. Logano was waved around the pace car to get one of his laps back before the yellow flag waved on lap 88.
An unusual long, green-flag run followed, and Logano made a pit stop for tires and fuel on lap 131. The leaders began their stop on lap 145. When pit stops were completed, Logano was scored in the 33rd position and one lap down. The leader, his teammate and eventual race winner Denny Hamlin, passed Logano on lap 161 to put him two laps down again. Just 10 laps later the caution flag waved and he told the crew the car was loose again. Zipadelli again used pit strategy to get the wave around on lap 227 to put the team just one lap down again and in the 28th position.
Logano was in position to get the "lucky dog" pass back onto the lead lap on lap 265, but the caution never fell the team's way. Instead, Logano and the No. 56 car made contact on lap 291 while battling to remain the first car a lap down. The contact made the car extremely tight and Logano was once again passed by Hamlin on lap 322. Logano told Zipadelli he felt like he had a tire going down on lap 339, and brought the car down pit road. The caution waved two laps later catching the team another two laps down. Logano would eventually bring the car home in the 27th position and four laps down.
Logano and The Home Depot Team now sit 19th in the Sprint Cup Series standings, 120 points out of the 12th position. Logano's teammate Denny Hamlin took the checkered flag for Joe Gibbs Racing while Kyle Busch finished seventh. The Sprint Cup Series heads to Dover International Raceway next weekend for the 12th race of the season.
