Coca-Cola 600 Report, Charlotte Motor Speedway
May 30, 2010- 1. Kurt Busch, No. 2 Dodge
- 2. Jamie McMurray, No. 1 Chevrolet
- 3. Kyle Busch, No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
- 13. Joey Logano, No. 20 Home Depot Toyota
Top-15 Finish for The Home Depot Team in Coca-Cola 600
Concord, N.C. (May 30, 2010) – Joey Logano and The Home Depot Team finished 13th in the longest race of the season, the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Logano was running in the top 10 when debris broke a splitter brace causing the team to drop back to 22nd to repair it. The 20 year-old-driver was able to battle back to finish in the top 15 and remain 18th in the standings. He cut the deficit to 12th place, the cut-off to the Chase for the Sprint Cup, down to just 86 points.
"I had a really good Home Depot Toyota when the sun was up," said Logano. "It's a solid finish but we as a team expect to come here and run in the top 10 and challenge for top fives. We just didn't adjust on the car enough tonight to free it up once the track cooled down. We got a little behind on our changes after fixing the splitter, and couldn't get it freed up enough. "
Logano started the 400-lap race from the eighth position after pole night on Thursday. He maneuvered into fifth on lap 20 and was complaining the car was just a little tight. He brought the car down pit road for a green-flag stop on lap 52 for tires, a wedge adjustment and fuel. When the caution flag was finally displayed on lap 61, Logano told crew chief Greg Zipadelli the car was good where the track was shaded and loose where the sun still hit it. Zipadelli brought Logano down pit road for right-sides tires and an adjustment. Racing resumed on lap 66 with the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota in fifth.
The caution waved again on lap 90, and with Logano still having issues with the handling on the car, Zipadelli told him to come down pit road to adjust on the car. Several cars took fuel only, or two tires, while the No. 20 crew changed four tires dropping Logano back to 13th for the restart. He slid back as far as 17th before working his way back into the top 10 on lap 133. A second round of green-flag stops began on lap 145, and Logano drove The Home Dept Toyota down pit road on lap 147 for four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment. He would be ninth when pit stops were complete.
On lap 160, Logano told Zipadelli he hit something on the track and it hit the nose of the car. It caused the car to get extremely tight and he slipped three spots before the caution waved on lap 167. He brought the car down pit road and the team discovered a large piece of bear bond tape had lodged itself into the splitter and broke one of the braces. It took two trips down pit road to repair the brace, dropping Logano back to 22nd for the restart on lap 172.
Once Logano got back in traffic and the sun set, The Home Depot Toyota got extremely tight. It would be a condition that would plague the team through the entire second half of the race. With 100 laps remaining in the race and Logano running 14th, Zipadelli called for right-side tires to try and gain some of the track position back. Racing resumed on lap 306 with Logano back up to seventh. Unfortunately, the car was too tight to stay up there and he was 10th when green-flag stops began on lap 352. The team loosened the car up on the pit stop and with the field stretched out Logano was in clean air and running ninth.
The caution flag waved on lap 277 and the team had one last shot to free up the car on the short run. Zipadelli called for two tires, but three cars elected to stay out and Logano took the green flag in the 11th position. He lost two spots before the checkered flag waved to finish 13th. His Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin finished third and 18th respectively.
The team heads to Pocono Raceway next weekend for the Gillette 500. Live coverage begins on TNT television at 1 p.m. ET and can be heard on MRN radio on Sunday, June 6.
