Joey Logano Wins Xfinity race at Watkins Glen International

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WATKINS GLEN, NY - RIS - Joey Logano won the NASCAR Xfinity race at Watkins Glen after a fierce battle with teammate Brad Keselowski.  Keselowski held the late lead, and as the laps ran out, Logano, who had been the fastest car all day including the pole, passed him.  In the move to pass Logano, Keselowski spun out and Logano went on to victory.

“I thought that was going to be my best shot,” Logano said. “I wasn’t going to go all or nothing, but I was able to get all the way to their doors. It’s hard racing at the end. We were going for it.”

Logano took control with under 10 laps to go in the 82-lap race around the 2.45-mile layout. He dived to the inside on the first turn, making it three-wide going through the 90-degree right-hander. The move forced Keselowski, who was leading, wide as Logano assumed the top spot, leaving his teammate behind.

It became a two-car race as Keselowski recovered and the two pulled away. With four laps to go, Keselowski was on Logano’s back bumper as the two sped nose-to-tail. Keselowski lost his chance to challenge for the victory when he skidded out on the first turn with under three laps to go.

“I tried to pull away and I couldn’t,” Logano said. “I knew he was thinking that was going to be his chance. I knew I could drive into that corner pretty hard. We both were pushing the cars as hard as we possible could.”

Logano beat AJ Allmendinger by 3.3 seconds. Justin Allgaier was third, followed by Justin Haley and Aric Almirola. It was Logano’s third win in the series at The Glen and 30th overall, seventh on the career list.

Both Logano and Keselowski struggled when the rains came, the race was red-flagged, and the cars put on rain tires.  They weren’t alone.  Rookie Christopher Bell was another example.  He ran in fourth place using rain tires, but once the rain stopped, the sun came out and the track was dry, the two Penske cars of Logano and Keselowski made it a two-car race.

Bell was going for his fourth victory in a row. He became the first series driver since Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 1999 to win three-straight with a victory last week at Iowa. Sam Ard set the record of four consecutive Xfinity Series wins in 1983.

Logano was dominant at the start, leading the entire 20-lap first segment and keeping Keselowski at bay as Cup regulars occupied the top three spots.

The series had raced in the rain before, in Montreal in 2008, and it proved dramatic with water 6-8 inches deep on parts of the track. Logano wrecked in that race when he slammed into a car he couldn’t see. Canadian Ron Fellows, a road racer, used to competing in wet conditions in other series, won that race.

Keselowski, who started second, was among several drivers who pitted for regular tires during a caution with a couple of laps left in the second 20-lap segment. Allmendinger held on to win the second stage and the rest of the field pitted for slicks as the track was nearly completely dry again. He dropped deep in the field when he missed his pit box in the wet and was assessed a penalty, then staged a stirring rally.

“It was fun,” Allmendinger said. “That’s the way it should be, if it rains and it dries back out. You’ve got to deal with the elements. That’s what road racing is all about. I drove through there as hard as I could.”

Watkins Glen International - Watkins Glen, NY - 2.45 Mile Road
Total Race Length - 82 Laps - 200.9 Miles
Fin Str Car Driver Team Laps Stage 1 Pos Stage 2 Pos Pts Status Tms Laps Playoff Pts
1 1 22 Joey Logano(i) Snap On Ford 82 1 6 0 Running 3 31
2 4 23 AJ Allmendinger(i) ISM Connect/AfterShokz Chevrolet 82 1 0 Running 1 11
3 10 7 Justin Allgaier BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet 82 4 2 50 Running
4 8 18 Ryan Preece Craftsman Toyota 82 5 10 40 Running 3 8
5 9 98 Aric Almirola(i) Go Bowling Ford 82 0 Running
6 12 00 Cole Custer Haas Automation Ford 82 31 Running
7 20 19 Brandon Jones Toyota Service Centers/Mobil 1 Toyota 82 30 Running
8 19 16 Ryan Reed Drive Down A1C Lilly Diabetes Ford 82 9 31 Running
9 11 20 Christopher Bell # Rheem Toyota 82 4 35 Running
10 2 12 Brad Keselowski(i) Wabash National Ford 82 7 0 Running 4 26
11 27 9 Tyler Reddick # Nationwide Children's Chevrolet 82 10 27 Running 1 1
12 13 1 Elliott Sadler Textron Off Road Wildcat XX Chevrolet 82 25 Running
13 14 60 Austin Cindric # LTi Printing Ford 82 24 Running
14 15 51 Jeremy Clements RepairableVehicles.com Chevrolet 82 7 27 Running 1 1
15 17 61 Kaz Grala # DMB Financial Ford 82 9 24 Running
16 5 21 Daniel Hemric South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet 82 3 5 35 Running
17 25 5 Michael Annett TMC Chevrolet 82 20 Running
18 7 11 Ryan Truex Leaf Filter Chevrolet 82 6 24 Running
19 21 36 Alex Labbe # Larue/Cyclops Gear Chevrolet 82 18 Running 1 4
20 23 4 Ross Chastain Protect Your Melon Buckle Up New York Chevrolet 82 8 20 Running
21 36 90 Brian Henderson Friends of Jaclyn Foundation/Mini's Mission Chevrolet 82 16 Running
22 37 35 Joey Gase Sparks Chevrolet 82 15 Running
23 32 0 Garrett Smithley teamjdmotorsports.com Chevrolet 82 14 Running
24 39 76 Spencer Boyd # Grunt Style Chevrolet 81 13 Running
25 6 3 Austin Dillon(i) Bass Pro Shops/Cabela's Chevrolet 78 8 0 Running
26 28 39 Ryan Sieg Midstate Chevrolet 77 11 Engine
27 3 42 Kyle Larson(i) Chevrolet Accessories Chevrolet 77 2 3 0 Engine
28 24 15 Mike Skeen teamjdmotorsports.com Chevrolet 76 9 Running
29 35 40 Chad Finchum # Smithbilt Toyota 74 8 Running
30 22 8 Scott Heckert JW Transport LLC Chevrolet 73 7 Running
31 29 17 Victor Gonzalez Jr PMC Group Chevrolet 70 PE Running
32 38 45 Josh Bilicki # Prevagen Toyota 69 5 Running
33 34 52 David Starr Extreme Kleaner/Escape RV/Whataburger Chevrolet 49 4 Suspension
34 26 38 JJ Yeley RSS Racing Chevrolet 45 3 Brakes
35 40 01 Vinnie Miller # teamjdmotorsports.com Chevrolet 32 2 Accident
36 31 66 Timmy Hill CrashClaimsR.Us/MBM Motorsports Dodge 27 1 Rear Gear
37 16 2 Matt Tifft Tunity Chevrolet 26 1 Accident
38 18 24 Justin Haley(i) FOE Chevrolet 26 0 Accident
39 33 93 Jeff Green RSS Racing Chevrolet 8 1 Brakes
40 30 78 Tommy Joe Martins JW Transport LLC Chevrolet 3 1 Accident

Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 27 Mins, 34 Secs. Average Speed: 81.685 MPH Margin of Victory: 3.362 Seconds
s. Prior to the start of the race, the following cars dropped to the rear of the field under penalty for the reasons indicated: Nos. 01, 9 (tire change), 60 (back-up car), 8, 19, 36, 39, 45, 61, 76, and 90 (unapproved adjustments).
Failed to Qualify: (1) 74 Stephen Leicht.
Caution Flags: 7 for 20 laps: Laps: 6-8 (#78 Incident Turn 6 [45]); 22-24 (Stage 1 Conclusion [16]); 28-32 (#2, 24 Incident Turn 4 [Weather] [35]); 37-38 (#01 Incident Turn 1 [Red flag 10:24] [0]); 42-44 (Stage 2 Conclusion [17]); 68-69 (#45 Stalled in Turn 1 [39]); 73-74 (#8 Stalled on Track [90]).
Lead Changes: 13 among 7 drivers: J. Logano(i) 1-22; B. Keselowski(i) 23-30; A. Allmendinger(i) 31-41; B. Keselowski(i) 42-44; R. Preece 45-46; B. Keselowski(i) 47-50; R. Preece 51-55; J. Logano(i) 56; A. Labbe # 57-60; J. Clements 61; T. Reddick # 62; B. Keselowski(i) 63-73; R. Preece 74; J. Logano(i) 75-82.
Mahle Clevite Engine Builder of the Race : Roush-Yates Engines, #22 Mobil 1 Driver of the Race : AJ Allmendinger, #23
Sunoco Rookie of the Race : Christopher Bell, #20
(i) Ineligible for driver points in this series
Next Race: Aug. 11, 2018 - Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course