Logano cruises to dominant XFINITY Series win over Kenseth at Phoenix
Joey Logano had the kind of day most drivers can only dream about, scoring a dominating victory in Saturday's Axalta Faster. Tougher. Brighter 200 NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Phoenix International Raceway.
The Daytona 500 winner was in a league all his own at the 1-mile Sonoran Desert oval, as his Team Penske Ford Mustang led 176 of 200 laps under crystal clear Arizona skies. Logano won his first XFINITY Series race of the season and his 22nd in 137 career starts.
"It was awesome. Great car," said Logano. "It was one of those days where, like, if you don't win, you're going to be really frustrated because you have the winning car all day. We were able to execute and run the plan and got the 'W.'"
Matt Kenseth finished second in a Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, ahead of Kevin Harvick's JR Motorsports Chevrolet, Austin Dillon in a Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet and Kenseth's teammate, Erik Jones.
"I just couldn't get there and get it done," Kenseth said of his attempts to catch Logano. " ... I just couldn't get any closer to him."
"We just didn't have the speed of the 22 (Logano) or the 20 (Kenseth)," said third-place finisher Harvick.
But really, no one else seriously contended, as Logano had the field covered all race long.
Logano started from the pole in his No. 22 Ford with Harvick on the outside of Row 1, reversing their qualifying positions for Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. At the green, Logano got the jump ahead of Harvick, Kenseth, Jones and defending series champion Chase Elliott.
Logano dominated the early going, leading the first 50 laps until getting passed on pit road during a caution period for debris on the track.
At the halfway point, Logano had led 85 of the first 100 laps.
Peyton Sellers lost an engine on Lap 123 to bring out the third caution of the day. Under yellow, Kenseth got off pit road first, ahead of Regan Smith and Logano.
After a lengthy cleanup, the green flew on Lap 134, with Logano needing only two laps to regain the lead.
Then Elliott spun in Turn 2 racing for sixth place with Ty Dillon on Lap 139.
And when the track went green again on Lap 144, Logano immediately broke into a big lead on the restart and held it until the end to score the victory, his first in an XFINITY Series race since Dover International Speedway in September 2013.
Kenseth appeared to close on Logano with about 30 laps to go, but ran out of time and momentum.
