Joey Logano dominates in fourth straight win at Dover
Sept. 28, 2013
By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service
DOVER, Del.—When Joey Logano sets a record, he does it in style.
Logano
didn't just win Saturday's 5-hour Energy 200 NASCAR Nationwide Series
race at Dover International Speedway. He crushed the rest of the field
in taking the checkered flag in a record four straight events at the
Monster Mile.
No
other driver has ever won four straight races at Dover in any of
NASCAR's top three national series, and Logano accomplished the feat
decisively,
finishing 14.590 seconds ahead of runner-up Kyle Larson.
Kevin
Harvick ran third, more than 24 seconds back, and Brian Vickers came
home fourth. Logano, Larson, Harvick and Vickers were the only drivers
on the lead lap at the finish.
Arguably,
Kyle Busch had the fastest car, but Busch stayed on the track under the
first two cautions, both of which fell within the first 35 laps
of the race. When a third caution failed to materialize, Busch was
forced to pit under green on Lap 87, leaving him unable to complete the
race without stopping again.
Logano,
on the other hand, brought his No. 22 Ford to pit road on Lap 37, under
the second caution, and made his second stop, under green, on Lap
116, on the borderline of finishing the race without another trip to
pit road.
When
the pit stops cycled out by Lap 124, Busch held a lead of almost 10
seconds, but Logano, on fresher tires, cut into the advantage in large
chunks. On Lap 142, Logano caught and passed Busch's No. 54 Toyota and
pulled away to a lead of more than four seconds by Lap 175.
With
the race still under green on Lap 176—and six other cars on the lead
lap-Busch was forced to pit and dropped to 14th, one lap down. He
finished
eighth.
A
pit road speeding penalty incurred on Lap 117 cost Sam Hornish Jr. most
of his series lead. Hornish finished 17th and left Dover four points
ahead
of sixth-place finisher Austin Dillon, who trimmed 11 points from
Hornish's advantage entering the race.
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