KANSAS CITY, Kan.—In a race that saw Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup favorites Jimmie Johnson, Brad Keselowski and Dale Earnhardt Jr. fall by the wayside, Joey Logano earned a ticket to the Eliminator Round of the Chase with a hard-fought victory in Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway.
Logano beat rookie Kyle Larson to the finish line by .480 seconds to notch his fifth victory of the season, tied with Team Penske teammate Brad Keselowski for most in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series this year. The win was Logano’s first at Kansas and the eighth of his career.
Kyle Busch ran third, posting his first-ever top five at a track that has plagued him mercilessly in races past. Martin Truex Jr. came home fourth, posting his first top five of the season and his second consecutive top 10. Carl Edwards was fifth, with fellow Chase drivers Ryan Newman and Denny Hamlin right behind him in sixth and seventh, respectively.
Logano can now enjoy the next two races at Charlotte and Talladega worry-free, assured of earning one of the eight spots in the Eliminator Round.
"It makes Talladega a lot easier, that is for sure," Logano said. "To know we are onto the next round, we can focus on a few more races coming up, and we’ll keep trying to capitalize like we’re doing. ...
"It’s so much fun to race these cars lately. Everyone at Team Penske has given me great stuff to work with. It’s awesome to be back in Victory Lane again. I felt we had a good car all weekend, but I wasn’t 100-percent sure--but once that top (lane of the race track) opened up, it just took off."(Reid Spencer, NASCAR Media)
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