Texas NASCAR: Joey Logano wins despite late yellow
Joey Logano shrugged off a late yellow and pit scramble to claim victory in the rain-delayed Texas Motor Speedway NASCAR Sprint Cup race
The Penske Ford driver had dominated the final third of an event postponed by a day due to rain on Sunday, but an incident for Kurt Busch with just two laps to go robbed Logano and team-mate Brad Keselowski of a commanding advantage.
The whole lead pack dived into the pits for fresh tyres ready for the green-white-chequered finish, and Jeff Gordon and Brian Vickers gambled on only two fresh tyres and vaulted to the front.
Logano would not be denied, though, immediately overtaking Vickers at the restart and then sweeping past Gordon to secure victory on the final lap.
But there would be no one-two for Penske, as Keselowski picked up a pitlane speeding penalty and fell to 15th.
Gordon retained second ahead of Kyle Busch and Vickers, with rookie Kyle Larson impressing again in fifth place.
The race had got off to a faltering start, beginning under yellow while jet-dryers worked on lingering damp patches.
The high-pressure stream from the dryers caused several cars to pit for attention to bonnets and roof flaps blown open, including Keselowski - who had to come in four times before Penske managed to tape down his bonnet sufficiently. All affected were allowed to reclaim their original starting spots.
Dale Earnhardt Jr then crashed heavily when he clipped the grass just after racing began. His Hendrick Chevrolet was left ablaze following the accident, with team-mate Jimmie Johnson's example damaged by debris, but Earnhardt escaped unhurt.
Poleman Tony Stewart led the first 74 laps before fading to an eventual 10th place. His Stewart-Haas team-mate Kevin Harvick was an early retirement with engine problems after starting third.
Denny Hamlin had a spell up front too, only for a pitlane speeding penalty to send him back into the pack. He ended up 13th at the flag.
Results - 340 laps: Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap 1. Joey Logano Penske Ford 3h48m02.000s 2. Jeff Gordon Hendrick Chevrolet +0.476s 3. Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Toyota +1.006s 4. Brian Vickers Waltrip Toyota +1.160s 5. Kyle Larson Ganassi Chevrolet +1.191s 6. Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Ford +1.281s 7. Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Toyota +1.412s 8. Clint Bowyer Waltrip Toyota +1.665s 9. Paul Menard Childress Chevrolet +1.932s 10. Tony Stewart Stewart-Haas Chevrolet +1.971s 11. Kasey Kahne Hendrick Chevrolet +2.209s 12. Aric Almirola Petty Ford +2.256s 13. Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Toyota +2.471s 14. Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Ford +3.097s 15. Brad Keselowski Penske Ford +7.556s 16. Ryan Newman Childress Chevrolet +7.970s 17. Jamie McMurray Ganassi Chevrolet +8.101s 18. Martin Truex Jr Furniture Row Chevrolet +8.395s 19. Trevor Bayne Wood Brothers Ford +1 lap 20. Marcos Ambrose Petty Ford +1 lap 21. Austin Dillon Childress Chevrolet +1 lap 22. David Gilliland Front Row Ford +1 lap 23. AJ Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Toyota +1 lap 24. Justin Allgaier HScott Chevrolet +1 lap 25. Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Chevrolet +2 laps 26. Ricky Stenhouse Jr Roush Fenway Ford +2 laps 27. Danica Patrick Stewart-Haas Chevrolet +2 laps 28. Casey Mears Germain Ford +2 laps 29. Michael Annett Baldwin Chevrolet +3 laps 30. Michael McDowell Leavine Ford +5 laps 31. Cole Whitt Swan Toyota +5 laps 32. Alex Bowman BK Toyota +5 laps 33. Reed Sorenson Baldwin Chevrolet +6 laps 34. Landon Cassill Hillman Chevrolet +6 laps 35. David Ragan Front Row Ford +6 laps 36. Josh Wise Parsons Chevrolet +7 laps 37. Travis Kvapil FAS Lane Ford +8 laps 38. David Reutimann Front Row Ford +8 laps Retirements: Kurt Busch Stewart-Haas Chevrolet 327 laps Parker Kligerman Swan Toyota 313 laps Dave Blaney Humphrey Ford 272 laps Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Chevrolet 28 laps Dale Earnhardt Jr Hendrick Chevrolet 12 laps
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