Logano Wins at Hometead and Claims the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Championship

Mark J. Rebilas/USAToday Sports

HOMESTEAD, FL – RIS – Joey Logano kept saying he was the favorite to win the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup championship since his controversial win at Martinsville Speedway last month.  In fact, he reiterated that opinion when asked at Phoenix last week.  Sunday’s result says he knew what he was talking about.  In spades.

Joey Logano made a daring move to take the lead with 12 laps to go to win the race Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway and claim his first NASCAR Cup championship.

"We did it. We won the championship, I can't believe it!" Logano said. "We won the championship!"

Many said he bumped his way to the championship since he qualified for the final four races by bumping Martin Truex, Jr. to cross the finish line first, but it proved to be the reason he was racing for that championship.

The Team Penske driver had a fast car all day, especially on short runs, and his crew consistently got him off pit road with quick stops. But he had his hands full late in the race, with Martin Truex Jr. out front. The two drivers have had a history the past month, and the two battled fiercely Sunday, at one point bumping each other with just over 60 laps remaining.

Truex, who had vowed that he would be in an "eye-for-an-eye" situation racing Logano for the championship, never got the chance in the final few laps because of Logano's daring pass. Logano took the high line around Truex with 12 to go, entering the corner so aggressively many people thought he had gone in too hard. But Logano's Ford stuck to the turn and he blew by Truex and drove away.

"My car was really good on entry all day," Logano said, shrugging off any notion he had worried about overdriving that corner.

"I don't know what else I could have done," Truex said. "He passed me so fast."

Afterward, Logano was in tears in victory lane.

Logano, Truex and the two other Championship 4 drivers, Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch, ran up front all day, often in the top four or five. And they finished that way. Truex, in his final race with Furniture Row Racing, finished second, with Harvick third and Busch fourth.

Logano was quick to credit his pit crew in victory lane.

"Every individual on that team is the best at their position and they showed it today," Logano said. "I'm so proud of everybody. Everybody rose to the occasion and executed."

Harvick was considered the favorite on Sunday, but an ill-handling car left him in third place.  The same could be said for Busch.  His car wasn’t right all day, even though he led at times.

In 2016, Logano had a disappointing runner-up finish, and said that setback prepared him for this year’s clincher.

“I’ve worked my whole life to get here,” said Logano, who drove a Ford for Team Penske. “I knew my car was good on short runs, and that last 20 laps under green was just how I wanted the race to play out.”

Truex said after that dustup at Martinsville, he would make sure that would never happen. “I know he won’t win the championship.”   That prediction did not come true, obviously.

It was not the first run-in with a competitor for Logano; Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth have intentionally wrecked him before.  Kenseth at Martinsville, after he was bumped at Kansas, and Logano went on to win.

Logano's win also wrapped Ford's manufacturer's Championship, an award that Ford hadn't wone since 1999 when 
Dale Jarrett was the big winner and the champion.  Edsel Ford, a board member at Ford Motor Company and a racing enthusiast, was in victory lane.

It was the 21st win in Cup racing for the 28-year old.  It was also his first championship, but with youth, a great car owner, and a great crew, this may be the first of many.

Unofficial Race Results for the 20th Annual Ford Ecoboost 400 - Nov 18, 2018 - Homestead-Miami Speedway

Fin) Str, Driver, Car, Laps, St1, St2, Pts, Status, Tms Led, Laps Led
1) 5, Joey Logano (P), No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, 267, 4, 3, 40, Running, 4, 80
2) 3, Martin Truex Jr. (P), No. 78 Bass Pro Shops/5-hour ENERGY Toyota, 267, 5, 4, 35, Running, 4, 20
3) 12, Kevin Harvick (P), No. 4 Jimmy John's Ford, 267, 1, 2, 34, Running, 5, 58
4) 2, Kyle Busch (P), No. 18 M&M's Toyota, 267, 3, 6, 33, Running, 1, 21
5) 4, Brad Keselowski, No. 2 Discount Tire Ford, 267, 9, , 34, Running, , 
6) 17, Matt Kenseth, No. 6 Wyndham Rewards Ford, 267, , , 31, Running, , 
7) 14, Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, 267, , , 30, Running, , 
8) 26, Clint Bowyer, No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Haas Automation Ford, 267, , 10, 30, Running, , 
9) 10, Aric Almirola, No. 10 Smithfield Ford, 267, 7, 5, 38, Running, , 
10) 6, Kurt Busch, No. 41 Haas Automation/Monster Energy Ford, 267, 10, 7, 32, Running, , 
11) 16, Austin Dillon, No. 3 Dow UCON Chevrolet, 267, , , 26, Running, , 
12) 1, Denny Hamlin, No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota, 267, 6, 8, 33, Running, 3, 41
13) 11, Kyle Larson, No. 42 Credit One Bank/DC Solar Chevrolet, 267, 2, 1, 43, Running, 5, 45
14) 19, Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe's Rookie Throwback Chevrolet, 267, , 9, 25, Running, , 
15) 8, Ryan Newman, No. 31 E-Z-GO Chevrolet, 267, , , 22, Running, , 
16) 9, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 17 Fastenal Ford, 267, , , 21, Running, , 
17) 15, Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Menards/Richmond Ford, 267, , , 20, Running, , 
18) 21, Jamie McMurray, No. 1 McDonald's Chevrolet, 267, , , 19, Running, , 
19) 20, AJ Allmendinger, No. 47 Kroger ClickList Chevrolet, 266, , , 18, Running, , 
20) 25, David Ragan, No. 38 1000Bulbs.com Ford, 266, , , 17, Running, , 
21) 23, Bubba Wallace #, No. 43 Transportation Impact Chevrolet, 266, , , 16, Running, , 
22) 31, Ty Dillon, No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet, 266, , , 15, Running, , 
23) 27, Chris Buescher, No. 37 Scott Comfort Plus Chevrolet, 266, , , 14, Running, , 
24) 28, William Byron #, No. 24 Hertz Chevrolet, 266, , , 13, Running, , 
25) 22, Paul Menard, No. 21 Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford, 265, , , 12, Running, , 
26) 29, Matt DiBenedetto, No. 32 Zynga Poker Ford, 264, , , 11, Running, , 
27) 7, Erik Jones, No. 20 DeWalt Toyota, 264, 8, , 13, Running, , 
28) 24, Michael McDowell, No. 34 Speedco/Rotella Ford, 263, , , 9, Running, 1, 2
29) 13, Alex Bowman, No. 88 Axalta Chevrolet, 263, , , 8, Running, , 
30) 18, Daniel Suarez, No. 19 ARRIS Toyota, 262, , , 7, Running, , 
31) 32, Landon Cassill(i), No. 00 Local Knowledge Chevrolet, 262, , , 0, Running, , 
32) 33, JJ Yeley(i), No. 23 She Beverage Company Ford, 261, , , 0, Running, , 
33) 39, Ross Chastain(i), No. 15 Xchange of America Chevrolet, 259, , , 0, Running, , 
34) 34, Corey LaJoie, No. 72 Schluter Systems Chevrolet, 259, , , 3, Running, , 
35) 36, BJ McLeod(i), No. 51 Jacob Companies Ford, 256, , , 0, Running, , 
36) 35, * Kyle Weatherman, No. 99 International Marine/Native Boatworks Chevrolet, 256, , , 1, Running, , 
37) 38, * Timmy Hill(i), No. 66 Rewards.com Toyota, 254, , , 0, Running, , 
38) 37, * Tanner Berryhill, No. 97 Brand South Africa Toyota, 254, , , 1, Running, , 
39) 30, Regan Smith, No. 95 Dumont JETS Chevrolet, 240, , , 1, Running, ,
(i) Ineligible for driver points in this series, (#) Rookie, (P) Playoffs

Total Race Length - 267 Laps - 400.5 Miles
Time of Race: 3 Hrs, 00 Mins, 36 Secs.
Average Speed: 133.056 MPH
Margin of Victory: 1.725 Seconds

Race Comments: Joey Logano won the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, his 21st Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory.

Caution Flags: 5 for 26 laps:
Laps: 82-86 (Stage 1 Conclusion [3]);
140-144 (Debris Frontstretch [20]);
162-166 (Stage 2 Conclusion. [1]);
194-199 (No. 42 Incident Turn 4 [88]);
248-252 (No. 2, 19 Incident Turn 1 [1]).

Lead Changes: 22 among 7 drivers:
D. Hamlin 1-36;
M. Truex Jr. (P) 37-39;
M. McDowell 40-41;
D. Hamlin 42;
K. Harvick (P) 43-82;
K. Larson 83;
K. Harvick (P) 84-86;
K. Larson 87-90;
J. Logano (P) 91-104;
K. Larson 105-117;
K. Harvick (P) 118-119;
M. Truex Jr. (P) 120;
D. Hamlin 121-124;
K. Larson 125-147;
K. Harvick (P) 148-159;
K. Larson 160-163;
J. Logano (P) 164-166;
K. Harvick (P) 167;
J. Logano (P) 168-218;
M. Truex Jr. (P) 219-230;
K. Busch (P) 231-251;
M. Truex Jr. (P) 252-255;
J. Logano (P) 256-267.

American Ethanol Green Flag Restart Award:Joey Logano, No. 22 
Busch Pole Award:Denny Hamlin, No. 11 173.863 mph
Fastest Lap:Denny Hamlin, No. 11 
Mahle Clevite Engine Builder of the Race:Roush-Yates Engines, No. 22 
Moog Go the Extra Mile:Joey Logano, No. 22 Todd Gordon, 0.450 secs
Sunoco Rookie of the Race:Bubba Wallace, No. 43

Unofficial Points - 20th Annual Ford EcoBoost 400
Rank, Driver, Car, Points, Ldr, Nxt, Race Wins, Stage Wins, Playoff Pts
1), Joey Logano (P), 22, 5040, 0, 0, 3, 5, 20
2), Martin Truex Jr (P), 78, 5035, -5, -5, 4, 10, 38
3), Kevin Harvick (P), 4, 5034, -6, -1, 8, 19, 55
4), Kyle Busch (P), 18, 5033, -7, -1, 8, 6, 55
5), Aric Almirola, 10, 2354, -2686, -2679, 1, 1, 0
6), Chase Elliott, 9, 2350, -2690, -4, 3, 4, 0
7), Kurt Busch, 41, 2350, -2690, 0, 1, 3, 0
8), Brad Keselowski, 2, 2343, -2697, -7, 3, 5, 0
9), Kyle Larson, 42, 2299, -2741, -44, 0, 5, 1
10), Ryan Blaney, 12, 2298, -2742, -1, 1, 6, 0
11), Denny Hamlin, 11, 2285, -2755, -13, 0, 3, 0
12), Clint Bowyer, 14, 2272, -2768, -13, 2, 1, 0
13), Austin Dillon, 3, 2245, -2795, -27, 1, 0, 0
14), Jimmie Johnson, 48, 2242, -2798, -3, 0, 0, 0
15), Erik Jones, 20, 2220, -2820, -22, 1, 0, 0
16), Alex Bowman, 88, 2204, -2836, -16, 0, 0, 0
17), Ryan Newman, 31, 769, -4271, -1435, 0, 0, 0
18), Ricky Stenhouse Jr), 17, 701, -4339, -68, 0, 2, 0
19), Paul Menard, 21, 692, -4348, -9, 0, 1, 0
20), Jamie McMurray, 1, 683, -4357, -9, 0, 0, 0
21), Daniel Suarez, 19, 674, -4366, -9, 0, 0, 0
22), Aj Allmendinger, 47, 603, -4437, -71, 0, 1, 0
23), William Byron #, 24, 587, -4453, -16, 0, 0, 0
24), Chris Buescher, 37, 585, -4455, -2, 0, 0, 0
25), David Ragan, 38, 524, -4516, -61, 0, 0, 0
26), Michael McDowell, 34, 493, -4547, -31, 0, 0, 0
27), Ty Dillon, 13, 482, -4558, -11, 0, 0, 0
28), Bubba Wallace #, 43, 471, -4569, -11, 0, 0, 0
29), Matt Dibenedetto, 32, 368, -4672, -103, 0, 0, 0
30), Kasey Kahne, , 358, -4682, -10, 0, 0, 0
31), Trevor Bayne, , 287, -4753, -71, 0, 0, 0
32), Matt Kenseth, 6, 268, -4772, -19, 0, 1, 0
33), Regan Smith, 95, 157, -4883, -111, 0, 0, 0
34), Corey Lajoie, 72, 144, -4896, -13, 0, 0, 0
35), Cole Whitt, , 132, -4908, -12, 0, 0, 0
36), Gray Gaulding, , 119, -4921, -13, 0, 0, 0
37), Jeffrey Earnhardt, , 110, -4930, -9, 0, 0, 0
38), * Kyle Weatherman, 99, 33, -5007, -77, 0, 0, 0
39), Harrison Rhodes, , 24, -5016, -9, 0, 0, 0
40), Blake Jones, , 21, -5019, -3, 0, 0, 0
41), Mark Thompson, , 15, -5025, -6, 0, 0, 0
42), Cody Ware, , 11, -5029, -4, 0, 0, 0
43), Derrike Cope, , 8, -5032, -3, 0, 0, 0
44), * Tanner Berryhill, 97, 7, -5033, -1, 0, 0, 0
45), Chris Cook, , 6, -5034, -1, 0, 0, 0
46), Tomy Drissi, , 5, -5035, -1, 0, 0, 0
47), Danica Patrick, , 2, -5038, -3, 0, 0, 0
48), Alon Day, , 1, -5039, -1, 0, 0, 0
49), Stanton Barrett, , 1, -5039, 0, 0, 0, 0
50), Hermie Sadler, , 1, -5039, 0, 0, 0, 0
51), Brendan Gaughan(I), , 0, -5040, -1, 0, 0, 0
52), Justin Marks(I), , 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
53), D J Kennington(I), , 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
54), David Gilliland(I), , 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
55), Ray Black(I), , 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
56), JJ Yeley(I), 23, 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
57), Landon Cassill(I), 00, 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
58), Ross Chastain(I), 15, 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
59), Joey Gase(I), , 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
60), Parker Kligerman(I), , 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
61), Daniel Hemric(I), , 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
62), Timothy Peters(I), , 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
63), Cole Custer(I), , 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
64), Reed Sorenson(I), , 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
65), Bj McLeod(I), 51, 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
66), * Timmy Hill(I), 66, 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
67), Garrett Smithley(I), , 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
68), Chad Finchum(I), , 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
69), Jeb Burton(I), , 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
70), Jesse Little(I), , 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
71), Spencer Gallagher(I), , 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
72), Josh Bilicki(I), , 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
73), David Starr(I), , 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
BPts - Bonus Points, -Ldr/-Nxt = Points behind Leader/Next higher, PPos = Previous Position, G/L = Points standing gain/loss, (i) Ineligible for driver points in this series

Ron Fleshman with John Davison

RIS NASCAR Editor.  Has been with RIS since the middle 90's. Writes on each of the three main series of NASCAR.

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Volume 2018, Issue 11, Posted 11:49 PM, 11.18.2018