Joey Logano drove to his second career NASCAR Xfinity series victory at Phoenix International Raceway Saturday, putting the No. 22 Discount Tire Ford Mustang in the winner’s circle after leading 176 of the race’s 200 laps.
Logano beat out Matt Kenseth and winner of Sunday’s Campingworld.com 500, Kevin Harvick, for the win. He started the weekend off the on right foot after securing the Coors Light Pole Award and only turned over the lead for a total of 24 laps to Kenseth, Austin Dillon and Brennan Poole.
“I was able to take off faster on restarts and get a nice lead and then Matt’s (Kenseth) car was looser than mine so that is why I was able to get a lead,” Logano noted post-race. “Once we started running a few laps I would get tight and he would start catching up to me because his balance was a little more free. I kept hoping for lap traffic because I was better in traffic and that is where I made up time.”
The only Ford in the top ten was Logano’s No. 22 Discount Tire Mustang, with the next closest Blue Oval being the Roush Fenway Racing car of Elliot Sadler in 12th. Following in behind Sadler was teammates Ryan Reed in 13th, Chris Buescher in 14th and Darrell Wallace Jr. in 15th.
Logano also qualified in the front row for Sunday’s Sprint Cup Series race in his No. 22 Penske Ford Fusion, however he was shuffled into traffic and didn’t have the speed to regain position. He turned up eighth overall, behind teammate Brad Keselowski, Ford’s top finisher in sixth position.
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