Track: Chicagoland Speedway
Race: Camping World 300
Date: June 29, 2019
No. 12 Snap-on Tools Ford Mustang – Joey Logano
Start: 1st - 36th career NXS pole
Stage 1: 5th
Stage 2: 1st
Finish: 2nd
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 200/200
Laps Led: 20
Point Standings: N/A
Notes:
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Joey Logano qualified on the pole for Saturday’s Gander Outdoors 300 at Chicagoland Speedway, his 36th career NASCAR XFINITY Series pole position. Logano drove the No. 12 Snap-on Tools Ford Mustang to a runner up position after leading the race multiple times and consistently running inside the top-five.
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After starting from the pole, Logano led the opening two circuits before settling into the second position, reporting the Snap-on Tools Mustang was a two plus on the tight side. At lap 9, Logano had to drop behind third place Justin Allgaier to clear a windshield tear off from the grill as temperatures had begun to rise. Logano quickly regained the position before a caution flag at lap 11. Under caution, he reported the car was really good on the bottom of the corners after starting really tight.
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After finishing the first stage in the fifth position, Logano came to pit road for air pressure, tape on the grill and a trackbar adjustment, looking to free up the Snap-on Tools Mustang, which he reported at the end of the stage was too tight on and off the wall to maintain pace with the leader. Logano’s cup pit crew gained the driver one position leaving pit road, lining the team up in the fourth position for the restart to begin the second stage.
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A caution flag at lap 78 set the field up for a split strategy, with Logano and eight other competitors remaining on track, with others pitting for fresh tires, the strategy would put Logano on the defensive to close the second stage, but insure the team a set of tires for late in the race.
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To open the final stage, Logano would restart from the sixth position after five competitors remained on the track following their previous pit stops. On the opening lap, Logano moved from sixth to third and then into the second position, setting his sights on race leader Cole Custer.
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Logano settled into the third position as the third stage continued on, surviving one brief scrap with the outside wall, reporting the Snap-on Tools Mustang was consistently on the free side, better than where the team had started the race being too tight to pass. At lap 153, Logano pitted from the third position for four tires and fuel, reporting that dirty air would make passing difficult late in the race.
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A lap 171 caution would set Logano up for a return to pit road. Under caution, he reported the Snap-on Tools Mustang had taken another swing to the free side, prompting the team to make an air pressure adjustment for the upcoming stop. The caution also had Logano pinned in the seventh position as other leaders had stretched the pit window as far as possible.
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With 21 laps remaining, Logano would restart in the fourth position, quickly claiming the second spot and begin trying to run down race leader Cole Custer. Unfortunately, the laps ran out and Logano was forced to settle for the runner up position.
Quote:
"We just weren’t quite good enough. Cole and that whole Stewart-Haas team just beat us. They were faster in every department. We just weren’t quite good enough overall. After practice I was able to look at Cole’s times and it was obvious that he was the fastest car. You just had to hope that we made some good adjustments to keep up. We did. We got closer but Cole did a great job running up near the wall like he did. That was impressive. He is a good up and coming talent and he proved that to me today at least. When you are following him you can see that stuff. We were just too far off in practice when we unloaded and we had to swing at this thing with big changes. It is hard with only a couple of 50-minute practices to get where you need to when other teams are fine tuning. We need to get a little closer to fire off in practice and maybe we could have tuned the car to get all the potential out of it. Overall, I am proud of this race team. We had good pit stops and all that which is good for tomorrow. We will try to win one tomorrow. It is really cool to get a Ford in victory lane today, we hope to do the same thing tomorrow."
No. 22 Discount Tire Ford Mustang – Austin Cindric
Start: 7th
Stage 1: 7th
Stage 2: 7th
Finish: 6th
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 200/200
Laps Led: 0
Driver Point Standings (behind first): 4th (-130 leader)
Notes:
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Austin Cindric scored a sixth-place finish in the Camping World 300 Saturday afternoon at Chicagoland Speedway. The finish was his 12th top-10 finish of the season. Cindric moves from fifth to fourth in the driver point standings, 130 points behind leader Tyler Reddick and 60 points behind third-place Cole Custer.
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The driver of the Discount Tire Ford Mustang earned the seventh place starting position during qualifying for the 200-lap, 300-mile race Saturday morning. Cindric maintained position inside the top-10, working his way up to sixth when the first caution fell on lap 11. He radioed to crew chief Brian Wilson that his Discount Tire Ford Mustang was good on fire off but was getting beat throughout the center of the turn as the run progressed. The race restated on lap 15 and remained green until the conclusion of the first stage, with Cindric scored in the seventh position. Wilson made the call to pit during the stage caution for four tires, fuel and adjustments to aid the tight Ford. Cindric returned to the track seventh in the running order when the race restarted on lap 51.
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On the restart Cindric was shuffled back to the 12th position but wasted no time racing his way back inside the top-10 by lap 62. The race was slowed for the third time on lap 77, with Cindric scored in the ninth position. Wilson elected to remain on track during the caution while some of the leaders came to pit road allowing Cindric to restart fourth with six laps remaining in Stage 2. Cindric held his own on the restart making his way to the third position but having the disadvantage of older tires, Cindric fell to seventh as the second stage concluded.
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Wilson called the Mooresville, N.C. native to pit road during the stage caution on lap 92 for four fresh tires, fuel and adjustments. Cindric returned to the track in the eighth position and powered his way to fourth on the restart. The No. 22 Mustang was blacked-flagged on lap 100 for a missing right-side window. Cindric would pit on lap 103 from the fourth position and return to the track with a new window, one lap down to the leaders in the 24th position.
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On lap 109 the pace was slowed for the fifth time and No. 22 Discount Tire team received the free pass. Wilson called Cindric to pit under caution for four tires and fuel and he would restart 23rd on lap 115. With a stellar restart and a fast Discount Tire Mustang, Cindric muscled his way back inside the top-10 by lap 121 and sixth by lap 142. On lap 153 Wilson called Cindric to pit road from the sixth position for a scheduled green flag stop to make it to the end of the 300-mile race. The caution would slow the pace with 28 laps remaining and Cindric scored in seventh. Wilson would call the No. 22 Discount Tire Ford to pit road on lap 175 four tires and fuel one last time. Cindric would restart seventh with 21 laps remaining in the 200-lap race. Over the final stent, Cindric would battle for position and contend for a top- five finish with Brandon Jones but Jones would nudge Cindric at the finish line, Cindric settling for sixth position.
Quote:
"I came on the radio at one point after we had the window come out under green and got a lucky caution, I said, ‘Guys, adversity is the spice of life and it is about to get spicy.’ We were up to the top-10 again about three laps after the restart. We got the car right, made the right adjustments. A couple guys were clever with strategy there at the end. We probably should have been fourth or fifth on the day but I am happy with it. It is probably one of the best executed races we have had in the last month."