LOGANO ENDS CHEVY’S RUN
Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski gave Atlanta and NASCAR a rare clean last-lap battle.
For a change there were no late wrecks.
No overtime. Just a clean finish between hard racers.
Logano dominated early and then passed Keselowski on the final lap to win NASCAR’s race at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday and end the early season domination of Chevrolet and Hendrick Motorsports.
Logano won the pole and led a strong showing of three straight Team Penske drivers in qualifying, but Keselowski looked like the Ford driver to beat late in the race.
“It was lane versus lane, that’s what it was, inside versus outside,” Logano said, adding it was natural to expect that conflict would inevitably lead to contact.
“Yeah, because it happens just about every time,” Logano said of Cup drivers propensity to wreck late in races.
Bell finished third in a Toyota and LaJoie finished a career-best fourth in a Chevrolet.
“The first win of the season always feels better,” said Logano, the reigning Cup champion, who led 141 of the 260 laps.
Logano’s win ended a streak of four consecutive victories by Chevrolet to open the NASCAR Cup season, including back-to-back wins by William Byron of Hendrick. Pushed by his Team Penske teammates Ryan Blaney and Austin Cindric, Logano passed Keselowski to regain the lead with 34 laps to go. Keselowski
regained the lead to setup the last-lap drama.
“The bottom row came with a huge run,” said Keselowski. “I don’t know how and I thought I had it blocked and Joey just kept shaking and his car didn’t stall out. I couldn’t get the push down the back. We were right there. I’m glad a Ford won. It was a heck of a battle.”
Red Bull out front again
Sergio Perez won the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and Max Verstappen drove from 15th to second to give Red Bull a 1-2 finish in what is shaping up to be a runaway season for the reigning Formula One champions.
Through the first two races of the season it has been two Red Bull wins, two 1-2 finishes, and an air of desperation from everyone else on the grid. Verstappen is chasing a third straight title and isn’t worried if it goes down to a straight fight between him and Perez.
“The best one will finish in front,” the Dutchman said.
Fernando Alonso finished third for the second consecutive race for his 100th career podium. He celebrated with the Red Bull drivers, but he was later handed a 10-second penalty for what the FIA said was incorrectly serving an earlier penalty and that dropped him to fourth.
The podium finish was then handed to George Russell of Mercedes, who called the penalty on Alonso “harsh.” But Aston Martin appealed and hours after the race conclusion the penalty was reversed and Alonso’s 100th career podium was reinstated.