Logano proves it’s how you finish, not how you begin
He overcomes slow start to year to win first NASCAR title
Joey Logano busted up The Big Three and captured an improbable first NASCAR title by soundly beating a trio of champions.
Logano won the season finale Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway to grab his first Cup championship in a season in which he barely contended until the playoffs began. The year was dominated by Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick and reigning series champion Martin Truex Jr., with Logano calling the final-four field “The Big Three and Me.” But Logano kicked it into another gear to steal the title.
He passed Truex with 12 laps remaining and pulled away to win for Roger Penske, the car owner who celebrated this year his election into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, a 17th victory in the Indianapolis 500 and now a second title in NASCAR’s top series.
It marked the first championship for Ford since 2004.
Truex finished second in his final race with Furniture Row Racing. The team is closing because it lost its primary sponsor midway through Truex’s championship reign.
“It’s a tough night, a tough way to lose,” Truex said. “I had nothing for him at the end. That’s just the way it goes. I don’t know what else to say. It hurts a Joey Logano, top, celebrates with his crew after winning Sunday’s season finale and capturing his first NASCAR title.
little, and I’m going to miss all of the guys.”
Harvick was third and Busch fourth as the title contenders followed each other across the finish line.
“We weren’t even close,” said Busch, who used strategy to keep up with the other title contenders.
But it was Logano who took the checkered flag, climbed to the roof of his car and was embraced by his Penske crew.
Logano had to move Truex out of his way in the final turn at Martinsville Speedway last month to earn his berth in the championship race. The 28-yearold Connecticut racer was criticized for his aggressiveness,
and Truex promised he’d prevent Logano from winning the Cup, but Logano insisted he made the necessary move to win a championship.
And in the final 15-lap shootout to the finish, Logano used a power move on the outside line to shoot past Truex and drive away. If Truex had any intention of stopping Logano he had to catch him first, he couldn’t and finished 1.725 seconds behind.
TEEN DRIVER INJURED IN F3 RACE >> Teenage driver Sophia Floersch will undergo surgery for a spinal fracture after a spectacular airborne crash in the Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix.
The 17-year-old German tweeted: “Just wanted to let everybody know that I am fine but will be going into Surgery tomorrow (Monday) morning ... Update soon.”
Floersch has a spinal fracture, according to a medical report released by her team, the Netherlandsbased Van Amersfoort Racing.
“The whole world saw what happened and we can only thank God that (at)SophiaFloersch escaped with relatively light injuries,” Van Amersfoort Racing tweeted. “Our thoughts go also to the other people involved and we wish them a speedy recovery.”
Video footage showed Floersch appearing to clip Japanese driver Sho Tsuboi’s car while flying off the track at high speed on a tight right-hand bend on lap four. Floersch’s car then went through a catch fence, hit a structure on the perimeter and dropped to the ground with safety officials immediately on the scene.
The incident prompted an immediate red flag and a delay of more than an hour before the race was restarted.
In a statement posted on social media, motor sport’s governing body FIA said “the driver (Floersch) is conscious and has subsequently been taken to hospital for further evaluation.” It added that Tsuboi and “two members of the media and one marshal were also transferred to a local hospital in a conscious state for further evaluation.”
Media reports said Tsuboi has lumbar pain.