SPARTA, Ky. – Joe Gibbs
Racing rookie Joey Logano
became the eighth different
NASCAR Nationwide Series
race winner at Kentucky
Speedway tonight in front of
a track-record sellout crowd
of 73,195 assembled for the
“Meijer 300 Presented by
Oreo.”
The Middletown, Conn.,
driver known as “Sliced
Bread” became the youngest
victor in series history at
age 18 years and 21 days as
well as the third straight
first-time series winner at
the track after guiding his
No. 20 GameStop Toyota
across the finish line a
series track-record 2.259
seconds ahead of Scott
Wimmer in the No. 29 Holiday
Inn Chevrolet.
“It’s unbelievable. I’ve
got to thank all the guys
here and all the fans. I
couldn’t think of a better
Father’s Day gift, that’s
for sure. I was wondering
what I was going to give my
dad, I think this will work.
“I didn’t think we had
the car today. When I
unloaded for practice I
said, ‘shoot, we’ll be lucky
to get a top five out this
deal tonight.’ We got it
going, got it going and got
the pole. It was too tight
and Kyle got by us. We freed
it up and got by Kyle then
he got loose and hit the
fence.
“How ‘bout this team?
It’s frickin’ amazing,”
Logano said.
Mike Wallace took third
in the No. 7 Geico Toyota,
Brad Keselowski posted his
second straight top-five
finish by taking fourth in
the No. 88 Navy Chevrolet
and Bryan Clauson closed out
the top-five in the No. 40
Fastenal Dodge.
Logano led the race five
times for a total of 76
laps. He took the lead for
the first time on Lap 54 and
the final time on Lap 147
when the nip-and-tuck-battle
he was in with teammate Kyle
Busch at the front of the
field ended with Busch’s No.
18 Farm Bureau Insurance
Toyota spinning out and
making contact with the Turn
2 wall on Lap 165.
Busch, who finished
seventh in the NASCAR
Craftsman Truck Series race
at Michigan International
Speedway earlier this
afternoon, ended the race in
30th. He was forced to start
tonight’s event at the rear
of the field because back-up
Jeremy Clements qualified
and practiced the car
throughout the day at
Kentucky Speedway. Busch led
the race four times for a
race-high 85 laps and
slipped from second to fifth
in the series standings.
Wimmer snared his second
top-five and sixth top-10
finish of the season in his
ninth start.
“I thought the racing was
great tonight. It’s a great
racetrack and it’s great to
see 73,000 people in the
stands for a Nationwide
Series race.
“The No. 20 has been the
class of the Nationwide
Series all year long and the
No. 18 looked like it was
real good tonight. We just
need to do our homework. We
can beat those guys, we can
beat whoever’s driving it.
We just need to get a little
bit better. We took a big
step toward that tonight, we
just have a little more work
to do,” Wimmer said.
Wallace moved from ninth
to eighth in the standings
with his first top-five and
sixth top-10 finish of the
season. Keselowski moved to
second in the series
standings following his
fifth top-five and eighth
top-10 finish of the season
while Clauson delivered his
first top-five and second
top-10 finish in his 11th
start of the campaign. He
advanced three spots in the
standings to 26th.
Clint Bowyer retained the
lead in the series standings
with a ninth-place finish
that marked this 13th top-10
showing of the season. He
will hold a 170-point lead
over Keselowski when the
series resumes action at the
Milwaukee Mile June 21.
The Kentucky Speedway
season continues July 18 and
19 with visits from the ARCA
RE/MAX Series and NASCAR
Craftsman Truck Series.
Roush Fenway racer Ricky
Stenhouse, Jr., will shoot
for his second 150-mile ARCA
RE/MAX Series win of the
season at Kentucky Speedway
when drivers take the green
flag at 8:00 p.m. July 18.
The day will also include
NASCAR Craftsman Truck
Series practice sessions.
The NASCAR Craftsman
Truck Series will battle in
the "Built Ford Tough 225
Presented by the Greater
Cincinnati Ford Dealers"
July 19. Race time is set
for 8:00 p.m. and the full
day of activity also will
include a 40th Anniversary
Tour stop from classic rock
band Blood Sweat & Tears.
Race tickets can be
reserved online through the
“Tickets” pages of http://www.kentuckyspeedway.com,
by phone at 888-652-RACE, by
visiting the speedway ticket
offices located at 400
Buttermilk Pike, Suite 100,
in Ft. Mitchell, Ky., near
Montgomery Inn and the
Sparta, Ky., Fan Center
located off of I-71 Exit 57
and Ky. Hwy. 35 N, and at
Meijer stores.
“Meijer 300 Presented by
Oreo” Kentucky Speedway
Extras:
- Tonight’s track-record
crowd of 73,195 marks the
eighth consecutive NASCAR
Nationwide Series sellout at
Kentucky Speedway. The
eight-year average event
attendance at Kentucky
Speedway is 71,232.
- Joey Logano was the
eighth different race and
pole award winner in as many
races at the facility. He is
the second driver to win a
Kentucky Speedway Nationwide
Series race from the pole
position and the fifth to
win in his first series
start at the track. Carl
Edwards was the first to win
a Nationwide Series race at
the track from the pole
position on June 18, 2005.
- Joey Logano’s winning
2.259 second winning margin
was the widest in series
track history. Stephen
Leicht set the previous
record with his 2.011 second
win last season.
- Scott Wimmer posted his
series-best second-place
finish at the track and his
fourth consecutive top-five
finish in Kentucky. He owns
four top-five and top-10
finishes in five career
series starts at the
facility.