Logano dominates for fourth Nationwide win at Dover
By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service
Distributed by The SportsXchange
DOVER, Del.-When Joey Logano sets a record, he does it in style.
Logano didn't just win Saturday's 5-hour Energy 200 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Dover International Speedway. He crushed the rest of the field in taking the checkered flag in a record four straight events at the Monster Mile.
No other driver has ever won four straight races at Dover in any of NASCAR's top three national series, and Logano accomplished the feat decisively, finishing 14.590 seconds ahead of runner-up Kyle Larson.
Kevin Harvick ran third, more than 24 seconds back, and Brian Vickers came home fourth. Logano, Larson, Harvick and Vickers were the only drivers on the lead lap at the finish.
Arguably, Kyle Busch had the fastest car, but Busch stayed on the track under the first two cautions, both of which fell within the first 35 laps of the race. When a third caution failed to materialize, Busch was forced to pit under green on Lap 87, leaving him unable to complete the race without stopping again.
Logano, on the other hand, brought his No. 22 Ford to pit road on Lap 37, under the second caution, and made his second stop, under green, on Lap 116, on the borderline of finishing the race without another trip to pit road.
When the pit stops cycled out by Lap 124, Busch held a lead of almost 10 seconds, but Logano, on fresher tires, cut into the advantage in large chunks. On Lap 142, Logano caught and passed Busch's No. 54 Toyota and pulled away to a lead of more than four seconds by Lap 175.
With the race still under green on Lap 176 -- and six other cars on the lead lap -- Busch was forced to pit and dropped to 14th, one lap down. He finished eighth.
A pit road speeding penalty incurred on Lap 117 cost Sam Hornish Jr. most of his series lead. Hornish finished 17th and left Dover four points ahead of sixth-place finisher Austin Dillon, who trimmed 11 points from Hornish's advantage entering the race.
