Devon HenryLate race restarts were the name of the game on Sunday. Joey Logano claimed his second win on the young season by keeping the pack behind him in a NASCAR Overtime restart to win the FanShield 500.
Logano overcame a broken jack during a pit stop to earn his second career victory at the one-mile oval. The key to it all; preparation.
“It’s all about preparation, just like anything else in life,” Logano said. “It’s how you prepare for the restart back in the shop, whether it’s the gearing or studying your competition, watching film, seeing what happened during the race so far, all that stuff comes together.
An impressive run by @joeylogano today at @phoenixraceway, holding off the entire pack on multiple late restarts. In victory lane, he actually gave all the credit to co-analyst, @ClintBowyer. #FanShield500 pic.twitter.com/jgP8WI9MHm
— Devon Henry (@devonhenry77) March 9, 2020
Chase Elliott started off the weekend strong, setting the second quickest time in first practice and being the top speed in second practice and qualifying.
Stage One was won by a mix of pit strategy and speed as Kevin Harvick was shuffled to the front and didn’t look back. Stage Two saw Chase Elliott maintain his speed until he was forced to pit road to change a loose wheel. Brad Keselowski took advantage of Elliott’s misfortune to claim Stage Two. Keselowski would hit the pits late, taking him out of the top ten.
A new aero package proved to make more passing while also making the cars more difficult to drive. The combination created competitive racing throughout the night giving fans a glimpse of how action-packed Championship Weekend could look in 2020.
Next up for the NASCAR Cup Series will be a trip to Chase Elliott’s home track of Atlanta Speedway. Phoenix Raceway will be back in action when NASCAR decides four champions during Championship Weekend Nov. 6, 7, and 8.
