Joey Logano was still in good shape - somehow.
When a debris caution came out with 20 laps left in last November’s Sprint Cup season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Logano was running sixth. This was despite losing track position on two earlier pit stops; at Lap 195, he needed extra repairs after he had brushed the wall, and with 45 laps left, a dropped lug nut caused him to fall out of the Top 10.
Yet here he was, still with an opportunity to defeat Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, and Ryan Newman for the Cup.
Strategies differed among the Championship 4 in the most critical pit stops of the season. Hamlin stayed out, while Newman (two tires), Harvick (four tires), and Logano (four tires) went in.
But Logano’s drive for a title ended in the pits. His No. 22 Team Penske Ford fell off the jack, knocking him out of contention. He finished 16th, while Harvick won the race and the championship.
The Homestead disaster is part of Logano’s one-on-one interview with NASCAR on NBC’s Marty Snider, which you’ll see in today’s episode of NASCAR AMERICA at 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN and NBC Sports Live Extra.
But for now, go to the top to watch a teaser clip of the interview, in which Logano discusses how he dealt with what occurred in South Florida.