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  • Deegan takes advantage of last lap pass, wins at Vegas Dirt Track

    Deegan takes advantage of last lap pass, wins at Vegas Dirt Track

    LAS VEGAS – As Jagger Jones approached lapped cars, Hailie Deegan takes advantage of the traffic with a last lap pass to win the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West season opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Dirt Track in the Star Nursery 100.

    “I had to do something to make the move. So I shoved my nose in there, squiggled my way through that corner and just parked around the bottom of [turns] 3 and 4 and got it done,” Deegan shared after the race.

    Deegan only led one lap in the main event, and it was the one that counted. Austin Reed started on pole and led the opening eight laps before Derek Kraus paced the field for 60 laps. Kraus was passed by Jones and Deegan with 31 laps to go, and Jones was able to pull away to a four-second lead with 10 laps to go. However, Deegan was able to find some speed to pull off the pass going into Turn 1.

    “In the end we wouldn’t have caught him if it weren’t for the lapped cars,” she said. “And they got in his way. If I was him, I’d be mad. Really mad. But some peoples losses are other peoples wins and we ended up getting it done. I knew what we had to do to win. I knew it was going to come down to the last lap again and we made it happen.

    “This was my kind of — what’s the word — rebound race. Coming here, especially in the heat race since we didn’t do that great, I was like, ‘man, I’ve got a lot of work to do tonight,’ but I wasn’t going to go down second again. I was done getting second. I’ve got second a ton of times now, and it just is not fun knowing that there’s a little more you can do, a little better you can be, and I just wanted to be the best I could tonight and go out and show everyone if they counted us out in the heat race that we weren’t done.”

    It was Jones’ first career start in the K&N Pro Series West start, who seemed to be on cruise control toward a victory. Fate determined something different.

    “Hailie [Deegan] definitely had a little more speed at the end,” he said defeated. “But I think I would’ve held her off no problem, but lapped card cut me off, pushed me right into the tire on the last lap and Hailie was just able to get underneath me. Definitely wanted that win.”

    Jones wasn’t upset at Deegan for her move. He was more upset at Kenny Bumbera, the lapped car that Jones was unable to pass in time before Deegan could get to his inside.

    “Oh I think her move was fine,” Jones said of Deegan’s last lap maneuver. “I mean she didn’t really do anything too bad. It’s just the lapped car cut me off in front. It just pushed me up the track. Once that all happened she had a whole lane to herself. It was kind of given to her, which is unfortunate on the last lap. It just sucks sometimes.”

    Donny Schatz charges through the field at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Dirt Track in the World of Outlaws Main Event. Photo by Rachel Schuoler.
    Donny Schatz charges through the field at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Dirt Track in the World of Outlaws Main Event. Photo by Rachel Schuoler.

    The Jefferson Pitts Racing driver, Joey Tanner, finished in third in his first career series with Kody Vanderwal and Todd Souza completing the top five. Derek Kraus finished sixth with Trevor Huddleston, Travis Milburn, Austin Reed and Matt Levin rounding out the top 10. The Star Nursery 100 is scheduled to be broadcast on Tuesday, March 5 at 6 p.m. on NBCSN.

    It was the start to a very historic night in Vegas. This was the first time that USAC, World of Outlaws and NASCAR competed at the same venue on the same evening. The action on track proved staying was well worth it. With Hailie Deegan winning the K&N West race, she is now the first ever female to lead the points in NASCAR’s history.

    The NASCAR K&N race was the third main event race of the night that had a last lap pass on the dirt track. In the World of Outlaws Main Event, Donny Schatz was able to get by Daryn Pittman on the outside of Turns 3 and 4. The two were side by side at the line, with Schatz’s car just a nose in front of Pittman. In the USAC 360 Main Event, Jake Swanson edged out Charles Davis Jr by 0.187 seconds with his last lap pass.

    The next race for the NASCAR K&N Pro West Series will be at Irwindale Speedway in California on March 30.

  • Kyle Busch grabs 22nd career Truck Series pole for Strat 200 at Vegas

    Kyle Busch grabs 22nd career Truck Series pole for Strat 200 at Vegas

    LAS VEGAS – Kyle Busch drives his Toyota Tundra to the top spot for the start of tonight’s Strat 200 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series.

    Busch set the pace with a time of 30.184 seconds at 178.903 mph.

    His 22nd career pole comes a day after announcing his contract extension with Joe Gibbs Racing and Mars Inc..

    “My relationship with Joe (Gibbs), JD (Gibbs) and the family has grown a lot of the years and each year I think it gets better and better,’’ Busch said.

    He is the only driver to win a triple sweep in a single weekend, and is in solid position to accomplish the same feat again this weekend at Vegas.

    Brett Moffitt was second-fastest at 178.359 mph, followed by Harrison Burton (178.224 mph), Grant Enfinger (178.036 mph) and Cory Roper (177.895 mph).

    The rest of the final group for qualifying were Austin Hill (177.731), Stewart Friesen (177.521), Brennan Poole (177.509), Sheldon Creed (177.433), Ryan Reed (177.293), Johnny Sauter (177.235) and Natalie Decker (176.794).

    Tonight’s race is scheduled for 134 laps/201 miles with the green flag waving shortly after 9 p.m. ET. It will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1, the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

  • Brad Keselowski holds off Truex for second Atlanta Cup win

    Brad Keselowski holds off Truex for second Atlanta Cup win

    Brad Keselowski was battling flu-like symptoms all weekend but fought through to win his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory of the season.

    Keselowski, who received two IV injections before the race, held off a hard-charging Martin Truex Jr. to win the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

    The win is Keselowski’s second at Atlanta and the 28th of his Cup career. This also marks three consecutive top-three finishes at Atlanta for Keselowski, who clinched his spot in the Playoffs for the sixth consecutive season.

    “I was good enough to get the job done,” Keselowski said. “First I have to give credit to first, my wife [Paige], who was sick like I was. She took care of me just like everybody did in the care center. I couldn’t be here right now without you.

    “And second, Doug Yates, we ran over a piece of debris with probably 50 laps to go and overheated really bad and I thought there was no way this engine would make it to the end. Doug Yates and his team, they do a great job. I’m pretty sure it’s all used up, Doug, but it’s in Victory Lane.”

    With the win, Keselowski broke a tie with Indianapolis legend Mark Donohue for the most wins as a Team Penske driver with 60. The driver of the No. 2 Ford has won 27 of his 28 Cup victories for Roger Penske. The other win came in April 2009 at Talladega when Keselowski ran a partial schedule for car owner James Finch driving the No. 09 Chevrolet.

    “This is one I’m not going to forget for a very long time,” he said. “Any win means a lot, but that’s a big number. Now, I get to wear that yellow Mark Donohue helmet. We’re going to wear it next week.

    “What a tremendous honor.”

    Completing the top- five were Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick, and Clint Bowyer.

    Rounding out the Top 10 were Kyle Busch, Erik Jones, Aric Almirola, Chris Buescher, and Daniel Suarez.

    The race was the first for the 2019 rules package at an intermediate track. Cars featured larger spoilers, increased downforce, and a tapered spacer to reduce horsepower. However, to the surprise of many, speeds were actually up from a year ago.

    Kyle Busch, who was making his 500th career Cup start, rallied to finish sixth after he suffered a flat right-rear tire on Lap 223. It was a topsy turvy weekend for Busch, who won Friday’s Gander Outdoors Truck Series race, but crashed his primary car in Saturday’s final Cup practice, and was forced to start from the rear of the field.

    Kyle Larson led the most laps (142) but slid to 12th after getting busted for a speeding penalty on Lap 225. Larson has failed to win the last five races after he led the most laps, including four times last season.

    On Lap 268, there was a bizarre incident on pit road during green flag stops that caused a caution. B.J. McLeod slowed down significantly and attempted to turn into the wrong pit stall. Meanwhile, Ryan Preece, who was glancing at his tachometer, plowed into the rear of McLeod. Both cars suffered heavy damage. It was later reported that McLeod was about five stalls away from his actual stall.

    Truex was also penalized for having a crew member go over the wall too soon. However, on further review, NASCAR rescinded the penalty.

    On Lap 293, Keselowski passed his teammate Joey Logano to take the lead. Logano, who was seeking his first Atlanta win, was forced to hit pit road for a loose wheel soon with just 20 laps to go. His other teammate, Ryan Blaney, was also forced to hit the pits on Lap 313 for a flat tire.

    Keselowski, with the flu bug, avoided the tire bug and held off Truex for his first win of 2019.

    Larson won Stage One and Harvick was the Stage Two winner.

  • Kyle Busch becomes all-time winningest Truck series driver with Atlanta victory

    Kyle Busch becomes all-time winningest Truck series driver with Atlanta victory

    Kyle Busch overcame a loose wheel to win the Ultimate Tailgating 200 and become the Gander Outdoor Truck Series all-time winningest driver.

    The win was Busch’s 52nd career series victory, which moved him past NASCAR Hall of Famer Ron Hornaday Jr. to take sole possession of first on the all-time wins list. The victory is also Busch’s fifth at Atlanta Motor Speedway and the 195th of his NASCAR career across the three series.

    Busch held off Johnny Sauter on a restart with five laps to go to win. Sauter finished second and completing the top five were Grant Enfinger, Brett Moffitt, and Ben Rhodes.

    Busch was forced to come to pit road on Lap 54 due to a loose wheel. It took 24 laps for the 33-year-old to recover the lead. Despite the adversity, Busch still managed to win the first two stages.

    “It certainly means a lot. I want to thank our amazing partners that allow us to do what we do,” Busch said in Victory Lane. “I can’t say enough about my guys at Kyle Busch Motorsports – they do a phenomenal job.

    “I slipped getting out of my truck – it’s a little wet out here in case y’all didn’t notice. It was a great race out there. I wish it would have ended. I would have liked to have seen Harrison (Burton) finish second. I’m not sure how far he fell. He ran a great race today.”

    Busch dominated to win Stage 1 over his KBM teammate Harrison Burton.

    Austin Hill, last week’s winner, started on the pole after qualifying was washed out and 2018 owner points set the lineup.

    On Lap 16, Natalie Decker spun off  Turn 4 to bring out the first caution.

    Busch drove through the field and beat Ben Rhodes to take the Stage 2 win.

    The caution came out on Lap 53 for debris when Joe Nemechek got into the grass, which resulted in dirt getting onto the racing surface.

    With 25 laps left in the race, Busch held a one-second lead over Johnny Sauter with Matt Crafton running in third.

    On Lap 112, the second time was a charm for Decker as she spun off turn four again to bring out the caution. Busch won the race off pit road, but Matt Crafton was forced to pit again with a loose wheel.

    The race returned to green with 13 laps to go, but several trucks wrecked on the restart, which resulted in a red flag.

    Spencer Boyd, Chad Finely, Parker Kligerman, Jesse Little, and Austin Wayne Self were among those involved.

    But there was no stopping Busch, who made history in just his 146th series start.

  • Clint Bowyer paces final Cup practice, Kyle Busch wrecks

    Clint Bowyer paces final Cup practice, Kyle Busch wrecks

    Clint Bowyer has been one of the fastest cars all week, and he showed that again during Saturday’s final Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

    Bowyer, who led the way in Friday’s practice and was quickest in two of three rounds of qualifying in the No. 14, was looking sporty on Saturday with an average lap speed of 179.104 mph.

    Kyle Busch was second but was forced to go to the rear of the field after smacking the outside wall and spinning in Turn 2 (178.873 mph). Austin Dillon was third (178.712mph), Michael McDowell was fourth, and Corey LaJoie rounded out the top-five.

    “Just got loose. We were trying to run a run, and the car was pretty good with fire off there,” Busch said. “We ran some really good times and then just kept getting a little bit looser, a little bit looser. I tried to go back to the bottom and run the bottom to see how slow I had to be to go around the bottom and just snapped.”

    Completing the Top 10 were Kurt Busch, Joey Logano, Daniel Hemric, Ryan Newman, and Martin Truex Jr.

    Busch was forced to go to a backup car, which means he will have to start Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 from the rear of the field.

    Erik Jones went to the garage late in the session after his No. 20 Toyota started to spew smoke. It was reported that he was suffering power steering issues.

    Brad Keselowski, who was sidelined by flu-like symptoms for most of the session, was 28th quickest.

    Of the drivers who ran at least 10 consecutive laps, it was the Kyle and Kyle show. Kyle Busch was quickest (177.302 mph), followed by Kyle Larson.

  • Monster Energy Cup Series: Drivers to watch at Atlanta

    Monster Energy Cup Series: Drivers to watch at Atlanta

    The Monster Energy Cup Series started the 2019 season with the 61st annual Daytona 500 and while the Great American race has come and gone, the series doesn’t sleep, and the true test begins in Atlanta this weekend.

    Atlanta Motor Speedway is the home to all 3 major series for the weekend and there are tons of variables that could confuse teams. How will the new aero package affect teams? How will the new left side tire compounds work for the racing? Will we see pack racing like we saw last week in Daytona?

    All of these questions are unknowns till we see cars on the track but who are some of the guys you should keep your eye on this week? Let’s dive into some of the drivers that could be up at the front on Sunday in Atlanta.

    Jimmie Johnson: For the seven time champion, it was a prayer from the heavens that Johnson escaped Daytona with an 8th place finish. He was involved in a wreck heading onto to pit road when the 31 of Tyler Reddick collided with the back of the Ally Chevy after Reddick’s car got hit by the two Rick Ware Racing cars. He kept digging and avoiding the two big wrecks at the end of the race to come out of Daytona, with a Top 10. This was also the first race with new crew chief Kevin Meendering.

    What should we expect from Johnson in Atlanta? Well, the track record is fairly good for the El Cajon, California native. He leads all active drivers with 5 wins, 14 Top 5’s and 16 Top 10’s. Even though the Hendrick Motorsports elder hasn’t won in 60 races, don’t be surprised we see the bright purple Ally Chevy into Victory Lane, come Sunday afternoon. Should Johnson end up breaking the winless streak, dating back to Spring Dover race in 2017, it would mark Johnson’s 84th career win; tying him with the NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip and Bobby Allison for fourth on the all-time wins list.

    Denny Hamlin: Unlike Johnson, Hamlin broke his winless streak at the Greatest Spectacle in racing, the Daytona 500, last week in Daytona. The true test begins this week, for the Chesterfield, Virginia alum. Hamlin has won before in Atlanta, but it was in 2012 when the race was in September. He battled Kevin Harvick last year in Atlanta, exchanging the lead with the Stewart Haas driver six time over the last 110 laps. Harvick went on to win the race while Hamlin fell to a fourth place run. Hamlin also has 7 Top 10’s and a pole at one of the oldest tracks in the Cup Series so don’t be shocked if you see the 11 in the Top 5 on Sunday.

    Kevin Harvick: It was a rough day for the defending Atlanta race winner in Daytona as he finished 26th at Daytona after being collected in a crash on lap 194 of the 207-lap race. It is a new week and for Harvick, it should be no surprise he is the man to beat come this weekend. The Bakersfield, CA native won his first career race in 2001 at this race track in an emotional victory lane as he took over the wheel of the #3 (which switched numbers to #29) of Dale Earnhardt. Harvick has had 7 top 5’s, 13 top 10’s along with two poles at the rough and ragged track that is known to be called Atlanta Motor Speedway. With a win on Sunday, Harvick would tie Buck Backer for 16th on the all time win’s list with 46 MENCS victories. Look for Harvick to be around the lead pack and in contention for the trophy at the end of the day of Sunday.

    Kyle Busch: It was once again, frustration for the JGR driver, as Busch finished second (his career finish at the Daytona 500) and one spot short of receiving that Harley J Earl trophy for the Las Vegas native but Busch does come to Atlanta with a milestone. With starting the Cup race on Sunday, the 2015 Cup champion will achieve his 500th career start in the series. Busch has two wins at Atlanta (2008 and 2013) and his car owner Joe Gibbs, has 11 Cup wins total at the track.

    Busch will also be competing in the Gander Outdoor Truck Series on Saturday afternoon and with a win in that series, it would make him the truck series’ all time winningest driver in Truck Series history. It should not be a surprise to see Busch in Victory Lane…more than once this weekend in Atlanta.

    Dark Horse: Matt DiBenedetto:

    The Grass Valley, CA shocked many, many people on Sunday when he took the lead in the Daytona 500 and led the most laps (49) before getting caught up in the big one on Lap 190. DiBenedetto, driving for Levine Family Racing, has teamed up with Joe Gibbs racing to form an alliance to help the 95 throughout the season. DiBenedetto is in the best equipment he has had in the Cup Series and could be contending for wins later on in the season. Look for Dibenedetto to have a solid run this weekend.

    Who is your pick to win the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta on Sunday? Tell us in your comments, below!

    Catch the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at 2:00 PM ET on FOX

    Follow Bryan on Twitter @TheBryanNolen for all the latest on NASCAR news, rumors, and more.

  • Marc-Antoine Camirand to return to Pinty’s Series in 2019

    Marc-Antoine Camirand to return to Pinty’s Series in 2019

    Marc-Antoine Camirand is set to return for his second full-time season in the NASCAR Pinty’s Series behind the wheel of the No. 22 machine.

    Camirand, who hails from Saint-Léonard d’Aston, Quebec, scored his first series victory in his second full-time season a year ago. He also scored six top-fives, 11 top-10s, a pole, and finished sixth in the series standings– all career-highs.

    Also remaining on board with Camirand is the top General Motors dealer in Canada, GM Paillé, which will sponsor the 39-year-old for the fourth consecutive year.

    Paillé sponsored Camirand for five races dating back to the 2016 and 2017 seasons before committing to a full slate in 2018. Patience finally persevered when Camirand held off teammate Alex Tagliani for his first career win at Autodrome St. Eustache in September.

    “I’m so happy to carry this winning association with GM Paillé,” said Camirand. “In motorsports, nothing is more valuable than a sponsor who shares our passion and who cheers on us always to go further. GM Paillé’s team is passionate and professional, and it’s an honor for me to wear its colors.

    “I got my first win last year at Autodrome St-Eustache, and through the season, I proved that I could be very fast, both on ovals and road courses,” added Camirand, who will have a new crew chief Warren Jones and two car chiefs with Brian MacDonald on oval tracks, and Yvan Turcotte on road courses.

    “We have put in place a highly exciting association with Marc-Antoine, and we wish to continue this winning partnership with him and 22 Racing team,” said Paillé. “It’s also important for us to support local athletes to enable them to show their talent at a national level, such as Marc-Antoine in the NASCAR Pinty’s series.”

    Car owner Scott Steckly, of 22 Racing, a four-time series champion, is also very pumped to have the team back together and is predicting another successful season.

    “We are very excited to have Marc-Antoine and GM Paillé back with us for 2019,” said Steckly. “Marc has continued to improve each time on the track and is a threat to win on both road courses and ovals.

    “We predict he will have even more wins and podiums in 2019.”

    The 2019 season starts at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, ON, on May 19.

  • Now a winner, Austin Hill is thinking championship

    Now a winner, Austin Hill is thinking championship

    Austin Hill joined the Gander Outdoors Truck Series with the goal of just winning a race.

    Hill, 24, who won last week’s season-opening race at Daytona for his first career win, now knows how incredible it feels to stand triumphant in victory lane.

    Hill had just one previous top-five finish when he was hired by Hattori Racing Enterprises to drive its No. 16 Toyota this season, replacing defending series champion Brett Moffitt, who could not secure sponsorship to remain with HTE.

    “I had a lot of people throughout the off‑season and even when I got to the race track asking if a lot of weight was on my shoulders, you know, coming into a team that won the championship,” Hill said.

    “You know, I kind of embraced that. I felt like they went out and won the championship last year, so I felt like they should at least get a shot at it. Now we are.

    “To come here and get my first win at Daytona, it’s an amazing feeling. I don’t know if it’s really set in yet completely with me. I’m so, so excited going forward with these guys. I think that there’s a lot of good things ahead of us and on the horizon.”

    With a spot in the playoffs all but solidified, Hill has removed points racing from the equation. Now, it’s all about winning races and competing for a championship at Homestead.

    “The number one goal is to win the championship, so we’re locked in now. Kind of takes a weight off of your shoulders going into Atlanta,” Hill said. “We get to go have fun now.

    “We’re not chasing points. We’re not chasing anything but wins. That’s going to be really cool. It’s going to be a lot more relaxed, I think, going forward. It comes down to going to try to win some more races, get as much bonus points as we can.”

  • Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 entry list

    Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 entry list

    After 40 drivers competed in the season-opening Daytona 500 last week, the entry list for this weekend is smaller.

    For Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at the 1.5-mile (2.414-kilometer) high-banked Atlanta Motor Speedway, only 37 drivers will race the scheduled 325-lap distance.

    Live coverage begins on FOX at 2 p.m. ET with the green flag scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET.

    Here are the drivers that will be in Sunday’s race.

    1 – Landon Cassill – #00, StarCom Racing, Chevrolet
    2 – Kurt Busch – #1, Chip Ganassi Racing, Chevrolet
    3 – Brad Keselowski – #2, Team Penske, Ford
    4 – Austin Dillon – #3, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet
    5 – Kevin Harvick – #4, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford
    6 – Ryan Newman – #6, Roush Fenway Racing, Ford
    7 – Daniel Hemric – #8, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet
    8 – Chase Elliott – #9, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet
    9 – Aric Almirola – #10, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford
    10 – Denny Hamlin – #11, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota
    11 – Ryan Blaney – #12, Team Penske, Ford
    12 – Ty Dillon – #13, Germain Racing, Chevrolet
    13 – Clint Bowyer – #14, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford
    14 – Ross Chastain – #15, Premium Motorsports, Chevrolet
    15 – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – #17, Roush Fenway Racing, Ford
    16 – Kyle Busch – #18, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota
    17 – Martin Truex Jr. – #19, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota
    18 – Erik Jones – #20, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota
    19 – Paul Menard – #21, Wood Brothers Racing, Ford
    20 – Joey Logano – #22, Team Penske, Ford
    21 – William Byron – #24, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet
    22 – Corey Lajoie – #32, Go Fas Racing, Ford
    23 – Michael McDowell – #34, Front Row Motorsports, Ford
    24 – Matt Tifft – #36, Front Row Motorsports, Ford
    25 – Chris Buescher – #37, JTG Daugherty Racing, Chevrolet
    26 – David Ragan – #38, Front Row Motorsports, Ford
    27 – Daniel Suarez – #41, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford
    28 – Kyle Larson – #42, Chip Ganassi Racing, Chevrolet
    29 – Darrell Wallace Jr. – #43, Richard Petty Motorsports, Chevrolet
    30 – Ryan Preece – #47, JTG Daugherty Racing, Chevrolet
    31 – Jimmie Johnson – #48, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet
    32 – Alex Bowman – #88, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet
    33 – Matt DiBenedetto – #95, Leavine Family Racing, Toyota
    34 – Cody Ware – #51, Petty Ware Racing, Chevrolet
    35 – B.J. McLeod – #52 Rick Ware Racing, Chevrolet
    36 – Garrett Smithley – #77, Spire Motorsports, Chevrolet
    37 – Parker Kligerman – #96, Gaunt Brothers Racing, Toyota

  • McDowell remarks about Ford drivers could have consequences

    McDowell remarks about Ford drivers could have consequences

    Joey Logano was pushing Michael McDowell prior to a wreck on Lap 191 that took out over half the field and separated them apart on the race track.

    As Sunday’s Daytona 500 headed into overtime, Logano, who had one of the fastest cars in the race, was looking for a push in an attempt to get by the Joe Gibbs Racing teammates of Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch.

    Logano assumed McDowell would be willing to push him, but McDowell elected to go with Kyle Busch.

    However, McDowell hesitated, which allowed Hamlin to cruise to his second Daytona 500 victory in four years. Logano wound up fourth and McDowell fifth.

    Logano went over to talk to McDowell, but it was not an entirely productive conversation.

    “I was just surprised by the situation and what happened,” Logano said of his chat with McDowell. “I thought that was going to be the plan (working together). At that point he wasn’t going to win, he’d have to pass Kyle.

    “He’s racing, too, I guess, and we can’t win these things alone. We’ve proven that quite often but we did what we could do.”

    McDowell said he went with the driver who he felt had the best chance of getting to the front.

    “The No. 18 (Busch) had a big run, a lot of momentum and Joey had a lot of damage,” he said. “Joey wasn’t going to win the race. I wanted to put myself in the best spot to win the race, and the Fords weren’t that friendly to me this weekend.”

    McDowell said of Logano: “I just told him that my team doesn’t pay me to push Joey Logano to a win. That’s not what I get paid to do.

    “At 200 miles-per-hour, I made a split-second decision on what was the fastest car and who had the best shot of winning the race and that’s where I went.”

    McDowell’s fifth-place finish was just the second top-five of his Monster Energy Cup Series career. All seven of his career top-10s have also come on restrictor plate tracks. His decision not to work with Logano and his remarks about the other Ford drivers could come back to bite him at the remainder of the plate tracks this season. Perhaps they will be even less willing to work with him.

    McDowell, 34, started racing at the Cup level in 2008 for Michael Waltrip Racing. He has been behind the wheel full-time since the 2017 season.