Joey Logano and the No. 22 had a solid day at Gateway on Sunday, but it wasn’t enough to take the win.
Logano led 96 laps in the Enjoy Illinois 300, more than any other driver on track.
In a race marked by a season-high 18 cautions, timing simply didn’t go the No. 22’s way. Though Logano was poised to win late, too many restarts allowed Kyle Larson to jump ahead and drive to victory.
Logano finished third, earning strong stage results—winning Stage 1 and placing second in Stage 2—to improve his Chase standing. Nevertheless, the missed win was difficult to swallow.
“We had it won if the cautions didn’t keep coming out,” Logano told Motorsport.com’s Matt Weaver. “We took the lead from the No. 6 and thought we were in good shape. Two tires and clean air should beat four and dirty air all day. But when he lined up next to me… I got a push from Brad, yet he got a huge push from the No. 48, and the timing was perfect.”
“It was just, gosh, six inches from clearing him into one on that restart, and he managed to pull back and barrel down into one. He wrapped the corner so well he just passed me.”
Logano tried to focus on the positives, but with considerable ground to make up in the Chase, those 25 points for a win would have been a significant boost.
“It’s a bittersweet day. We scored a lot of points and did many things right, but when you think about the 25 points sitting there—20 for the win, whatever it is—that hurts.”
Logano will have another opportunity to win next week at Bristol.
Watch: Race Rewind – Larson survives chaos for breakthrough victory