	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES: FORD ECOBOOST 400

November 20, 2016

Joey Logano

Homestead, Florida

THE MODERATOR: We're joined now by the driver of the No.22 Shell‑Pennzoil Ford for Team Penske, Joey Logano. Joey, that was a very exciting end to this evening's race. Talk to us a little bit about it from your perspective.
JOEY LOGANO: Yeah, you know it's coming, that's for sure. Any time you put so much on the line and you have a late restart, you know it's going to get crazy, and then you add two or them of them on top of that, it's going to get crazier.
Just proud of the effort that the team put in today. Everyone did an amazing job this week putting together a fast race car, handling the pressure that is put on these race teams, and really executing this race perfectly. We just came up a little bit short. You know, it hurts, but we had a great shot at it and came so close on that last restart to doing something, but just didn't quite get it.

Q. Can you talk about you obviously came in and tried to fix things, but when you had the contact and a little bit of damage there, did you still think you were in the game? Did you feel like you were no longer‑‑ how competitive did you feel you were after your car got banged up a little bit?
JOEY LOGANO: Yeah, it's hard for me to say. I can't see my car, so I don't know how bad it was. I was thinking we couldn't pit. That was kind of where my head was. But my crew chief is a lot smarter than me, and that's a good thing. We came down pit road, put tires on it and didn't lose any spots, fixed our damage, and my pit crew, man, that's amazing. I looked at it afterwards, and I was like, wow, you guys patched it up, fixed it up really good for me to have another good restart afterwards, get some spots back, and then have another restart, got to third, which I wish I was fourth because I think that would have been the difference. I cleared Harvick into 3 and the caution came out, and looking back at it, I wish I didn't, didn't have to start behind the leader. Larson would have had the advantage and then be able to push him out ahead and then be to the point where you're next to the 48 so you can clear him.
Could have been the difference between finishing second and winning the championship. It's crazy to think that it's that much and it's just that little bit that could have been the difference. Like I said, it's the part that stinks a little bit. If the caution came out sooner for the crash behind us, we would have been fourth, and then possibly could have won the thing, at least the championship.
But it is what it is. It's motivation. I can promise you that, because it don't feel too good right now. But it gives us motivation to come back harder next year and make sure that we have another shot at this thing and do it again.
I'm proud of the effort. Like I said, we did such a good job today. That part I'm proud of. If you look at what we did a couple years ago and what we did today, it's a complete 180, and I couldn't be more proud of the race team for that reason.
But like I said, it's second, so second always hurts the most.

Q. Same question that I asked Kyle: At one point today or several points today, you, Carl and Kyle were kind of in a good spot to win it. All three of you kind of got in a little trouble, came back. Jimmie was really never in it until the last 10 laps. Talk about the emotions of being in good shape, now I'm in trouble, I'm in good shape, now I'm in trouble, a guy who was just‑‑ he got to fifth and stayed there all day and all of a sudden everything opened up in the last 10 laps.
JOEY LOGANO: Yeah, it's funny because all of us were up there racing against each other, and the 48 came through the field the first run, and I was like, oh, my goodness. He was all the way up to me, and he started last. I was like, we're in trouble. And then he kind of stalled out there, and we pretty much stayed there the whole race, and we were fast on the short run, where the other cars, especially the Gibbs cars, they were really fast on the long run.
When Carl and I got into each other there, that just pretty much parted the seas for the 48 to run through there and gain a couple spots and put himself in position to win. You know, he was in the right place at the right time, and that's good for him.

Q. Joey, that restart with Carl, are you going to wake up tomorrow and think that you should have done something differently? Are you comfortable with the way everything panned out, and were you surprised that Carl went all the way down there and talked to your crew chief and basically said that's just racing and told you to go get the championship?
JOEY LOGANO: Yeah, I think it's really cool that he said that. Ironically they're playing it right now so I can watch it. It's like they timed that on purpose. That's cool he came to‑‑ he's a stand‑up guy. Carl is a good person, and I got to know all three of these drivers‑‑ I've known Kyle really well in the past, but to get to know Jimmie and Carl, they're three stand‑up just good people, you know, and it's hard to find that in this day and age, especially in professional sports, and especially at the top of professional sports. Usually the ones that are the best aren't the nicest to people.
But in this case, this Championship Four was some really just genuine people, and we knew we were going to have to race each other hard. We knew that. That wasn't a surprise.
But yeah, I mean, it's cool that Carl came up and said that because I don't blame him. He had to throw the block. It's the only move I had. I'm not going to look back at it and second‑guess that move. I had to do that. That's the only play I had.
Anyway, but yeah, Carl and I, great racing. I understand why he had to throw the block, and he understands why I had to make the move, because that was for the win. That was the only shot that I had. That was for the race win. It's 10 to go; what do you expect? It's for a championship. I did that move earlier in the race, actually the first start of the race I did that. I knew that was my play. I knew that was what I was going to do as soon as I restarted. We just ran out of real estate to the point, it's like, okay, we've got to do something different.
You know, that's just racing, and it hurt both of us. Ultimately Carl a little bit more. But it's unfortunate.
THE MODERATOR: Joey, congratulations on a great season, and we look forward to seeing you in Daytona.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297