Logano rides Yoshi to 3rd Kentucky win: The Meijer 300 Review
I have to admit, I’m a bit surprised. For the second week in a row, the top three finishers were Cup drivers.
Now I don’t know why I expected a new winner for this race, with defending and two time winner Joey Logano racing, I should have known he was gonna win.
Don’t get me wrong I’m happy for Joey but he’s still a very young driver.
I cycled through a few different drivers who I wanted to see win; Brendan Gaughan, Michael Annett, Reed Sorenson, Scott Wimmer, and even Paul Menard looked strong.
There was threat of rain that never came, and a flurry of crashes at the end of the race. Kudos to Brian Ickler (is his name Ickler? Or Ike-ler? I thought Ick, like gross, but the announcers kept saying Ike. Like 'I Like Ike'.)
Ickler got turned when Justin Allgaier spun the tires, then lost it himself and backed it into the wall, yet still finished 14th place. Great job!
Taylor Malsam showed that he can run with the big boys, right before he backed it into the wall.
Jason Leffler got involved in the Paul Menard and Michael Annett crash. It was strange to see so many crashes in such a short time. It ended Reed Sorenson, Malsam, Menard, Annett, Ickler, and Mike Bliss’ great runs. Bliss was second when he lost it himself. After all that, you could really start to feel like Logano was voodoo cursing his way to the checkard. Every car that challenged him would eventually crash. It was a bit eerie.
Results, Points and more after the JUMP!
| Fin | Str | Car # | Driver | Sponsor | Laps | Points | Status |
| 1 | 1 | 20 | Joey Logano | GameStop Toyota | 200 | 195 | Running |
| 2 | 10 | 60 | Carl Edwards | Fanhouse.com Ford | 200 | 170 | Running |
| 3 | 25 | 22 | Brad Keselowski | Discount Tire Dodge | 200 | 165 | Running |
| 4 | 20 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan | AB Circle Pro Toyota | 200 | 165 | Running |
| 5 | 7 | 32 | Reed Sorenson | Dollar General Stores Toyota | 200 | 160 | Running |
| 6 | 16 | 66 | Steve Wallace | 5-hour Energy Toyota | 200 | 150 | Running |
| 7 | 19 | 27 | Scott Wimmer | Red Man Moist Snuff Ford | 200 | 151 | Running |
| 8 | 3 | 12 | Justin Allgaier | Verizon Wireless Dodge | 200 | 147 | Running |
| 9 | 5 | 21 | Scott Riggs | Zaxby's Chevy | 200 | 138 | Running |
| 10 | 13 | 16 | Colin Braun # | Con-way Ford | 200 | 134 | Running |
| 11 | 12 | 99 | Trevor Bayne | Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota | 200 | 130 | Running |
| 12 | 15 | 04 | Jeremy Clements | Boudreaux's Butt Paste Chevy | 200 | 127 | Running |
| 13 | 2 | 18 | Brad Coleman | Sandvik Toyota | 200 | 129 | Running |
| 14 | 21 | 6 | Brian Ickler | CitiFinancial Ford | 200 | 121 | Running |
| 15 | 4 | 7 | Josh Wise | JR Motorsports Chevy | 200 | 118 | Running |
| 16 | 11 | 43 | Scott Lagasse Jr. | Baker Curb Racing Ford | 200 | 115 | Running |
| 17 | 23 | 70 | Shelby Howard | Foretravel Chevy | 200 | 112 | Running |
| 18 | 9 | 88 | Coleman Pressley | Rightway GPS Chevy | 200 | 109 | Running |
| 19 | 36 | 34 | Tony Raines | Long John Silver's Chevy | 200 | 106 | Running |
| 20 | 34 | 40 | Jeff Green | The Westerman Chevy | 200 | 103 | Running |
| 21 | 37 | 01 | Mike Wallace | CBTS Chevy | 200 | 100 | Running |
| 22 | 29 | 28 | Kenny Wallace | Tom Gill Chevy Chevy | 200 | 97 | Running |
| 23 | 32 | 35 | Jason Keller | TriStar Motorsports Chevy | 198 | 94 | Running |
| 24 | 6 | 33 | Mike Bliss | Rheem Chevy | 198 | 96 | Running |
| 25 | 41 | 87 | Joe Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports Chevy | 197 | 88 | Running |
| 26 | 43 | 73 | Derrike Cope | Charter Dodge | 197 | 85 | Running |
| 27 | 33 | 09 | Sean Caisse | RAB Racing Ford | 197 | 82 | Running |
| 28 | 35 | 81 | Michael McDowell | MOBILE-Shop.com Dodge | 196 | 79 | Running |
| 29 | 40 | 24 | Eric McClure | Hefty Odor Block Ford | 196 | 76 | Running |
| 30 | 42 | 23 | Robert Richardson | HelpTruckers.com Chevy | 196 | 73 | Running |
| 31 | 28 | 11 | Brian Scott # | AccuDoc Toyota | 190 | 70 | Running |
| 32 | 8 | 98 | Paul Menard | CertainTeed/Menards Ford | 157 | 67 | Accident |
| 33 | 22 | 38 | Jason Leffler | Great Clips Toyota | 156 | 64 | Accident |
| 34 | 26 | 15 | Michael Annett | Pilot Travel Centers Toyota | 156 | 61 | Accident |
| 35 | 31 | 10 | Tayler Malsam | Iron Horse Jeans Toyota | 111 | 58 | Accident |
| 36 | 14 | 05 | Willie Allen | 31-W Insulation Chevy | 72 | 55 | Accident |
| 37 | 39 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Victory in Jesus Racing Chevy | 48 | 52 | Engine |
| 38 | 27 | 56 | Kevin Lepage | RaceDaySponsor.com Toyota | 41 | 54 | Overheating |
| 39 | 18 | 91 | Chase Miller | D'Hondt-Humphrey Chevy | 26 | 46 | Electrical |
| 40 | 24 | 49 | Mark Green | Jay Robinson Inc. Chevy | 22 | 43 | Overheating |
| 41 | 17 | 90 | Danny O'Quinn Jr. | D'Hondt-Humphrey Chevy | 15 | 40 | Overheating |
| 42 | 38 | 61 | Matt Carter | Specialty Racing Ford | 7 | 37 | Overheating |
| 43 | 30 | 92 | Dennis Setzer | K-Automotive Dodge | 6 | 34 | Electrical |
In case you may have not noticed, Edwards drove the FanHouse Ford to second place. It could have been us, folks!
Jeremy Clements took a car that I thought was a start and Park car and finished 12th. Great story there.
Logano proved yet again that he really should be driving full time in this series. Keselowski continued to run away with the championship.
Here’s the points after Kentucky:
| 1 | 22 | Brad Keselowski | Discount Tire Dodge | Roger Penske | 2,306 |
| 2 | 60 | Carl Edwards | Copart/Fastenal Ford | Jack Roush | 2,034 |
| 3 | 12 | Justin Allgaier | Verizon Dodge | Roger Penske | 1,993 |
| 4 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Interstate/Z-Line Toyota | Joe Gibbs | 1,945 |
| 5 | 33 | Kevin Harvick | Jimmy John's Chevy | Delana Harvick | 1,852 |
| 6 | 98 | Paul Menard | Menards Ford | Jack Roush | 1,745 |
| 7 | 20 | Joey Logano | GameStop/Rudy's Toyota | Joe Gibbs | 1,593 |
| 8 | 66 | Stephen Wallace | 5 Hour Energy Toyota | Rusty Wallace | 1,536 |
| 9 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan | South Point Hotel Toyota | Rusty Wallace | 1,520 |
| 10 | 38 | Jason Leffler | ABF/Great Clips Toyota | Todd Braun | 1,450 |
| 11 | 34 | Tony Raines | Long John Silver's Chevy | Bob Jenkins | 1,449 |
| 12 | 99 | Trevor Bayne | Aaron's Toyota | Michael Waltrip | 1,432 |
| 13 | 32 | Reed Sorenson | Dollar General Toyota | Todd Braun | 1,406 |
| 14 | 15 | Michael Annett | Hype Energy/Pilot Toyota | Bob Germain | 1,398 |
| 15 | 11 | Brian Scott | AccuDoc Toyota | Harry Scott Jr | 1,394 |
| 16 | 27 | Greg Biffle (PC) | Red Man Moist Ford | Baker Curb | 1,368 |
| 17 | 43 | Scott Lagasse Jr | Dr G Mall Ford | Baker Curb | 1,328 |
| 18 | 28 | Kenny Wallace | Blue Ox Chevy | Jay Robinson | 1,327 |
| 19 | 01 | Mike Wallace | Monster Deisel Chevy | Lori Davis | 1,276 |
| 20 | 33 | Mike Bliss | Charter Chevy | Delana Harvick | 1,249 |
| 21 | 81 | Michael McDowell | D.H. Griffin Dodge | Pat MacDonald | 1,196 |
| 22 | 24 | Eric McClure | Hefty Ford | Ed Rensi | 1,185 |
| 23 | 87 | Joe Nemechek | DAB Constructors Chevy | Joe Nemechek | 1,134 |
| 24 | 35 | Jason Keller | Upillar.com Chevy | Mark Smith | 1,079 |
| 25 | 6 | Ricky Stenhouse | Citi Financial Ford | Jack Roush | 934 |
| 26 | 7 | Josh Wise | JR Motorsports Chevy | Rick Hendrick | 930 |
| 27 | 88 | Jamie McMurray | Hellmanns Chevy | Dale Earnhardt | 906 |
| 28 | James Beuscher | 903 | |||
| 29 | 16 | Colin Braun | Con-Way Freight Ford | Jack Roush | 894 |
| 30 | 23 | Robert Richardson | Mahindra Tractors Chevy | Robert Richardson | 840 |
| 31 | 26 | Brian Keselowski | K-Motorsports Dodge | Bob Keselowski | 836 |
| 32 | 05 | Willie Allen | 31-W Insulation Chevy | Wayne Day | 789 |
| 33 | 70 | Shelby Howard | Foretravel Chevy | Mary Louise Miller | 755 |
| 34 | 21 | Scott Riggs | Zaxby's Chevy | Richard Childress | 741 |
| 35 | Brian Vickers | 733 | |||
| 36 | 21 | Clint Bowyer | Zaxby's Chevy | Richard Childress | 700 |
| 37 | 27 | Scott Wimmer | Red Man Moist Ford | Baker Curb | 678 |
| 38 | 10 | Kelly Bires | Toyota | Todd Braun | 673 |
| 39 | 49 | Mark Green | Chevy | Mary Louise Miller | 602 |
| 40 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Racing W/ Jesus Dodge | Cindy Shepherd | 594 |
| 41 | 88 | Coleman Pressley | Whiskey River Chevy | Dale Earnhardt | 533 |
| 42 | 38 | Kasey Kahne | Great Clips Toyota | Ralph Braun | 522 |
| 43 | 56 | Kevin Lepage | Revolucion Chevy | John McNelly | 514 |
| 44 | 04 | Jeremy Clements | Bourdreaux Butt Paste Chevy | Johnny Davis | 509 |
| 45 | 20 | Denny Hamlin | Interstate/Z-Line Toyota | Joe Gibbs | 502 |
| 46 | 21 | John Wes Townley | Zaxby's Chevy | Richard Childress | 484 |
| 47 | 73 | Derrike Cope | Asset Protect Dodge | Derrike Cope | 470 |
| 48 | 07 | Danny Efland | Shred 360 Chevy | Thomas Efland | 438 |
| 49 | 92 | Dennis Setzer | K-Motorsports Dodge | Kay Keselowski | 399 |
| 50 | 90 | Danny O'Quinn | MSRP Chevy | DHM | 392 |
| 51 | 40 | Jeff Green (PC) | BadBoyBuggies Chevy | Curtis Key Sr. | 391 |
| 52 | 1 | Ryan Newman | James Finch | 325 | |
| 53 | 6 | Brian Ickler | Roush Fenway Ford | Jack Roush | 315 |
| 54 | 7 | Steve Arpin | JR Motorsports Chevy | Rick Hendrick | 310 |
| 55 | 09 | Chad McCumbee | RAB Ford | Jay Robinson | 298 |
| 56 | 23 | Johnny Sauter | R3 Chevy | Robert Richardson | 291 |
| 57 | 18 | Brad Coleman | SafeWay Driving Centers Toyota | Joe Gibbs | 279 |
| 58 | 91 | David Gilliland | MSRP Chevy | DHM | 277 |
| 59 | 7 | Landon Cassill | JR Motorsports Chevy | Rick Hendrick | 270 |
| 60 | 41 | Stanton Barrett | Fuel Doctor Chevy | Rick Ware | 269 |
| 61 | 83 | Johnny Borneman III | Red Line Oil Dodge | John Borneman Jr. | 244 |
| 62 | 10 | David Reutimann | Beringer Toyota | Todd Braun | 227 |
| 63 | Parker Kligerman | 225 | |||
| 64 | 16 | Matt Kenseth | Coupons.com Ford | Jack Roush | 207 |
| 65 | 4 | Tony Stewart | Ritz/Oreo Chevy | Tony Stewart | 195 |
| 66 | 75 | Bobby Gerhart | Lucas Oil Chevy | Bob Schacht | 191 |
| 67 | 09 | Sean Caisse | RAB Ford | Jay Robinson | 191 |
| 68 | 7 | Danica Patrick | GoDaddy.com Chevy | Rick Hendrick | 183 |
| 69 | 10 | Taylor Malsam | South Lodge/Iron Horse Toyota | Todd Braun | 163 |
| 70 | 73 | Johnny Chapman | Asset Protect Dodge | Derrike Cope | 144 |
| 71 | 91 | Chase Miller | MSRP Chevy | DHM | 135 |
| 72 | 20 | Matt DiBenedetto | Muscle Milk Toyota | Joe Gibbs | 134 |
| 73 | 0 | Chrissy Wallace | Chevy | Johnny Davis | 125 |
| 74 | 09 | Patrick Sheltra | RAB Ford | Jay Robinson | 114 |
| 75 | 02 | Andy Ponstein | Carlocate.com Chevy | Corrie Stott | 100 |
| 76 | 09 | Jason Bowles | Sunrise Ford | Jay Robinson | 88 |
| 77 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt Jr (PC) | Wrangler Chevy | Richard Childress | 81 |
| 78 | 05 | Victor Gonzalez Jr | 31-W Insulation Chevy | Wayne Day | 76 |
| 79 | 61 | Matt Carter | Specialty Racing Ford | Charlie Shoffner | 74 |
| 80 | 21 | Casey Mears | Zaxby's Chevy | Richard Childress | 70 |
| 81 | 87 | Jarit Johnson | DAB Constructors Chevy | Andrea Nemechek | 70 |
| 82 | 09 | Hermie Sadler | TNA Wrestling Ford | Jay Robinson | 67 |
| 83 | 10 | Mikey Kile | Toyota | Todd Braun | 64 |
| 84 | 05 | David Starr | 31-W Insulation Chevy | Wayne Day | 61 |
| 85 | 71 | Justin Lofton | Weekend Warriors TV.com Toyota | Tom Deloach | 52 |
| 86 | 31 | Donnie Neuenberger | Plan B Technologies | Rick Ware | 49 |
| 87 | 10 | Chad Blount | Toyota | Todd Braun | 43 |
| 88 | 52 | Chris Lawson | Quacker Castins Chevy | Jimmy Means | 43 |
| 88 | 52 | Kevin Hamlin | I-Hop Chevy | Jimmy Means | 40 |
| 89 | 04 | Brad Teague | Chevy | Gene Vess | 37 |
As you can see, Keso has almost 250 points on Edwards. It’s getting to the point where you can start to make a strong case for the need for a Chase format to the Nationwide series. At this rate, Keso could clinch the championship with 4 races to go. Maybe even 5. That would be very bad for the Nationwide Series. Trust me.
The owner point battle for the top 30 stayed the same.
Here’s a look at the battle for the top 30:
| 28 | 87 | Joe Nemechek/Jarit Johnson | DAB Constructors Chevy | Andrea Nemechek | 1,204 |
| 29 | 81 | Michael McDowell | D.H. Griffin Dodge | Pat MacDonald | 1,196 |
| 30 | 24 | Eric McClure | Hefty Ford | Ed Rensi | 1,185 |
| 31 | 35 | Jason Keller | Upillar.com Chevy | Mark Smith | 1,154 |
| 32 | 6 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr./Brian Ickler | Citi Financial Ford | Jack Roush | 1,083 |
| 33 | 05 | Jeff Green (PC)/Willie Allen/Victor Gonzalez/David Starr | 31-W Insulation Chevy | Wayne Day | 1,067 |
Ickler helped put the #6 Ford back in the hunt. McClure could find himself outside the top 30. Keller missed 3 races and he’s still 31st in points. That tells you how good Keller is. If he could get a fulltime sponsor and get back in the top 30, Keller could really start running up front.
So I cannot stress this enough, make time next Saturday to watch the Nationwide Race. If you can’t Please DVR it, because the Nationwide boys will head to Road America for the first ever NASCAR race at what is a premier Road Course.
Road America is in my home state of Wisconsin, and it will be a great race. Marcus Ambrose is coming! Tune in at 3:30 pm eastern on Saturday June 19th on ESPN2. Watch it. You will not be sorry.
I will have a preview of the Bucyrus 200 later in the week. Enjoy!
Joey Logano, who led 106 laps in route to his victory, leads Justin Allgaier during the Meijer 300 presented by Ritz at Kentucky Speedway via nascar-assets.americaneagle.com. Credit: Andy Lyons/Getty Images
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