Joey Logano made a valiant effort, making contact with race leader Chase Elliott twice coming to the checkered flag, but it wasn’t enough as Elliott nipped Logano to win the season-opening Xfinity Series Saturday at Daytona International Speedway.
2016 PowerShares QQQ 300 results: Chase Elliott edges Joey Logano for Xfinity Series win at Daytona
The 20-year-old heads into Sunday’s Daytona 500 with momentum after outdueling Logano Saturday at Daytona.
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Elliott had taken the lead on a restart with 13 laps remaining and positioned himself in the bottom lane when Logano mounted an outside charge on the white flag lap. The 20-year-old threw a block on Logano, who then tried to pass Elliott as they sped towards the checkered flag with Logano bumping Elliott’s car twice.
The margin of victory was 0.043 seconds.
A rookie in the Sprint Cup Series where he is replacing the retired Jeff Gordon, Elliott was using the Xfinity race to gain drafting experience and familiarity with spotter Eddie D’Hondt, who will work with Elliott in Sunday’s Daytona 500, where he will start on the pole.
“Eddie and I being able to have a chance to work together is huge,” Elliott said. “A trust-building day from the confidence side will help (Sunday).”
For Logano, it was his third runner-up in as many Daytona Speedweek events, finishing second to Denny Hamlin in the Sprint Unlimited and second to Dale Earnhardt Jr. in Thursday’s Daytona 500 qualifying race.
“I just finished second, again,” Logano joked. “Second isn’t bad, but it sucks at the same time.”
Kasey Kahne placed third, with Elliott Sadler fourth and Austin Dillon completing the top five. Elliott, Kahne and Sadler all drive for JR Motorsports, co-owned by Earnhardt.
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