Joey Logano Wins the Irwin Tools Night Race

Originally written for CLNS Radio.

Joey Logano won the Irwin Tools Night Race from Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday night.

Logano held off Kevin Harvick over the closing laps, and Logano said the victory was a credit to his team and their hard work.

Photo courtesy Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images

“We focused on what we needed in practice and got the reward in the race,” Logano said.  “It was just all about working the lapped traffic at the end…it was a very exciting last 20, 30 laps for sure.”

Logano was able to pick up his second-straight victory in the Irwin Tools Night Race, and he said his team made his car handle well at the right time.

“You’ve got to have a car that can move around, especially when you’re lapping cars,” Logano said.  “The last few races here, [crew chief Todd Gordon]’s definitely given me the car I needed to make the moves.”

Harvick followed Logano over the final 30 laps, but could never get beside him to make a pass.  Harvick said it was Logano’s ability to get around lapped traffic that got him to victory lane.

“I couldn’t get my car to rotate across the center like I needed it to,” Harvick said.  “[Logano] was able to get those huge runs up off the exit of the corner and just stayed one step ahead of me through traffic.”

“In clean air we probably were a little faster, but…I had to be in front of him to show that.  He was just one step ahead of me in traffic.”

Unofficial results:

1. Joey Logano

2. Kevin Harvick

3. Denny Hamlin

4. Jimmie Johnson

5. Clint Bowyer

6. Brad Keselowski

7. Carl Edwards

8. Kyle Busch

9. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

10. Ryan Newman

11. Jamie McMurray

12. Justin Allgaier

13. Austin Dillon

14. Kurt Busch

15. Trevor Bayne

16. Kasey Kahne

17. Aric Almirola

18. Sam Hornish Jr.

19. Tony Stewart

20. Jeff Gordon

21. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

22. Ryan Blaney

23. Casey Mears

24. Paul Menard

25. Greg Biffle

26. AJ Allmendinger

27. Danica Patrick

28. Martin Truex Jr.

29. Cole Whitt

30. Brett Moffitt

31. Michael McDowell

32. Alex Bowman

33. Matt DiBenedetto

34. J.J. Yeley

35. Josh Wise

36. David Gilliland

37. Mike Bliss

38. Landon Cassill

39. Timmy Hill

40. David Ragan

41. Kyle Larson

42. Matt Kenseth

43. Michael Annett

Photo courtesy Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images