Joe Gibbs Racing gives Joey his 1st Sprint Cup win!!

The Joe Gibbs Racing Race Report

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series – Lenox Industrial Tools 301
Joey Logano Becomes Youngest Ever To Win NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race

Date: June 28, 2009
Event:  Lenox Industrial Tools 301 (Race 17 of 36)
Series:  NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Location: New Hampshire Motor Speedway (1.058-Mile Oval)
Winner:  Joey Logano of Joe Gibbs Racing in No. 20 Home Depot Toyota
JGR Finish:    Kyle Busch, (Started 9th, Finished 7th/ Running, completed 273 of 273 laps in rain shortened race)  Denny Hamlin (Started 7th, Finished 15th/ Running, completed 273 of 273 laps)
 
It was a record setting day in NASCAR as Joe Gibbs Racing’s Joey Logano captured his first victory on the sport’s highest level when he won yesterday’s rain shortened Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at his home track of New Hampshire Motor Speedway and in the process broke his teammate’s record as the youngest winner ever in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
 
Kyle Busch had previously held the mark of youngest to win a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at 20 years, 4 months, and 2 days old, but with his victory yesterday, Logano set a new mark just one month and four days following his 19th birthday. He already held the record for becoming the youngest ever to win a NASCAR Nationwide Series race with a victory in Kentucky last summer less than a month after turning 18.
 
Logano’s victory also provided a sweep for JGR this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, as JGR developmental driver Matt DiBenedetto started the weekend with a victory behind the wheel of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Driven Racing Oil Toyota in NASCAR’s Camping World Series East race Friday night and Kyle Busch captured Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race behind the wheel of the No. 18 Z-Line Designs Toyota.
 
Friday’s qualifying for today’s race was canceled due to rain which left the field to be set by the current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings. That left Logano starting from the 24th position in just his 20th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. The rookie from nearby Middletown, CT was able to hover near his starting position for much of the first half of the race, but contact on lap 182 caused a tire to go down and ultimately forced him a lap down. The No. 20 Home Depot crew was excellent once again in the pits in making the repairs and when a caution flew a short time later, Logano was able to get the lap back courtesy of being the lucky dog recipient on lap 189.
 
From there it was a matter of pit strategy and veteran crew chief Greg Zipadelli made the right call in keeping Logano on the track for as long as possible as the leaders began their pit cycles. Several others attempted the same strategy, but none were successful and when Ryan Newman ran out of gas on lap 263, Logano assumed the lead for the first time. As the rain fell Logano saved fuel running under caution and managed to hold the lead when the rain intensified forcing the red flag. A short time later the race was made official and NASCAR had a new record and its 11th different winner of the 2009 season.
 
Meanwhile, Kyle Busch managed a strong 7th-place finish behind the wheel of the No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota. After starting from the 9th position, Busch raced much of the day in the top-10 and appeared ready to contend for a possible checkered flag and certainly a top-five finish before the rain fell leaving him to settle for sixth top-ten 10 finish of the season.
 
Denny Hamlin piloted the No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota to a 15th-place finish today. Hamlin, who started the day from the seventh position drifted back out of the top ten early in the race but the FedEx crew made adjustments on the car in an attempt to find the proper handle on the No. 11 and it appeared to be paying dividends as Hamlin had raced his way back up toward the top ten and appeared ready for a strong finishing run before the rain came and left him to settle for a 15th-place finish.
 
Hamlin and Busch both managed to slide up one position in the current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings and now hold sixth and eighth place respectively. Logano's victory gained him three spots into the 21st position.
 
Jeff Gordon finished second behind Logano, while Kurt Busch was third, David Reutimann was fourth and Tony Stewart finished fifth. There were 11 cautions for a total of 47 laps and 21 lead changes among 14 different drivers over the course of the 273-lap race, which was shortened 28 laps due to rain.  
 
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads back to where the season started at Daytona International Speedway next Saturday as NASCAR celebrates the 4th of July in style.  The Coke Zero 400 will begin at 8 PM ET with live, high-definition coverage provided by TNT, beginning with its pre-race show at 7:30 PM. The race will also be broadcast live on SIRIUS Satellite Radio Channel 128.