While the winner of Monday’s race at New Hampshire enjoyed triumphing at one of his home racetracks, the driver who finished second lamented the opportunity to do the same.
Joey Logano had a shot at Martin Truex Jr. when a caution brought the field back together with 14 laps to go. For the restart, Logano chose the outside lane behind Truex, putting him in fourth place. But while he quickly regained the second position by getting a good restart, Logano couldn’t keep up on the final nine laps.
“I needed to go back to the store to get more tools,” said Middletown, Connecticut, native. “Not enough of them to beat the No. 19. They were fast. Gosh, I thought I had a shot to beat him right before the first caution after we put tires on – so two cautions to the end. I had a chance to roll to his outside there, right before the caution came out. That would have been my chance – if I got in front of him, I think I had him beat.
“But you have to get in front of him. He just seemed to refire better the next two runs. He didn’t refire on new tires that well, but the next two, he refired pretty quickly.”
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Logano was one of the strongest Fords in the Crayon 301. A fourth-place qualifying effort gave Logano and the No. 22 Team Penske team track position, which he turned into finishing ninth in the first stage and third in the second stage.
Logano averaged a 5.3 running position throughout the afternoon.
“It’s just when you’re at your home racetrack, second hurts; more than anywhere else,” Logano said. “There is no place where I want to win more than here and came up one spot short. That one stings, but overall, I guess you still have to say it was a good day.
“Just mad right now.”