By DAN GELSTON By DAN GELSTON ADVERTISING Associated Press DOVER, Del. — Joey Logano had wasted enough shots at winning Dover to feel like he was on the brink of doing it again. Out in front for most of the
By DAN GELSTON
Associated Press
DOVER, Del. — Joey Logano had wasted enough shots at winning Dover to feel like he was on the brink of doing it again.
Out in front for most of the race, Logano fell back after a four-tire pit stop, paving the way for Ryan Truex to take the lead.
Back in the pack, Logano wondered if he’d blown another win at Dover.
“I was thinking the same thing was happening today,” Logano said. “It figures.”
Logano instead powered his way to the lead with six laps left when Truex got mired in lapped traffic on Saturday to win the Nationwide Series race at Dover International Speedway.
“When you lead it and you think you gave it away, and then you get it back there at the end,” Logano said, “that’s exciting.”
Truex started from the pole and raced for the first time since he needed an appendectomy nearly two weeks ago. He had the top car toward the end of the race until he got loose with less than 10 laps left. Logano capitalized and made the late charge outside through a pair lapped drivers to zip past Truex for his fourth Nationwide win of the season.
“I’m not happy,” Truex said. “It’s second and I should be happy with it, but we had a winning car.”
Truex questioned where the spotters were for the cars that got in his way on the final laps and helped cost him the victory on the Monster Mile. Truex finished second and Brian Scott third for a 1-2-3 finish for Joe Gibbs Racing.
Elliott Sadler took seventh and wrested the points lead away from Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Stenhouse wrecked early in the race and finished 32nd.
Truex felt sharp pain in his stomach the afternoon of May 21 and was rushed to the hospital. His appendix hadn’t burst, but needed it to be removed.
He would have surrendered his ride to his older brother, Cup driver Martin Truex Jr., had he not been cleared to compete.
Ryan Truex said he was 100 percent and felt no discomfort around his stomach.
His older brother? Not so much.
“I thought I was going to throw up with 20 laps to go,” Martin Truex said. “They just weren’t paying attention and that cost him the lead and eventually the win.
Kurt Busch was fourth and Justin Allgaier fifth, and they exchanged words on pit road after the race.
Busch said Allgaier thought he hit him early in the 200-mile race. Busch, who never takes any guff, wasn’t about to start with Allgaier.
“There’s clowns that want to play and we’ll play,” he said. “You’re your car, kid. Race your car.”
That all followed the latest dust-up between Danica Patrick and Sam Hornish Jr.
Hornish slid under Patrick and made contact with her left rear tire, sending her into the wall. She was forced to the garage and finished 30th. Hornish was 13th.
“It’s just a bummer for the team,” Patrick said. “You know, I always hate to see them in the garage working their butts off like that. We’ll learn from this and come back better.”
Patrick intentionally wrecked Hornish earlier this season at Talladega Superspeedway. Patrick was angry after Hornish ran her up the track on the last lap of the Nationwide Series race. She retaliated on the cool-down lap, but insisted her intent was only to hit Hornish to show her displeasure.
The Dover incident seemed more a factor of bad timing than retaliation.
“It was just a matter of three cars trying to fit into a really tight spot,” Hornish said. “I felt like she could have given me more room. I think she gave me some, not enough.”
Patrick was long gone by the time Logano made his winning pass.
He led 154 of 200 laps and the win came four years after the once-hyped prospect made his national-level debut at Dover.
“I think it’s the coolest trophy that you can win here is that monster,” he said. “It’s awesome to finally get it.”
