Joey Logano enjoys Saturdays in the First State.
Logano won his third straight Saturday Nationwide Series race at Dover International Speedway, taking the checkered flag in the “5-Hour ENERGY 200”.
Logano took the lead on a restart with 35 laps to go and held on.
He’s the first ever to win three consecutive Nationwide Series races in Dover and the first in any series to take three in a row on the Monster Mile since Jeff Gordon did it in the Sprint Cup series in 1995 and 1996.
Sunday, NASCAR’s Sprint Cup drivers hit the concrete in Dover for the “FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks.”
Points leader Jimmie Johnson seeks a record eighth win on the Monster Mile, but will start from the back after finishing 24th in qualifying Friday.
That opens the door for others, including Matt Kenseth - who’s third in the standings. He was fourth fastest in qualifying, hopes to take advantage of a track he likes.
“This track is difficult because it’s fast. You can attack and you’re always on the edge," said Kenseth. "It’s the kind of difficult I enjoy. I seem to struggle on the tracks you have to have more finesse and go slower to go fast – and the flatter tracks. These are the kind I really enjoy – with a lot of banking where you can really drive hard.”
Denny Hamlin is on the pole for Sunday’s race, but has ground to make up in points. He’s currently 24th in the standings.
Sunday’s Sprint Cup race gets underway at 1pm