He slammed leader Denny Hamlin into the wall on the final turn of the race to snatch the win, smoke spewing from his No. 14 Chevrolet as he crossed the finish line.
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That Hamlin was behind the wheel of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota was in doubt before the race.
Hamlin finished ahead of Joey Logano, who took advantage of a Brad Keselowski-induced spinout by Martin Truex Jr. on the final corner of the race.
Logano finished second in the Cheez-It 355k at Watkins Glen International Sunday afternoon.
The race had nine caution periods and two red flags.
“He said it was his fault, I said I knew that”, he said during the broadcast. But, as soon as the checkered flag fell, Keselowski made contact with Truex, and the win went to Hamlin in four, intense final laps. “We are going to make good use of the next five races”.
“Typical Watkins Glen”, Logano told NASCAR.
Kyle Busch (18) drives out of Turn 1 during a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race at Watkins Glen International, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2016, in Watkins Glen, N.Y.
Logano made a strong attempt at defending his race title at the Glen of one year ago. Of course, if one of them wins in the next four races, it would change everything.
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Sure, Keselowski didn’t get the finish his team felt he deserved – the 2013 victor was relegated to 24th after a broken track bar and pit road penalty in the closing laps – but his speed and Logano’s convincing win assured that Saturday served as a banner day for Ford’s top team. Brad Keselowski was responsible for Truex’s spin, and the Furniture Row Racing driver hit Keselowski’s Ford a few times on the cool-down lap in retaliation. A tire out of the pit box was costly for pole-sitter Carl Edwards. Danica Patrick led 11 laps on Sunday, a career best for a single Sprint Cup event, exceeding the seven laps she had led on two occasions at Talladega. The less technical style of driving required in the upstate NY circuit opens the field up more than it was at Sonoma several weeks ago. These collisions took out many front-runners, including Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick and Austin Dillon. Logano is the defending victor.
