Joey Logano won the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, FireKeepers Casino 400 in a manufacturer’s shootout at Michigan International Speedway. The No. 22 Team Penske Ford Mustang recorded its second win of the season and Ford Motor Company secured the Michigan Heritage Trophy for the third consecutive race.
“Congratulations to Joey, Roger and the entire No. 22 crew,” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “Joey drove an amazing racing, keeping the No. 22 Ford Mustang out front for the majority of the race! We say it all the time, but it’s true, it’s a privilege to be part of the Ford Performance team, to support Ford Motor Company and provide the power to these Ford Mustangs every week. To win the pole and race in Michigan, in Ford’s backyard, is extra special to achieve this for the Ford family.”
During qualifying on Saturday afternoon, the fast Ford Mustangs set the pace with 8 out of the top 10 qualifiers. Logano with Team Penske won the pole, followed by Stewart-Haas Racing’s Aric Almirola P2, Kevin Harvick P3, and Clint Bowyer P5, Paul Menard in P6 with Wood Brothers Racing, Brad Keselowski P8 with Team Penske, Daniel Suarez in P9 with Stewart-Haas Racing, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in P10 with Roush Fenway Racing.
After starting from the pole position on Monday night, Joey Logano won the first stage of the race, proving the No. 22 would be hard to pass, on his way to leading a race high 163 laps out of the 203-lap race.
As a late race caution took the race into overtime, Logano proved once again to be the leader of the race in the two-lap manufacturer’s shootout. Logano took the lead on the restart and never looked back as he took the checkered flag .147 seconds ahead of Kurt Busch to clinch his 23rd career victory.
Ford Performance marked history once again, winning the first ever race at Michigan International Speedway in 1969 with Cale Yarborough (Mercury) and Wood Brothers Racing, and on the track’s 100th anniversary Joey Logano and Team Penske recorded Team Penske’s 70th cup win with Ford.
“It feels so good,” commented Logano, when asked about the win in Victory Lane. “Winning at Michigan means so much to Team Penske and Ford, being able to pull into this victory lane and see everybody means so much. A day like that, you don’t get all the time, best car, best team, we executed perfectly all the way through and ultimately to bring this Shell Pennzoil Ford into victory lane. I just can’t thank everyone at the shop enough, everyone that built this thing Roush Yates Engines, Money Lion, SKF, everyone that helps out during this whole thing.”
“It is easy to say that the Mustang has dominated MIS this year so far,” commented Pat DiMarco, NASCAR Program Manager, Ford Performance when asked about the team collaboration in post-race interview. “Kudos to our teams, collectively and collaboratively for developing the Mustang, along with our Ford Performance aerodynamics team and of course Roush Yates Engines. That is a common denominator to our success here among all the teams. We have the best engine in the garage and that power under the hood is a huge part of our team successes.”
Six Ford Mustangs finished in the top-10. Following Logano was Suarez P4, Keselowski P6, Harvick P7, Ryan Newman P8, and Ryan Blaney P9.
