NASCAR Illinois 300 news: Joey Logano secures second Cup Series win after overtime drama in Madison
- Planet Sport writer
- 6 June 2022
Team Penske’s Joey Logano stormed to his second victory of the season during a dramatic and action-packed Illinois 300.
Logano, who has now moved up to sixth-place in the Drivers' Championship, appears to have all but secured his place in the Cup Series play-offs.
His victory came in dramatic circumstances as the race was thrown into overtime following a caution flag.
Heading into the two-lap shootout, the man at the front of the pack was Joe Gibbs Racing's Kyle Busch who enjoyed a narrow lead. However, Logano put on an impressive display as he expertly executed a pair of slide jobs to snatch his 29th career victory.
After the race, Logano told the media: "It doesn't get much better than that, racing for the lead with Kyle. He's one of the best, and it's a lot of fun crossing each other back and forth.
The last two laps were PACKED with action.
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 5, 2022
Here is #NASCAROvertime. pic.twitter.com/eKX5YWZpZ6
"I knew it was coming. I did it to him, so I knew he was going to do it to me. I thought we'd be racing toward the bottom (today), but we were running up at the top and crossing one another."
Busch, who earned his sixth top-five finish of the campaign, added: "It was not even close. Did you see me about wreck off of (Turn) 4? At least we made some improvements and were able to keep up and have a shot at the win.
"The car took too long to come in, better on the long run, better up top. We stayed in the running all day long and fought hard."
Despite his impressive performance, Logano was not exactly at the centre of attention after the race.
"I owe half the field an apology ... I can't believe that I continue to make the same mistakes."@JamieLittleTV talks with Ross Chastain after his run-ins with competitors at Gateway. pic.twitter.com/o3XicpVLJ0
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) June 5, 2022
That accolade went to Trackhouse Racing's Ross Chastain who caused chaos in the race, clipping Joe Gibb Racing's Denny Hamlin before bumping into Chase Elliott.
It's now three straight races without a top 20 finish for Elliott who hasn't tasted victory since the Drydene 400.
Nevertheless, the 26-year-old continues to lead the Drivers' Championship ahead of next weekend's Toyota/Save Mart 350 in Sonoma, California.
