Jeff Gordon got a great restart with 17 laps to go and was able to fight past Joey Logano to power to victory Sunday in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway. Logano was the class of the field on the day leading a race high 86 laps, but the last restart doomed the Penske Racing driver. For most of the race, Gordon was having trouble getting up to speed leaving his pit stall and on restarts but on that final restart Gordon was able to put it all together and take the lead for the final time.
Logano was passed by Kevin Harvick in the final laps and was forced to hold on for third. The win came in the same car Gordon won with at Indy last month; in that race Gordon also took the lead on a restart with 17 to go, and said he had made the restart of his life.
“That last restart was it,” Gordon said. “We had the car to win. Our car was amazing. But whoever got out in front had such a huge advantage. I got a good restart and Kevin (Harvick) for some reason, wasn’t getting good restarts, so Joey was sort of out there by himself and I was able to get to his quarter. When I got to his quarter, I dragged him back and I was able to shoot to the bottom and get by. But he made a heck of an effort. I thought he was going to get back by me; he almost did.”
The win was Gordon’s third at Michigan, the last one coming in 2001. It was also his third win of the season putting him back on top of the points lead; it also ties him with three other drivers for the most wins on the season. MORE>>>
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
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