Associated Press
DOVER, Del. — Joey Logano savors the times he led Joe Gibbs Racing into Victory Lane.
Turns out, he enjoys beating JGR so much more.
Logano changed his team and his car, just not the result, and raced to his third straight Dover victory in the Nationwide Series on Saturday.
Unlike the last two, Logano won for Penske Racing. His previous two Dover victories came under the Gibbs banner.
This time, Logano held off JGR drivers Brian Vickers, Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch for the checkered flag.
“I wanted to beat them really bad,” Logano said.
Busch, who won the Truck Series race Friday, dominated most of the race and led 72 of the 200 laps. But he was 10th off the final restart, couldn’t drive his way to the front of the field and was fifth.
Vickers was second, Kenseth third, and Trevor Bayne fourth.
Logano raced to his first Nationwide victory of the season after winning nine times last year.
“It is amazing to finally win for the captain, Roger Penske,” Logano said. “It feels good to get back in Victory Lane.”
Logano won for the 19th time in 114 career Nationwide starts.
Busch was trying to sweep the NASCAR tripleheader at Dover but fell short in trying win all three for the first time since 2010.
With the race under caution, Busch took four tires while Logano went with two on the final pit stop. Logano led the field to green and pulled away.
“It’s my fault. I’m aggravated with myself,” Busch said. “I made the wrong call there. I just figured more would take four.”
The 23-year-old Logano came into NASCAR with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2008 with the nickname “Sliced Bread.” He’s yet to make the leap to the next level and won only two Cup races. JGR wanted to keep Logano even after signing Matt Kenseth. But they didn’t have the pieces in place for a fourth full-time Cup team, and AJ Allmendinger’s failed drug test opened the No. 22 seat at Penske Racing that Logano pursued.
INDYCAR: Mike Conway went from watching to winning IndyCar races in less than a week.
The English driver dominated the first of two races at the Detroit Grand Prix, finishing nearly 13 seconds ahead of defending series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay on Saturday to easily win the 70-lap race on the 2.36-mile Belle Isle street course.
Dale Coyne Racing picked Conway to drive one of its two cars this weekend — after he didn’t have a ride during the Indianapolis 500 — and wasted no time offering him another opportunity.
“You want to go to Toronto now?” team owner Dale Coyne asked Conway after the race.
Yes, he does because the Streets of Toronto race in July suits his road-racing preference.
Conway backed out of last September’s season finale at Fontana because he decided he’s uncomfortable racing on ovals. He had serious leg and back injuries after a 2010 crash at Indianapolis and wrecked there again in 2012.
In his only other IndyCar race since then, he finished 25th this year at Long Beach for Bobby Rahal. Conway’s only other IndyCar win was at Long Beach in 2011.
The open-wheel series is running a second, full-length race in the same weekend for the first time today when Conway will start up front for the first time in his career.
Conway’s Dale Coyne Racing teammate, Justin Wilson, was third and Scott Dixon was fourth. Helio Castroneves finished fifth, to make him the points leader just ahead of Hunter-Reay.
