Logano Cashes Million Dollar Check by Winning NASCAR All-Star Race at Charlotte

NASCAR’s All-Star race is always a fan favorite and this year’s event was structured to give the fans what they want, an exciting finish. While confusion reigned at the end of the first session, the ending did not disappoint. Kyle Larson sprinted to the lead at the beginning of the final 13-lap segment as the front of the pack raced four-wide into the first turn, Joey Logano weaved through the traffic jam into second place as Larson quickly built a lead on the pack. Logano slowly cut the deficit catching Larson and setting upa battle for the million-dollar winner’s purse. With two laps to go, Logano dove under Larson and as the cars battled side-by-side Larson tried to pinch down on Logano to blunt his momentum. Larson could not hold the line and drifted up the track bouncing off the outside wall. The bobble allowed Logano to pull away for the win while teammate Brad Keselowski drove into the second position for a 1-2 Ford finish.The format for this year’s race included mandatory pit stops during each segment and an inversion of the leaders prior to the final segment. Matt Kenseth, waiting to pit late during the first segment, was caught by a late caution preventing him from making the required stop. As a result of Kenseth’s error a portion of the field was caught one lap down. Kenseth was penalized one lap for not making the required stop. Unfortunately, those cars one lap down were not restored to the lead lap, essentially suffering a penalty as a result of Kenseth’s flawed strategy. The resulting confusion threw the event into turmoil as drivers and crew chiefs tried to understand the scoring decision. NASCAR admitted, after the race, they were unprepared for the series of events that unfolded, leaving fans, announcers, and race teams trying to sort out the mess.Keselowski dominated the second segment of the race, that combined with Logano’s aggressive driving bodes well for Team Penske’s chances in next week’s Coca-Cola 600. The longest race on the NASCAR circuit provides the ultimate test for driver’s and their machines. Ford teams hope to prove they are equal to the task.