Joey Logano’s Late Hit On Matt Kenseth Seals Victory

For NASCAR driver No. 22 Joey Logano, if there is someone in front of him who is not letting him get in first place because of blocking, he will take matters into his own hands.

With five laps to go during the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway, Logano had hit No. 20 Matt Kenseth in the back causing Kenseth to lose control on Turn 1. After a green-white-checkered flag signifying two more laps, Logano went onto win for Team Penske in his Ford Fusion car and becoming the Contender Round of the Chase because of his back-to-back wins that started with his win last week in Charlotte. The victory was Logano’s fifth of the season and the 13th of his career in the Sprint Cup Chase.

“It was good, hard racing,” Logano said. “We were racing each other really hard, and I got in the fence twice on the straightaways. He raced me hard, and I raced him hard back. That’s the way I race. If I get raced like that, I’ll race the same way.” Kenseth, on the other hand, believed Logano’s late hit was an intentional one. “I was very disappointed that he would do that. Yeah, I was running the lane he wanted to run in, but, my goodness, isn’t this racing? Strategically, I don’t think it wasn’t the smartest move on his part. He’ll probably sleep good tonight — I hope he enjoys that one. It’s not what I would have done, but he had a decision to make and that’s the one he made.”

The race has led to some Chase standings becoming more precious as the elimination race next week at Talladega Superspeedway will be underway.

Photo: KANSAS CITY, KS – OCTOBER 18: Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway on October 18, 2015 in Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images)