Three was the magic number this past weekend: three turns make up this past weekend’s racetrack – the Talladega Superspeedway – and Joey Logano swept the Contender 12 round in a “three-peat”.
Jeff Gordon started off leading the race, followed by leader switches between Dale Earnhardt Jr., Denny Hamlin, and Jimmie Johnson. Around the 80-lap mark, Denny Hamlin’s roof hatch began to come loose, which caused trouble for the driver. Not too long after, Casey Mears had some trouble with his car and swerved off of the track after losing slight control, causing him to fall a couple of spots in the race.
With only five laps to go, the engine on Jamie McMurray’s racecar blows, but that becomes nothing in comparison of what comes on a final lap restart.
During the restart, Kevin Harvick was trying to avoid other drivers when he made a turn up the track, causing him to hit Trevor Bayne, the driver closest to him. The hit caused a multi-car crash that left only those up front in the clear, while the back half of the racers either swerved off of the track or had to spend extra time re-adjusting.
In the end, Joey Logano took this chance to grab the lead and win his third race in a row, with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon trailing behind in second and third. The Eliminator Eight have been chosen; in the next three races that number will instantly become the Championship Four…getting someone one step closer to the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
