Flat tire costs Elliott, Logano wins Penzoil 400

An otherwise dominating performance by Dawsonville, Georgia, native Chase Elliott was derailed by a left rear flat tire with 50 laps remaining in Sunday’s Penzoil 400 NASCAR Cup Series race. Elliott’s collision with the turn one wall on lap 220 sent him from first to last after an unscheduled pit-stop and he was only able to fight his way back into the 25th spot before the checkered flag flew.

Driving the bright yellow Penzoil No. 22, Joey Logano won the race under the eighth yellow flag of the day in a two-lap shootout that began with an accident on the restart. The victory was Logano’s second straight win in the Penzoil 400, and the twenty-fourth of his career, moving him up to thirty-fourth on the all-time winner’s list.

“We fought hard for this one today.  Man, what a battle between Blaney and I and Chase Elliott and (Martin Truex Jr.) earlier in the race,” Logano said. “Man, nothing like winning the Pennzoil 400 in front of this amazing crowd with this awesome yellow car right here in the front.  Man, this is a huge win, and nice to kick off the season with a W.”

Elliott, starting in tenth-place, took the lead four times in the race for a total of 70 laps winning the first two stages of the race. The NO. 9 NAPA Chevy driver has now won three of the first four stages of the early 2020 NASCAR season.

In only his second race with his new team, Woods Brothers racing, Matt DiBenedetto picked up his highest career finish as he crossed the line in second-place. Ricky Stenhouse Jr finished third, followed by Austin Dillon and Jimmie Johnson. The fifth-place finish by Johnson, who is racing in his final season, marked his best finish in more than a year.

The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series continues the western circuit with the Auto Club 400 at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California on Sunday, March 1.