Kansas: Winning team interview

JOEY LOGANO, No. 20 Sport Clips Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finished: 1st

What were you thinking before the final restart after you and Kyle Busch battled on the previous restart?

"We never touched each other.  But, that was a tough decision because I started on the bottom the whole time and I figured I had to
start on the top.  Everyone was starting up there all day and I felt like it was the thing to do. Last time I was put in that situation was
California -- I was thinking about it -- how I got beat that race.  So, I was like, ‘I need to win this thing and start on the outside.'  The
guys just did a good job today.  The pit stops were awesome.  Kevin Kidd (crew chief) set me up with a good race car -- a good Sport
Clips Toyota.  Man, it's just cool to get back here in victory lane after we've been finishing second lately.  It's cool to get on a little
hot streak right now, with both cars right now.  I'm pretty excited about it."

Did Brad Keselowski help you on the final restart when you were battling Kyle Busch?

"He (Brad Keselowski) helped me out a lot, which is perfect because I pushed him to a couple of wins so it's nice for him to push me once -- that's pretty cool. I was a little nervous about it. When I was on the bottom there -- not the last restart -- the one before that the spotter yelled clear. So, I was like, ‘I've got to clear him (Kyle Busch) and come up the race track before he gets to the outside of me, because he would have had me in (turns) three and four.' I was clear at the time, and I left him a little bit of room up there. I think his tires got a little dirty up there. Either way it's a cool win. I'm excited about it. It's good to be back here in victory lane."

Did you think you had a race-winning car coming into the race today?

"Kevin (Kidd, crew chief) did a good job setting up my race car yesterday.  My Sport Clips Toyota was really good in practice and to
be honest with you I was going to be disappointed if it didn't drive the same as it did yesterday in practice.  Today, obviously, it was a
lot cooler out.  The track was way different.  I found that out in Cup practice earlier.  And it took some adjustments for us to get our
car exactly where we needed it.  There was about a four-car race.  I think the four of us were all pretty equal on lap times so it all came
down to the end there on restarts.  Doing the right thing at the right time and being in the right place at the right time and being able to
bring it home.  So, that was cool.  It was a lot of fun and I'm lucky that caution came out to tighten it up because we wouldn't have
been sitting here right now.  I think it kind of worked out perfect for us."

What was the difference today to put you over the wall of beating Kyle Busch?

"Every time you finish second it seems like that wall is a little bit higher. It's cool to get over it for sure. We've run upfront every week which is really cool. That's thanks to Joe Gibbs Racing and obviously Kevin (Kidd, crew chief). The guys back at the shop do a great job. But, it definitely gets frustrating when you feel like you should've won a lot more races than what you have this season. And, we have won a lot more in the last season. It's frustrating that you're not in victory lane as often as you want to be, but that also makes you want it a little bit more and makes it a little bit sweeter when you do win. Obviously, I'd like to be in victory lane a lot more than we have been this year, but I'm going to take this for sure. Next week is another really good race track for us so maybe we can go two in a row."

Why did you pick the outside lane for the final restart?

"Basically, every restart that the leader had a choice was taking the outside. It really ran through my mind a lot of different ways and wasn't really sure what I wanted to do because I had restarted on the bottom the whole time. I restarted on the bottom at the initial start when we were on the pole, but I saw if I wasn't cleared going into (turn) three -- if I was on the inside I was going to get beat on three and four and I couldn't allow myself to take that chance. I told Kevin (Kidd, crew chief) during the caution there, ‘This same thing happened to us in California and we got beat that way.' I was like, ‘Man, we've got to start this thing on the outside here and hope for the best.' I got actually lucky that Brad (Keselowski) pushed me on the restart there and shot me ahead a little bit. So, that worked out perfect for me to have a little edge into the turn to be able to clear him (Kyle Busch) off of turn two."

Were you surprised that Brad Keselowski pushed you ahead for the win? "I think me and Brad (Keselowski) have been getting along good lately, which is awesome. I pushed him to the win at Talladega. I pushed a lot of people to the wins at Talladega and I haven't won one there yet, but it was cool to see him behind me and helping me out and able to push me ahead. It was the best thing to do for the both of us really. For him to push me ahead also gave him the advantage on the third-place car maybe finishing second. It made sense for him to push me and it really helped me for him to push me there. There's a chance I might not have been here and there's a chance I would have if he didn't push me, but you never know. Either way it was definitely a big help."

***

KEVIN KIDD, crew chief, No. 20 Sport Clips Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

What are your thoughts on Joey Logano's performance today? "I'm very fortunate to have this kid sitting beside me driving our car. He's really good at a lot of race tracks, but when it comes to Kentucky and Kansas and California -- the flatter mile-and-a-half's with a lot of speed -- there's nobody out there that's better than this guy, in my opinion. I was very pleased with our performance today, but to be honest with you being a little bit of a pessimist I thought we kind of sold ourselves a little short today. I thought we had a better car yesterday than today. We had to work on it some during the race and probably worked on it harder than I was anticipating. Just pleased that we were able to get it there at the end and be a contender there at the end and be able to put Joey (Logano) in a spot where he could do what he did."

-source: toyota motorsports