Joey Logano picks up another Top-5 result in Kansas - MotorSportsTalk

Joey Logano may have faded late after leading 63 laps during the middle stages of last night’s 5-Hour Energy 400 at Kansas Speedway, but the Team Penske driver was still able to chalk up his sixth Top-5 finish of the year with a fourth-place result.

With 60 laps to go in the 267-lap race, Logano restarted up front alongside Kevin Harvick and appeared to be in contention for what would have been his third Sprint Cup win of the season.

But Harvick was able to take the lead from him off the restart and with 48 laps to go, Logano ceded second to Jeff Gordon – who would go on to beat Harvick for the win by just two car lengths.

Meanwhile, Logano slipped one more spot in the final laps as Kasey Kahne peeled third place off of him while he was trying to dispatch a lapped car.

“That last restart, the 4 and 24 [Harvick and Gordon] just took off and left me – I was like, ‘Man, wait for me!’,” Logano said afterwards. “Those guys were quick.

“We missed our adjustments a little bit trying to keep up with the track. I feel like we should have finished third. The 5 [Kahne] got by me when I was trying to get around a lap car and I am disappointed in myself there.

Logano still was the top Ford driver on the night, leading a three-driver contingent from the Blue Oval that made the Top 10.

Roush Fenway Racing’s Carl Edwards finished sixth on his home track, while Aric Almirola finished eighth for Richard Petty Motorsports.

With two wins in hand from Texas and Richmond, Logano will be in the hunt for a massive payday in next weekend’s Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

While the All-Star will be a non-points event, a $1 million prize is going to the winner.

“Overall, it is a solid Top-5 finish again and we will keep that momentum going and have some fun next week in Charlotte and go for a million bucks.

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In a continuing effort to help fans keep track of the on track action, SuperMotocross is in the process of developing and implementing leader lights for the unified series.

Currently Supercross (SMX) utilizes stanchions in the infield that are triggered manually by a race official. At least two stanchions are used in each race as a way to draw the eye to the leader, which is especially useful in the tight confines of the stadium series when lapping often begins before the halfway mark in the 22-bike field. This system has been in place for the past two decades.

Later this year, a fully automated system will move to the bike itself to replace the old system. At that point, fans will be able to identify the leader regardless of where he is on track.

The leader lights were tested in the second Anaheim round this year. An example can be seen at the 1:45 mark in the video above on the No. 69 bike.

“What we don’t want to do is move too fast, where it’s confusing to people,” said Mike Muye, senior director of operations for Supercross and SMX in a press release. “We’ve really just focused on the leader at this point with the thought that maybe down the road we’ll introduce others.”

Scheduled to debut with the first SuperMotocross World Championship race at zMax Dragway, located just outside the Charlotte Motor Speedway, a 3D carbon fiber-printed LED light will be affixed to each motorcycle. Ten timing loops positioned around the track will trigger the lights of the leader, which will turn green.

SMX’s partner LiveTime Scoring helped develop and implement the system that has been tested in some form or fashion since 2019.

When the leader lights are successfully deployed, SuperMotocross will explore expanding the system to identify the second- and third-place riders. Depending on need and fan acceptance, more positions could be added.

SuperMotocross is exploring future enhancements, including allowing for live fan interaction with the lights and ways to use the lighting system during the race’s opening ceremony.

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