Logano walks away from crash: Sadler knew "what he had to do to win"

Logano led the final lap in overtime in the Sparks Energy 300 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway and as he was closing in on the finish line he attempted to block the advance of a fast-approaching Elliott Sadler.

On his second attempt at a block, Logano turned into Sadler’s car and bolted back up the track and into the wall, igniting a multi-car wreck and forced NASCAR to throw the caution flag.

After a review of finish, Sadler was ultimately declared the winner as he was the leader when the caution was first displayed.

“We crashed pretty hard. It is just typical superspeedway racing in the Xfinity Series racing for the win at the end. I know Elliott is a great speedway racer and he knew what he had to do to win the race and I knew what I had to do to try to keep him behind me,” Logano said after visiting the infield care center.

“He went to make the move on the top and then he pulled it down to the bottom and got it underneath me and then I was a little late to the block. He was already there. Around I went and hit a bunch of other stuff along the way.

“I am glad everyone is okay. Thank God for SAFER barriers and the way these seat belts are. That was a heck of a frontal hit for me. To get out and walk away and feel okay says a lot about our sport right now.”

A predictable outcome for a Talladega race

Logano said he was not surprised the final lap unfolded the way it did.

“That is speedway racing. If you put 40 cars in a pack going 200 mph racing for a win we are going to crash. Let’s be honest,” he said. “It is exciting, though, and our cars are really safe. That is the hardest hit I have ever taken.

“I am impressed with the way the car held up and the way Team Penske built my Mustang they made sure to make safety first and that says a lot about us. Yeah we hit hard, yeah the ego is a little hurt but I am okay.”