BROOKLYN, Mich. — Joey Logano plopped into a seat, getting a much-needed break, when the 26-year-old driver found out he was just a part of history.

Logano pulled away from the pack Sunday to win the FireKeepers Casino 400 and was followed by 20-year-old Chase Elliott and 23-year-old Kyle Larson, the youngest top three in Sprint Cup history.

“That’s pretty cool,” he said.

The trio’s average age of 23 was younger than the 24.7 of the top three finishers at a race in 1951 and two races the previous year.

“The future of NASCAR is present,” Logano said. “It’s going to be big. It’s amazing to see.”

Logano, the pole-setter, moved past Elliott on Lap 153 at Michigan International Speedway and stayed ahead for the 15th Sprint Cup series victory of his career. He’s the 10th different winner in 15 races this year.

Advertisement

Elliott finished a career-best second but wasn’t in the mood to celebrate because of poor restarts.

“I definitely messed up,” he said. “Putting it in the correct gear would be a good start.”

Larson fell one place short of matching his best performance.

Brad Keselowski was fourth, and points leader Kevin Harvick finished fifth.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., who finished 39th out of 40, is the only winner from 2015 who is winless this year.

NASCAR’s latest aerodynamic package made its debut, part of the sport’s plan to create more competitive racing.

Advertisement

“We hope it works,” team owner Joe Gibbs said, leaving a venue that used to be packed but now has pockets of empty seats in the 72,000-seat racetrack. “We need more people in the stands.”

The new aero setup included, for the first time in more than a decade, a reduction in the downforce to 1,500 pounds and shortening of the spoiler to 2.5 inches.

Drivers weren’t sure how their cars would handle due to the changes, which will also be implemented next month at Kentucky. That led to accident-free start on the 2-mile oval.

The first caution didn’t slow down the race until Lap 47, the cleanest start at MIS since 2009. Yellow flags became more frequent later on.

“At the start of the race, everyone was trying to take it easy,” Larson explained.

Logano had a huge lead with 12 laps to go when Denny Hamlin, the Daytona 500 winner, blew out his front right tire. Logano sped away when the racing went green again and coasted to the win, seemingly taking advantage of the new aero package.

“The cars are out of control, no doubt,” he said. “Crazy. It makes it a lot of fun. You’re going faster in the straightaway and you have no downforce. Especially three-wide, it’s a recipe for disaster.”


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.