KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Joey Logano kept peeking around Matt Kenseth as the laps ticked away at Kansas Speedway, the two of them in entirely different situations in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.
Logano had nothing to lose. Kenseth had just about everything to lose.
So when Logano got under Kenseth entering Turn 1 with about five laps remaining and sent him spinning across the track, eyebrows raised, and they stayed raised as Logano went on to win his second straight Chase race.
"That's good, hard racing," Logano said. "We were racing each other really hard. I felt like I got fenced twice. He raced me hard so I raced him back."
Logano was already guaranteed his spot in the next round of the Chase after his victory at Charlotte. Kenseth's team arrived at Kansas knowing a victory this weekend or next might be the only way into the final eight in the playoffs.
That's why Kenseth was doing everything possible to block Logano.
"I'm really disappointed," Kenseth said. "I was running the lane he wanted to run in, but my goodness, isn't this racing? … He'll probably sleep good tonight. I hope he enjoys that one. It's not what I would have done."
Kenseth wound up leading a race-high 153 laps, but he finished 14th, and last among the 12 drivers in the title race.
