SPARTA, KY – Joey Logano was well on his way to winning Saturday night’s Quaker State 400 at the Kentucky Speedway. The Team Penske driver passed Kyle Busch on track on Lap 248 and when Daniel Suarez gave up the lead to pit for his final stop one lap later, the lead of the race was Logano’s with 17 laps remaining of regulation.

Logano, checked out. He had the quickest car of the race at that point despite not leading a lap prior. He’d lead the next 19 circuits and hold a 2+ second lead before the seventh and final caution came out on Lap 263 for Darrell Wallace Jr. losing a tire with five laps-to-go.

That forced a NASCAR overtime and what would be a wild restart. Logano, still had the most speed and track position. Instead, the field jumped him as not only did Logano lose the win, he fell out of the top five too.

“The caution came out at the wrong time,” said a disappointed Logano. “It happens. You try to think through your notebook on how to have a good restart. I thought I was going to have a decent one but I got stopped on the left rear there when Kyle (Busch) got into me. That is what it is. That stopped all my momentum. (Kurt Busch) had a huge run and I didn’t have anywhere to go. I couldn’t block them all. I tried to stop (Kyle Busch) on his right rear by side-drafting. I saw (Kurt Busch) coming and felt like if I could get in front of him that we were so low at the time if I blocked (Kurt Busch) he would just go to the middle and pass me. I felt like I couldn’t stop (Kurt Busch). I was in a bad spot. Once I got stopped on the left rear on the restart I was a sitting duck and they just went by me on both sides.

Logano, finished seventh in his No. 22 Ford for his third straight top 10 on the 1.5-mile track but goes a fourth straight year without a top five. It was also his third race in the last four weeks that he failed to score a top five.

“We were in a perfect position when the caution came out. I did what I could to clear (Kyle Busch) before Turn 1. I got a decent launch but he stopped my momentum. … I just didn’t do a good enough job. We had the fastest car and we didn’t win. That’s the takeaway.”

Now, he’s letting Kyle Busch back in the hunt for the overall points lead which is critical for those 15 additional playoff points.