NASCAR: Joey Logano ends record pole-to-win drought at Michigan
By Asher Fair
Joey Logano ended the longest pole-to-win drought in NASCAR Cup Series history with his victory in the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway.
Prior to last Sunday’s race at Pocono Raceway, the race that most recently resulted in the all-time NASCAR Cup Series pole-to-win drought record being broken took place in June of 2012 at Dover International Speedway.
This race was the 30th consecutive race that the polesitter did not win, breaking the previous record of 29 consecutive races that were won by somebody other than the polesitter. This record was set back from the 1989 season to the 1990 season.
Joey Logano, then driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, ended up ending this longest pole-to-win drought in Cup Series history at 30 race by winning the following race at Pocono Raceway in his #20 Toyota.
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Entering last Sunday’s race at Pocono Raceway, the active pole-to-win drought sat at 30 races, which tied the all-time record. Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron took the pole position for this race, but he was unable to win it. He finished in ninth place, extending the pole-to-win drought to a new all-time record of 31 races.
Logano did what he did at Pocono Raceway seven years ago this evening at Michigan International Speedway, but driving for Team Penske. He took the pole position for this race, the FireKeepers Casino 400, and went on to win it in his #22 Ford to end the longest pole-to-win drought in Cup Series history.
The last race that was won by a polesitter prior to Logano’s dominant victory in Monday evening’s race was contested at Kentucky Speedway on Saturday, July 14, 2018, nearly 11 months ago. Martin Truex Jr., driving for the now defunct Furniture Row Racing team, dominated this race after starting from the pole position in his #78 Toyota.
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Will polesitters winning NASCAR Cup Series races become a trend throughout the remainder of the 2019 season after Joey Logano finally broke through with the first win from the pole position in nearly a full year, or will another lengthy pole-to-win drought begin in the near future?
The next race on the schedule, the Toyota/Save Mart 350, is scheduled to take place on Sunday, June 23 at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California, and it is set to be broadcast live on Fox Sports 1 beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET.